Ottawa, ON – Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, issued the following statement on the recent StatCan Labour Force survey:

“Mark Carney’s Liberals are destroying Canadians’ jobs with high taxes, red tape and more bureaucracy. 42,000 jobs were lost in August, according to today’s StatCan survey. Yet, Carney continues to refuse our call to reconvene Parliament and urgently bring forward an economic action plan to strengthen our economy, protect our jobs and get Canadians back to work. 

“StatCan confirms that Canadians saw fewer job opportunities in August as employment fell, while the employment rate dropped to 60.8 per cent. Nearly 35,900 full-time jobs were lost along with 5,800 part-time ones. 

“Young Canadians continue to be impacted as employment for ages 15 to 24 fell by 19,000 in August, while youth unemployment climbed to 12.9 per cent. At a time when young people are struggling to find work, save for their first home, or start a family, they are getting shut out of the labour market.

“These job losses came before the latest tariffs took effect and their impact is not yet reflected in this report. Carney presided over the worst first-year economic growth of any Canadian Prime Minister on record, with the weakest real GDP growth in the G7 from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026, the weakest among G20 economies and the second-weakest in the OECD.

“With overall real business investment down in four out of five quarters under this Prime Minister, it’s no wonder Canadians have the highest debt burden in the G7 and consumer insolvencies are at their highest level since the Great Recession.

“This reality should concern every Canadian worker and every family worried about their future. Our economy was already shedding jobs and performing poorly before trade talks with the US collapsed. We cannot afford more delay and indecision from the Liberal government.

“That is why Conservatives are demanding that Parliament reconvene immediately and introduce Conservatives’ emergency Economic Action Plan to strengthen our economy and protect Canadian workers. 

“Our plan will:

  • Eliminate capital gains taxes on reinvestment in Canada;
  • Unleash our resources by greenlighting the 500 projects currently awaiting federal approvals; 
  • Repeal anti-development policies like C-48, C-69 and the Industrial Carbon Tax; and
  • Grow the automotive sector with an auto plan that would boost production.

“Conservatives will fight every day for Canadian jobs and businesses so that every family can afford the life they deserve.”