QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Jobs and Families
State of the Economy
December 9, 2025
Hello, minister.
Since 2015, Canadians have witnessed historic federal deficits and debt, a weakened dollar and declining investor confidence. The consequences are clear: Under your Liberal government, over half a trillion dollars in investment has left Canada for the United States. And this year alone, an additional $40 billion in net investment has departed. These losses mean fewer jobs, less innovation, lower productivity and declining living standards for families.
Minister, how can Canadians have confidence in your government’s economic management when global investors appear to have so little?
I would say that Canadians demonstrated confidence six months ago when they elected our government yet again. That is three elections in a row which have demonstrated that Canadians have confidence in a leader who chooses to unify, pull people together and work through difficult times.
All countries have faced some extraordinarily difficult changes, whether it’s as a result of the pandemic as well as the challenging economic landscape after the pandemic, global trade instability or the impacts of tariffs.
Canadians know what is happening, and they know this government has their back in the good times and the bad.
It’s $40 billion lost this year alone, so Canada’s real GDP per capita is projected to decline for the third consecutive year, while job creation remains fragile and low‑wage part-time work accounts for the majority of new positions. Meanwhile, young Canadians still face the toughest labour market conditions in over a decade. This is not the future they were promised, minister.
When will your government move beyond the empty promises and photo ops and instead begin delivering meaningful results for Canadians?
Although it is a very difficult time for many Canadians who are experiencing job threats and losses as a result of unjust tariff actions from our largest trading partner, we are also seeing some promising signs in the economy. In fact, we’ve seen a net gain of jobs for the third month in a row, and we’ve seen wages climbing for the third month in a row.
Although there are warning signs, there are many areas we must stay focused on: We must support workers disrupted by trade. We must support critical industries, like our steel industry. We must continue to ensure that young people have every opportunity to gain those experiences and those first jobs. We will continue on a path that invests in Canadians and that sells our country to the world.
