François-Philippe Champagne
Saint-Maurice—Champlain, Quebec · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, during this final question period before the summer recess, I would have expected the Leader of the Opposition to thank the Prime Minister of Canada for the work he did at the G7 summit. We brought back 13 deals that will generate $5 billion.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me remind the leader that we will take no lessons from the Conservatives. He needs to be reminded. We have the second-fastest growing economy in the G7.”
“Mr. Speaker, as we come to the end of the session, we would expect the Leader of the Opposition to be a bit more cheerful because, in fact, there is good news. If he wants to look at results, Canada is the second-fastest growing economy in the G7. We have seen that investment in machinery and equipment is up.”
“Mr. Speaker, we hear the Conservatives talk against the economy. On this side of the House, we are proud. We are proud to have the most skilled workers in the world. We are proud to have an auto industry, a maritime industry, and an aerospace industry. We are proud to have critical minerals for the 21st century.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for Hull—Aylmer for his question and for all his leadership. I am sure that my colleagues will agree with me. He is right. Last week, we unveiled the national food security strategy, because we know that food security is a top priority for Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague will be pleased to hear that the Canadian economy ranks second in the G7 in terms of growth. Not only are we seeing growth, but we are also seeing investment; Bombardier is a perfect example of that. Quebec's aerospace industry is thriving. We have always been there to defend our industries.”
The complete record
Every one of 851 lines we hold for François-Philippe Champagne, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 18.
“Mr. Chair, what we are seeing in terms of youth unemployment in Canada is not unique to Canada. We see this in other G7 countries. What we are seeing is that the impact of what we are facing in the world in terms of uncertainty has affected a number of industries and has affected youth unemployment in particular. That is why I think we should be happy that we have team Canada strong. We are going to provide opportunities—”
“Mr. Chair, we should always be concerned about youth unemployment on both sides of the aisle, obviously, as Canadians. That is why team Canada strong would provide opportunities for 80,000 to 100,000 young Canadians to get into the trades and get their Red Seal certification so that they can contribute to building the country at this—”
“Mr. Chair, I am happy that my colleague is focusing on the Canadian sovereign wealth fund that we are creating. This is going to be a great instrument to create collective wealth. It is going to be applying the best practices that we see around the world. The governance model will reflect its independence from the government.”
“Mr. Chair, I am sure my colleague will have seen our auto strategy, which has been presented. We have worked with unions and with the Province of Ontario, among others, to make sure that we will have a resilient auto sector in Canada. I would say that I am proud of the auto workers. I am proud of our industry. I am proud of what they do. Instead of talking down the industry, I think my colleagues should be cheering up and saying we will work together to support the auto industry in Canada.”
“Mr. Chair, I am happy to repeat what I just said, but I know my colleague understood. He is looking for some kind of clip, but he is not going to get it. What I can say tonight is that we want to invest in the vehicles that are—”
“Mr. Chair, my colleague is a very experienced member of the House. He will have seen that in all G7 countries, and I have just come from the G7, these plans have been delayed. What we are saying about the north star is that we need to invest in what they make today, but also prepare for the future.”
“Mr. Chair, we were supporting the auto industry when I was industry minister, and we continue to do that today. We want to position Canadian auto workers for success; they understand that. We have been working with unions very closely. We have been attracting investment like Volkswagen in St. Thomas, which, as I said, is going to build—”
“Mr. Chair, let me just correct the record of what I said before, because there were statements made that did not reflect it. What I said is that we are investing in supporting the industry. We need to support the industry with the cars they are making today, but at the same time, if we talk to the OEMs, the car manufacturers, they are also preparing for the cars of the future. Therefore, we want to invest in what they produce today, but also be able to support them when they are going to be producing the cars of the future.”
“Mr. Chair, that is what I said; just look at the record. We need to invest in different technology for now. The north star is the long-term view. That is why we have these investments that prepare us. We need to support the industry with the cars we make today, but also prepare for the future. That is what we see. If we look at the automakers, they have—”
“Mr. Chair, what I am saying is that we need to prepare for the cars of the future. In fact, it is nothing surprising that when the same thing has been done for 100 years and the technology is changed, there is a longer time of adoption. I will just remind my colleague that Tesla took 17 years to be profitable. The Model T of Henry Ford was not an instant success. It is normal that when we do the same thing for a century, we have consumer adoption and change in technology. We can look to Europe and around the world and talk to the manufacturers. We do not need to look at talking points. Talk to the CEOs of the global—”
“Mr. Chair, I am talking about the facts. I am just trying to help the member understand the nature of the industry in Canada, and I will continue to do so because people at home understand that we have different investments in the country. We have been able to attract significant investment. What I said is that we are supporting the industry with respect to internal combustion engines, but at the same time, we have also played a big role in attracting investment in the vehicle of the future, so we have—”
“Mr. Chair, the member may not like my answers. I know that the Conservatives are allergic to good news, but I am an experienced member of the House and will continue to answer and to provide the facts to Canadians who are watching at home. What I was saying is that we have made sure that the industry could succeed. Whether we are talking about internal combustion engines or whether we are talking about electric vehicles, I think the member has seen us investing to support the industry.”
“Mr. Chair, as I have said, what we have been doing in terms of investment, and we can think about the Volkswagen investment, is to prepare the country to make sure that we will have an industry that can support a different kind of technology, whether we are talking about an internal combustion—”
“Mr. Chair, Canada is one of the very few countries in the G7 that still has a very strong auto sector. That is why my colleague will be happy to see that we have supported workers, we have worked with Unifor and we have worked with unions to make sure that we position the auto industry for success.”
“Mr. Chair, as the member will have seen, we have been supporting the industry. We have been making sure that we can attract investments and that we understand the reality of the world today. When it comes to electric vehicles, there have been delays in adoption, and we need to adopt policies that would favour investment in the auto sector to support our workers and the industry. That is what we are doing.”
“Mr. Chair, I think the question was around the auto strategy. Since I was the industry minister at the time, yes, I think the investments we have made and the attraction of investment was the right thing. I believe that electrification is our north star. I am mindful that there have been delays in some plants and some adoption. This is not unique to Canada. We have seen that in a number of G7 countries—”
“I am bound by the rules of the House, and the Chair is asking me to respond. Mr. Chair, I got maybe the beginning of the question, and I would say that people are seeing the investment fund in Canada as best in class in the world. I would think the Canada Strong fund that—”
“That is why we are focusing on workers, on young people and on small and medium-sized businesses to help us build this country.”
“Mr. Chair, my colleague is so right. We want to do more transformation, and I think she will be happy with team Canada strong. The fact is that we say we are going to train and help 80,000 to 100,000 young people with their Red Seal and to get into the trades, because if we want to build this country, we need young people. We need young people to get into the trades. This is going to help provide more opportunities for young people in this country to participate in building this country at a speed and scale we have not seen in generations. We are very much focused on the youth. We are very much focused on helping workers. We are very much focused on working with unions as well. They do great work in training workers. We want to build together, because we want to build a Canada for all.”
“Canada has been very much incentivizing small and medium-sized businesses to make these capital investments to become more productive.”
“When it comes to productivity and innovation, the member would see that the productivity superdeduction is one of the tools that we have made in order to allow small and medium-sized businesses to make more investment, because they can immediately expense their expenses. They have immediate expensing of what they invest in capital, R and D, buildings, innovation and AI. We wanted to help companies with tax measures to make sure that they could make these capital investments that would help them to grow their businesses. The member may have seen the publication from the OECD or the International Monetary Fund that identified the productivity superdeduction, one of the tools in the tool box, as one of the best practices in the G7.”
“Mr. Chair, I can hear, from my colleague's question, the depth of analysis that she has made. That is why it is always a pleasure to engage with her in this House. She is right on competition. We know that competition is key to providing more choices and better prices for consumers. That is why, when I was the industry minister, we put more tools in the tool box of the Competition Bureau. She will remember, for example, that I gave it subpoena power. At the time it was asking for information and people voluntarily could decide whether to give it. Now it has more enforcement power.”
“However, I want to reassure her that with respect to the investment tax credit, I think Canada stands out as one of the countries among the G7 that support more investment into renewable energy.”
“Mr. Chair, my colleague is a very close colleague in the House, and I am delighted and honoured that she is staying so late to participate in this debate. I did, in fact, meet with Fatih Birol. I had dinner with him when he came here to receive a prize. In fact, what he said to us and also to the G7, and I will give members a preview, is that the world energy infrastructure is being redesigned and that countries are looking at countries like Canada, which offer stability, predictability and opportunity over the long term. That is why we said that Canada is an energy superpower. We can play a big role in conventional, renewable and also nuclear energy. I think more and more we will see countries wanting Canada to be their partner of choice, whether in Asia or in Europe.”
“Mr. Chair, the member will remember that when I was the industry minister we made historic investments to increase the resources and the enforcement capabilities of the Competition Bureau of Canada. I know that it will do its work to protect—”
“Mr. Chair, my colleague will remember that when we did the comprehensive expenditure review, we identified $60 billion in savings. We were very careful in doing that to protect a number of departments, including those that relate to indigenous services.”
“Mr. Chair, I think Canadians understand the world is changing and that we as Canadians need to ensure the sovereignty of our territory. We need to protect our north. We need to protect our communities. Canada as a NATO member is willing to do its part, and we have made record investments to protect our country.”
“Mr. Chair, we have made generational investments in housing. In fact, if we look at the cost of housing measures from 2026 through to 2030‑31, we are looking at about $56 billion in investments to make sure that we build the homes that Canadians need in this country.”
“Mr. Chair, my colleague knows very well that we have a suite of measures to help Canadians in times of need. We have introduced landmark programs such as the Canada child benefit, the national school food program, the Canada disability benefit—”
“Mr. Chair, Canadians know that they can always trust the government to protect programs that are key to Canadians. I think that, in terms of national affordability benefits for Canadians, we have always been there to support Canadians in times of need. We will continue to do so.”
“Mr. Chair, as I said to my hon. colleague, for whom I have enormous respect, I work with him very well. By the way, I want to thank him for his contribution over the years. We have done many things together. What he is going to find in this spring economic update is in fact that we are—”
“Mr. Chair, we are always making sure that every decision we make will be in the best interest of Canadians. We want to improve services to make sure that we, as a government and as Canadians, can invest in more infrastructure in this country. That is why we have made general—”
“Mr. Chair, what we said in the spring economic update was that we would gather the relevant information from airport authorities so that we can do the proper due diligence and assess what is best for Canadians. I think Canadians understand that we need to modernize the way that we build, operate and maintain public infrastructure in this country.”
“Mr. Chair, my colleague is right. If we take it in the words of the executive director of the International Energy Agency, we are going to “the most severe energy crisis” that we have ever seen, so obviously the price at the pump in Canada is affected by global events, but we are happy—”
“Mr. Chair, I am delighted that my colleague would refer to the suspension of the federal fuel excise tax. Indeed, this is a measure that is helping Canadians across the country. My colleague would well note that the biggest proportion of what we see at the pump is obviously the price of crude, and we have seen—”
“Mr. Chair, we have taken measures to have civil servants return to the office. I think these measures are in line with the best practices seen in the industry. We have done that in a compassionate and reasonable way to make sure that people—”
“Mr. Chair, I will once again reassure my colleague this evening. Canada has the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, at 10.2%. By way of comparison, Germany's ratio is 47.2%, the U.K.'s ratio is 93.8%, the United States' ratio is 96.7%, and France's ratio is 108%. This shows how well we are managing our public finances. Our debt-to-GDP ratio is the lowest among all G7 countries.”
“Mr. Chair, our first instinct was to reduce the deficit. My colleague should celebrate the fact that our deficit is $11 billion lower than projected in 2025. He will realize that even the 2025-26 debt will be lower in 2026-27. What we are demonstrating to Canadians is that we are managing the public purse responsibly and soundly. I am sure that this is what his constituents want to see.”
“Mr. Chair, I am once again pleased that my colleague quoted the Parliamentary Budget Officer because he confirmed the following himself. I will quote him in English. [ English ] The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed “that the government is on track to [meet] its two fiscal anchors”, a declining deficit-to-GDP ratio and balanced operating spending by 2028-29. The PBO assesses current fiscal policy as sustainable. [ Translation ] Those are the words of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who said that Canada's fiscal position is clearly sustainable—”
“Mr. Chair, I am so glad to hear such an excellent question from my colleague. He will be happy to hear that the deficit happens to be $11 billion lower than anticipated in budget 2025. We restored fiscal discipline in this country. I will even help the hon. member out, because he will need a clip for that. He can ask the IMF, which is independent. The IMF does not need a clip to explain that to his constituents. The IMF says that Canada's fiscal position is the strongest in the G7. I think that is what my colleague should tell his constituents.”
“Mr. Chair, I want to help my colleague. I think so highly of him that I want to introduce him to the people at the Canadian Space Agency so that he understands how important it is for Canada to have space launch capabilities. It is a matter of security. It is important for Canada—”
“Mr. Chair, I would like to add a few points. I would like to give him a precise answer. For 19 consecutive months, we have seen a decline in housing prices nationwide. Regarding the issue of space launches, I think my colleague needs to take a step back and consider the benefits of being able to launch spacecraft from Canada. This is a matter of national security. I can tell him that I would be happy to introduce him to astronauts and arrange for him to speak with people on the American side. He will understand that Canso, Nova Scotia, is one of the few locations from which one can reach geostationary orbit. This is an issue of national security for the country. He should be pleased to see that we are investing in the space sector.”
“Mr. Chair, I have a statistic to support my colleague's point. Nationwide, housing prices have dropped by $160 compared to two years ago. In fact, in major cities like Vancouver and Toronto, the drop has been even more pronounced. Yes, rent has gone down across Canada compared to two years ago.”
“Mr. Chair, my colleague is right that Build Canada Homes is making a difference in the construction of affordable housing. As far as the statistics are concerned, I would be happy to write to him and provide him with the data for Canada as a whole. He will see that I was right when I said that, across Canada, the average price of housing has come down. We are seeing the same trend with residential properties.”
“Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for raising the issue of housing costs. I should point out that rents have come down across the country. We saw the same trend with residential property prices. They are coming down. In Canada's big cities at least, we are seeing—”
“Mr. Chair, I want to thank my colleague. I think it is important to be very aware of realities. My colleague comes from a rural region too. As members who work in rural communities more specifically, we are keenly aware of our constituents' reality. What I can say is that affordability is one of the issues that concerns all Canadians. That is why we acted with diligence and care to help Canadians in their time of need.”
“Mr. Chair, we are going to have fun tonight. I cannot wait. Members can imagine what fun we are going to have. We can tell each other what grocery store we shop at. My colleague can tell me where he gets good deals too. I would guess that two litres of milk costs $5.50.”
“Mr. Chair, I think it is a wonderful experience, because grocery shopping is an opportunity for me to meet my constituents and talk to people from one aisle to the next. It is a great opportunity to interact with constituents.”
“Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his concern for my health. I would say that I am not doing too bad, health-wise. I ran three kilometres this morning. I am in fairly good shape for a man who will soon turn 56. I am quite willing to continue. I thank the member for starting slow. He is an honourable man and he said that I have been answering questions for three hours. I know that the Conservatives do not always like my answers, but I—”
“Mr. Chair, I have to congratulate my colleague once again. She has been on top of this issue. We have seen in newsrooms across Quebec and Canada how important journalists are for our democracy and how important it is to support their work. That is why we launched consultations, for example, on the Canadian journalism labour tax credit. That is because we know how vital it is to support newsrooms across the country. On behalf of my colleagues, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who is doing that work, because they are playing their part. Both government members and opposition members have a part to play in our democratic system, but journalists also play a very important part. Indeed, we announced measures in the spring economic statement to support the work of journalists—”