Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister, in a State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Biden promised yet another round of Buy America policies, with new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. The trade group of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters said, this is “bad news” for manufacturing in our country and for “integrated North American supply chains.” They called for a “strong response” to “push back and protect Canadian access to the U.S. procurement market.”

Minister, since President Biden’s protectionist comments earlier this week, what specific actions have you or your government taken to counter this latest threat to Canadian jobs? Have you spoken to your American counterpart? Have you reached out to any of the trade unions, especially unions and construction trades that represent workers in both of our countries?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Welcome, minister.

Last fall, on the day the Trudeau government announced it will impose the carbon tax on three Atlantic provinces, minister, you said, “I’m sick and tired of people talking about the cold winter . . . .” You said it was stoking anxiety, as if people won’t experience the cold if nobody talks about it.

I cannot imagine a more tone-deaf response to legitimate concerns raised by Atlantic Canadians about how they will afford to heat their homes. Your government is piling more tax on Canadians at a time when they can least afford it, when they are already paying more for groceries, housing and transportation.

Minister, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has said most households under the Trudeau carbon tax will see a net loss. Do you acknowledge that, minister, or is that something you don’t want to talk about either?