Parliamentary Speeches

Mr. Speaker, Toronto Police Constable Todd Baylis was murdered in cold blood. His family lost him forever. Under the Liberals, that pain never ends. Every two years, they are forced to relive that nightmare, with another review, another hearing and more pain for that family. The police associations and the families are demanding action, but the Liberals are dragging their feet. Will they join us, stand up for the victims, meet the families and repeal Liberal parole?

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives stand with Jeff Smith's family as well. The Liberals are all talk, and there are no results. They created this mess. When Conservatives tried fixing it with Bill C-243, they voted it down. The brother of Todd Baylis said, “[The] killer's rights are more important than mine, my dead brother's, yours, or anybody else's.” The Toronto Police Association agrees that this is wrong. Conservatives agree that this is wrong, because it is our mission to keep Canadians safe. We stand with victims. We stand with our brave officers. When will they?

Mr. Speaker, Lisa, a victim from Oxford, told me that she feels like she is the one on house arrest while the criminal, the attacker, is walking free on the street. Thanks to Liberal catch-and-release laws, it is jail by day and bail by night. The same repeat offenders keep terrorizing our communities over and over again. It is victims like Lisa who are suffering. It is victims like her who are paying the price for failed Liberal policies. Will the Liberals finally stand up for victims and protect Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, what planet does the minister live on? It is all talk, no results. Last year, we had one violent crime every 50 seconds in our country. This summer, multiple police officers were shot and killed. The U.S. consulate was shot at again. Synagogues are being shot at. Festivals are being shot at. A senior, Lillian, 73 years old, standing in her driveway in London, was stabbed to death randomly and unprovoked. That is what is happening in this country, thanks to failed Liberal policies, and this out-of-touch minister expects and wants Canadians to believe that everything is fine. When will the Liberals get serious, lock up the criminals and bring back—

Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off by recognizing a great event that happened in Oxford County not too long ago, the Woodstock Truck Show. It started out in Woodstock 12 years ago, but it has, sadly, moved out to the border with Burford, which falls in Brant County. This group does fantastic work uniting truckers from North America, who come together and raise money for such great causes. This year alone, they have raised almost $150,000 to support the Special Olympics and also WDDS in Woodstock. These guys deserve respect. Our truckers move our goods. They feed our families. They are always there, so we want to recognize them for that great accomplishment. Today's topic of homebuilding is an important one. The government for the last 11 years has been making these big promises, grand announcements and photo ops, saying it is going to start building homes and going to build 500,000 homes in a single year, but instead, we have had the opposite. Housing costs have doubled. Mortgage payments have doubled. Rent payments have doubled. The down payment needed for a new home has doubled. A whole generation is now out of the market. There are builders who are not building, sellers who are not selling and buyers who are not buying, and that is taking a great toll on Canadians. Young entrepreneurs and young Canadians have always dreamed of owning a home one day. That is gone. Nine in 10 young folks believe they will never be able to buy a home. They want to have their own home. They want to start a family. We had that in Canada before, where if someone worked hard, played by the rules and had a decent job, they could save money for a down payment, buy a decent home in a good, safe neighbourhood and raise their family with their values. That was the Canadian promise, but we are not seeing that anymore. Instead of standing up for Canadians and actually making their lives easier, what do we get from the Liberals? It is the same old same old. The Prime Minister made all these big promises, that this is a new government, that it was going to change things and that it was not like the old government, but if I look across the aisle, I see the exact same ministers and the exact same MPs. They are the same MPs and ministers who caused this housing crisis we have today. The former housing minister caused the immigration crisis, and then he became the housing minister and destroyed the housing industry. Now he is justice minister, and he has destroyed the justice system. The Liberals have caused these crises in our communities. Before someone can even buy a home, they have to survive. Right now, Canadians are working harder and harder but barely getting by. They cannot save for that down payment anymore. Heck, they cannot even buy groceries anymore. We have 2.2 million Canadians visiting food banks in a single month, which is a record high. One in 10 of them are seniors, and one in four of them are young children. As a father, knowing that kids are going to school hungry bothers me. It should bother every single member in the chamber. Children should be going to school with full stomachs, with food in their bellies, ready to learn to be the leaders of the next generation, but thanks to the government, we have seen the opposite. The Liberals could heckle me. I know they love heckling. They get upset when we talk about the facts because it goes against their narrative and what they are selling to the media, but Canadians know. They see through this nonsense. They are seeing through it. They are seeing that Canadians are struggling. I can tell the House a few stories from my riding, Oxford, just from this last week. The government said it was going to hand out these food credits. Some people got $18. Some of them got $5, but the government promised them a lot more than that. On this side of the House, we will always stand for tax cuts and we would make sure that money goes back in the pockets of Canadians, but not how the government does it. Here is a story from Dezmond. He says that “life gets harder for young Canadians with families like myself with additional taxes and the increase in cost of living, as an apprentice I'm losing hours for my full time job [and can't] start a career”. He cannot afford to live in this country. Tiffany is a single mother raising two teenage boys. Her aging parents, who are retired, are sending her $1,000 a month for food and to help with rent money. This is despite her having a job, and at the end of the month, she has $64 left from that $1,000 transfer. That is a story we are hearing right across our country: Parents are now subsidizing their kids' future. This new bureaucracy the Liberals announced would do absolutely nothing to fix the affordability crisis, but it would continue to line the pockets of Liberal insiders. They want to make another bureaucracy, another one, on homebuilding, where they choose the executive, they choose the projects, they choose the dollar amount, they try to hide behind closed doors, and there is a lack of transparency. Again, the rich get richer, and average working-class Canadians continue to struggle. Here is a coincidence. I wonder what one of the biggest real estate asset managers in the country is. Does anyone know what company it is? I wonder. It is Brookfield. Surprise, surprise, Brookfield is one of Canada's largest asset managers. I wonder who has connections to that company. We have to ask these questions. We need transparency in the House. We need to know where the funds would be going. It is not fair that Canadians work their butts off, make the sacrifices, stay away from their families—

That's exactly right. They play by all the rules, Mr. Speaker, yet they are being pushed right to the back. As for the numbers on housing that the Liberals have promised, they are not even meeting those targets. I think they hit 2.1% of the target they themselves set. In what occupation or job is failure rewarded like that? They should be held accountable for their failures. Canadians see right through these illusions that the Prime Minister is creating. Canadians are waking up. The Prime Minister is great for giving large, grand speeches, and I will be honest. In his Davos speech, the Prime Minister said some of the right stuff. Some stuff made sense, but homes cannot be built with empty words, stomachs cannot be filled with empty words, and jobs cannot be created in this country with empty words, and that is all we are getting with the Liberal government. There is another concern we have when the Liberals talk about homebuilding. I am seeing this rural sprawl happening into our farmland. We are seeing our farms being taken away. In Oxford County, that is a big concern for us. Our farmers are the backbone of Oxford County. They are the backbone of our country. They feed our families. It is a very big concern for me to see some of that farmland being taken away. Once farmland is paved over, it is gone forever. In Oxford County, we have class 1 land, which is some of the best farmland in the country. Members talk about a self-reliant country. Food security is a priority. Domestic production, making more, growing more and harvesting more here in Canada, should be a priority. When the Liberals have reckless projects taking away our farmland, that is a problem. One of those projects that we hear about is happening in eastern Ontario. My colleague is here today. She has been a great advocate fighting against the Alto train project, another boondoggle waiting to happen. The Liberals are taking away land from our farmers. Our farmers need that land, and they will be here in Parliament to raise their voices. I really encourage the members across the aisle to please join the Conservatives, to join colleagues like mine from eastern Ontario, who are raising serious concerns about this. The Liberals can talk all they want. The words are not meeting the action. We are not seeing the results. It has been over a year now. They have their majority government. They have no excuses. Homelessness should not be going up, but it is, under their watch. Tent cities are popping up everywhere, in Winnipeg too. I was there a few months ago, and I met with the mayor. He is seeing a crisis in his community with crime, and he is seeing tent cities. They are raising serious concerns. Again, there is money for the wealthy but nothing for those who are struggling. That has to change. That is why Conservatives have always put forward solutions to make sure we can build more homes at an affordable price that all Canadians would be able to purchase. That is why we raised the issue of cutting GST on new homes priced up to $1.3 million, saving the average family $65,000. That is a big chunk of change that would help stimulate the economy but also give that first-time homebuyer a chance to get into the market. We have talked about removing the capital gains tax, so investors could invest and those folks who want to buy their first rental property could get into the market. We want to create that economic environment where money is coming back to our country, unlike the Liberals. We have seen money going down south in the last 11 years. We have talked about incentivizing municipalities, making sure that we could become one of the fastest places to permit. Canada is one of the slowest permitting jurisdictions in the OECD. I think we place 63rd out of 67. That is pretty bad. We have the highest housing cost per capita in the G7 and the highest household debt in the G7. Those are serious concerns. Conservatives would incentivize municipalities, so if they permitted faster, they would get a bonus when it came to infrastructure funding, as well. We want to get out of the way. These reckless red tape regulations that profit only the insiders have to go. Let the builders build. Let our farmers farm. Let us not block progress happening in our country. That is our Conservative plan, a plan where young Canadians could buy a home, where our seniors could retire in peace, with dignity, and where our workers, when they make that sacrifice, would be able to purchase a home. Let us stop the bureaucracy. Let us get shovels in the ground. With that, I move: That the House do now adjourn.

Mr. Speaker, today we learned that the Liberal Prime Minister is the only leader in the G7 to take his country into a recession, but while Canadians live on leftovers, the Prime Minister is enjoying fine dining 30,000 feet in the sky. On the menu are the finest meats and wines, crème brûlée and even imported butter cups, for a whopping bill of $200,000 for just three trips. Will the Prime Minister cut the fat, stop his speeches and ground his gravy plane so Canadians can afford to eat?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' message to Canadians is “Suck it up, buttercup”, because excuses on tariffs will not work anymore. Canada is the only country in the G7 to be in a recession. Food bank usage is at a record high. Families are cutting back on their groceries. They are cancelling their summer plans and skipping meals just to get by. What does the Prime Minister do? He blows $200,000 on fancy meals for himself. Does the Prime Minister not realize that this is Canada, not Brookfield, and that taxpayers are not his personal bankers?

Mr. Speaker, as Canadians plan their summer getaways, I invite them to beautiful Oxford County. Known as the dairy capital of Canada, Oxford is where beautiful farmland, small vibrant towns and unforgettable experiences come together. From the famous cheese trails to our farmers' markets, every road leads to something worth discovering. Visitors can stroll along historic downtown streets, enjoy incredible restaurants, relax at the local spa and camp under the stars. Summers in Oxford come alive with Cowapolooza, the Highland Games, Pizza Fest, TurtleFest, classic car cruises, tractor pulls, fairs and community celebrations. Families can visit farms, pick delicious berries and even watch the vintage Harvard planes take off into the summer skies. Oxford is a place filled with character, community and memories waiting to be made. This summer, come and visit Oxford.

Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals, criminals shoot by day and walk free by night. The Liberal criminal justice system is catch, release, arrest and repeat, while extortionists terrorize communities and families. Our Conservative plan would impose a mandatory 10-year sentence to lock these criminals up. We would kick out non-citizens convicted of these serious crimes. Will the Liberals finally stand with victims, support our plan and bring back safe streets?

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Calgary East not only for his great intervention but also for the work he does to hold the Liberal government accountable on finances. The member is right. This update was a chance to give Canadians some hope. It was a chance for the government to lay out a plan that would show Canadians that the Liberals have their backs, that they care about the work they do and that they care about the sacrifices they make. They had an opportunity to reduce the deficit, but instead we got the opposite. We have a record number for the deficit, which has real consequences for Canadians. When we have rising deficits, when we spend more than we bring in, when we send money outside the country, when we wastefully spend it on insiders and Liberal lobbyists, what happens? Canadians pay the price with inflation. Our country has one of the highest inflations in the G7. Canadians are now struggling to put food on the table. We have single parents who are skipping meals just so their kids can have some decent food. We have seniors who are choosing between buying medicine, filling their gas tanks and paying their bills. We have farmers who are sacrificing so much every single day in our riding, yet barely getting any return for the yields. We have workers who are picking up extra shifts, working extra hard, staying away from their families, abandoning their vacations, staying away from their children and their friends and literally just working constantly to put food on the table for their families. There are IT professionals and young Canadians who actually have decent jobs and go to work with a decent income, but they still cannot make ends meet. The working poor is now a thing. They work harder and harder, but are barely getting by. The Liberals had a chance to send a clear signal to Canadians, but it did not happen. What did we get as a result? We are now paying almost $60 billion every single year to finance their debt. Interest payments alone are $60 billion, which is more than what we pay for health care transfers in our country. That interest money goes to bondholders and bankers, and Canadians get the bill, again and again. That money could be used to invest in our health care. In Oxford County, we have a shortage of doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses working in our health care sector. We have almost 8,000 residents who do not have a family doctor in our community. It would be amazing if that money was taken away from these bankers and bondholders and actually invested in rural communities. That money could be used to build up our infrastructure or maybe even to keep the Snowbirds going, which is a great heritage and a historic part of our country, but no, the Liberals want to keep wasting money. If we look at the economic update, it is more of the same, while the Prime Minister promised to be different. He said he is different. He said he would get a deal. He said that he is a fiscal manager, but we are getting a lot worse, even worse than Justin Trudeau. Who is getting rich? Who is making the money? It is not Canadians. Brookfield is getting contracts. We are seeing over $20 billion sent to external consultants and lobbyists, and there are billions of dollars for foreign aid that is connected to the government. That money should be brought back to Canada. The Liberals need to put Canadians first, lower the deficit and bring down inflation. We should not have a situation where seniors are now starving to death. We should not have a situation where parents are not putting their kids in summer camps or sports, but we are seeing that. Small businesses make so many sacrifices. They take the risks, try to give back to their communities and want to help out, but the government continues to kick them down at every moment. Our vision is very different. Our Conservative vision is about giving control back to Canadians, back to our workers, farmers and seniors, so that if they work hard in this country, make the sacrifices and follow the rules, they should be able to achieve their God-given potential. Canadians used to be happy. Canada used to rank as one of the happiest places in the world. When we look at the rankings, we see that is changing. We can look around in our communities to see this. In Oxford County, if we walk down Dundas Street, we will see that some businesses are starting to close their doors. We will see the tents of homelessness popping up. We see signs right across this country of a country that is heading in the wrong direction, but Canadians are resilient people. Canadians do not give up. Despite no support from the government, they still believe in our country. Conservatives believe in our country. We believe in our people, who are hard-working and talented. We believe in the farmers who wake up before sunrise to plant in the fields and who look forward to the fall for a great harvest. We believe in them. We believe in the waitress who works a double shift, who washes dishes and makes sure she is serving customers with a smile on her face just so she can feed her children. We believe in her. We believe in the auto workers and the workers who work hard on our floor shops to make great Canadian products. We believe in our seniors who have sacrificed their whole lives. They have made the sacrifices, and all they want to do is retire in peace and with dignity. We believe in them. We believe in Canada's potential. Canada has unlimited potential with its natural resources and our different industries, such as our auto industry and agriculture. There is so much going on in our country. We should be one of the richest countries in the world. We obviously believe in Canada's promise that people, whether they have come to this country, were born here or have been here for generations, who work hard, play by the rules, take a chance, give back to their community, integrate into our society and help their neighbours can achieve their potential. What is missing now is that vision. That is why Conservatives believe in a smaller government. Smaller governments make for bigger citizens. We wanted to see a plan from the Liberals that would cut red tape. We did not see that. Red tape went up. There is more bureaucracy, more departments and more organizations monitoring other organizations. It is always something; it is always red tape. There are always these new bureaucracies being set up, which costs millions and billions of dollars of taxpayer money. We wanted to see the Liberals lower taxes. We did not see that. On the gas tax, right now Canadians are being crushed. They are being crushed at the pump stations. We said we had a great plan to take all federal taxes off gas, which would save the average family almost $1,200 a year by cutting 25¢ cents a litre. Those are big savings. For an average family, it is big savings. Instead of taking the whole idea and giving Canadians relief, the Liberals put in half measures of only 10¢ per litre. Canadians cannot survive like this, but on this side of the House, every single day we will stand for hard-working Canadians. We will push back against Liberal insiders, and we will make sure that Canada is a country for the workers who have sacrificed so much to build our country. We will make sure we hold the Liberal government accountable every step of the way.

Mr. Speaker, not only is the member so out of touch with reality, but even the Prime Minister said, a few weeks ago in the chamber, that affordability is the best it has been in a decade. The Liberals do not actually spend time on the ground meeting with families. A senior called me and said that they were considering MAID, not because they are sick but because they cannot afford to eat. Shame on the government for destroying Canada's economic prosperity. Our seniors made so many sacrifices, but the member stands up to score cheap political points. Shame on the member.

Mr. Speaker, I do agree with my colleague that under the Liberal government, seniors have been pushed right to the back. The Liberals talk a big game, but they do not have the human decency to stand in the House and accept that their policies are hurting seniors. One in 10 seniors is now going to the food banks. That is not me saying that; it is the facts in our communities. Instead of the Liberals' just issuing press releases, if they actually cared about seniors, stood up for them and supported them, we would not have the crisis we have today. The economic statement could have helped them, but again it is helping Liberal insiders, while seniors are being forced to homeless encampments.

Mr. Speaker, the food banks in my riding and right across our country are bursting at the seams. The demand at Operation Sharing at Helping Hand Food Bank, and at seniors in crisis in Oxford County is actually rising by exponential numbers. Usually we want these numbers to come down. That would be a good sign that we are taking care of our people. However, our numbers are going up. Donations are going down, and usage is going up. As I mentioned earlier, there is also a new category, the working poor, people who are working harder and harder but barely getting by. They are lining up at the food banks. There are over two million visits to a food bank in a single month. One in four of them is for children. The most vulnerable people in our community are actually struggling. The Liberal government, instead of making food more affordable and supporting our farmers by taking the fertilizer tariff off and helping them, is missing in action. The cost of food is the highest in the G7, and food inflation is the highest in the G7, thanks to the government's failed policies. On this side of the House, we are going to keep fighting for Canadians every step of the way.

Mr. Speaker, we are losing jobs in our country. We have lost hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs under the Liberal government. In the London region, which is close to Oxford county, we have had the highest number of manufacturing job losses. We have lost over 5,000 auto sector jobs, all under the Liberals' watch and their reckless policies. The member listed off a lot of the programs and investments they have made, but these have actually led to the opposite effect. We have lost jobs, and we have the second-highest unemployment rate in the G7. Can the member tell us, other than handouts, what have people really gotten back from the so-called programs the Liberals keep announcing?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is proving to be just another tax-and-spend Liberal. He promised to spend less. Instead, he doubled the deficit, spending more than Justin Trudeau did. His credit card budgeting is fuelling inflation and driving up the cost of living, and that is hurting Canadians. More than half of Canadians are just $200 away from bankruptcy. Groceries cost more, gas costs more, housing costs more and families are maxing out their credit cards just to get by. Under the Liberal Prime Minister, we have the worst food inflation, the worst household debt, the worst housing costs and the second-highest unemployment rate in the G7. Canadians cannot afford the Liberal government. Liberals must stop their wasteful spending and bring down the deficit to lower taxes and inflation so Canadians can once again afford to live.

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the great member for Montmorency—Charlevoix today. Before I begin on the issue at hand, I want to quickly recognize our great farmers in Oxford County who are preparing for the planting season. As the weather warms up, they will be back in their fields. I just want to wish them the very best. They feed our families and they deserve love and respect for all the great work they do. To all our members who will be travelling in our rural streets and rural roads, I ask them to please be careful and look out for farm equipment and tractors, to be safe and to be vigilant. Let us keep supporting our farmers, because farmers feed our families. We are all elected by tens of thousands of Canadians who put their trust in us to come take a seat in this chamber, to be a part of our parliamentary system and to be their voice on issues that matter to them. These are issues like affordability, crime, housing or any challenge they face. It is our job to speak for them in the House and in committees. The seats we sit on in this place or in committees, we are holding in trust for our constituents. These are not our seats. This seat is not my seat. It is the seat of our residents, Oxford County. This is what we represent in this chamber every single day. Last election, the people chose a minority government. They gave this government a minority mandate, but through dirty backroom deals, through floor crossers, the government brokered a majority. The Liberals can say all they want, but the member who crossed the floor herself had said that it was good for her personally. Nothing should be good for us personally the day we take the oath of office. It should be good for our community. It should be good for the country. We are not sure what backroom deals they made, but they made those deals. They brokered a manufactured majority. However, it is still our job to be His Majesty's loyal opposition. In this chamber, it is an act of loyalty to be in opposition. It is our job to hold them accountable for their actions. Any bill they put forward, it is our job to take a look at, to make sure they are not trying to pass things that will hurt Canadians, that will make life tougher for Canadians. A committee serves many purposes. Whether it is looking at the bill itself for substance or calling on witnesses to testify, to make better legislation or to expose corruption or the mishandling of taxpayer funds, a committee serves as a tool for us to hold them accountable. We all know the Prime Minister barely shows up for question period. His attendance record is horrible. I think the last time I read the stats, he had about a 27% attendance rate to answer any questions we have.

Mr. Speaker, it is probably worse. That is right. Every day that goes by and he does not show up, it gets worse. Former prime minister Harper showed up. Even Justin Trudeau showed up; he is worse than Justin Trudeau. They showed up. They had the decency to face this chamber and to face committees. The committees do great work. For example, we all remember the great arrive scam app that the government was held responsible for. It was discovered in committee. The great work of our committee members exposed the millions of taxpayer dollars that were wasted by the Liberal government. We remember the WE Charity scandal, where the Liberals were lining the pockets of their friends, their insiders. There was also the SNC-Lavalin affair, where they tried to pressure the Attorney General at the time. We remember the green slush fund, which was another massive abuse of power, of money. Do members remember the Aga Khan scandal, where they took money and they were found guilty of ethics violations? These were all things that happened and were exposed through committee. I know the Liberals are upset. They are very upset, because they want power. It is all about power for the Liberal government. That is all it cares about. We can forget the last Liberal government, which they claim is the new government now; let us talk about the so-called new government. We have asked their finance minister to show up at committee. This is because we all heard about the $90 billion the government wants to spend on the Alto train. The minister of finance's partner is an Alto executive. There is $90 billion of taxpayer money going to the finance minister's partner. The Liberals do not want to talk about the issue at committee. The minister refuses to show up. Just this morning we talked about PrescribeIT, another boondoggle by the government, hundreds of millions of dollars wasted. If it was the Liberal members' money, they would not be spending it. It is hard-earned taxpayer dollars. We have called that out at committee. They are sending billions of dollars to entities that are tied to Brookfield. The Prime Minister is a shareholder. It is his former employer. These are all things that Canadians care about. We do not want corruption in our country. If the Liberals have nothing to hide, why not let the committees do their work? Canadians voted for a minority government. The people spoke. They knew what they wanted. They wanted the opposition to hold the government accountable. Yet again, with this new motion, the Liberals are trying to hijack those institutions as well. They will be rushing through legislation. They might go in camera, hiding everything from the public's view. We need tools to do the job. Strong oppositions make for stronger government. When we shine the light on the government, the Liberals are forced to act and actually do their job. However, for some reason, and it is a growing trend, no matter at what level, they are afraid of questions. They are afraid to answer. This means they are afraid of Canadians. They are trying to silence the voices of Parliament. Members on different committees do a fantastic job. They do hard work, they research, and their team comes prepared to make things better, to make democracy better. I know Canadians are demotivated because when I go back to my riding, I speak to constituents and I get phone calls. They are losing faith in our democratic institutions. Some of the comments I have heard are saying, “My voice does not matter anymore.” “Why would I vote?” “Why am I a part of this system?” That creates this negative image of politicians and of Parliament, but it also puts Canadians in a very demoralized state. When Canadians are struggling to put food on the table, they want to know that the things happening in this chamber are actually in their best interest. With this government, again, it is control, censorship and shutting down Parliament. I can tell members that on this side of the House, with these great colleagues, we are not going to give up. We are not going to stop. We are going to hold the government to account every single day because that is what we were elected to do in this chamber. Whether it is through committees, questions here in this chamber, petitions or town halls, Canadians are going to see every single one of our members holding the Liberal government accountable for its actions. We are going to watch. We are going to raise concerns. We are going to be a loud and proud opposition, and we will hold the Liberals accountable. Our country is worth fighting for. Our people, who sacrifice so much, are worth fighting for. The potential of our amazing country is worth fighting for. That promise of Canada is worth fighting for. We are not going to stop. We are going to hold the Liberals accountable. We will keep that fight going right to the end.

Mr. Speaker, I believe in the tens of thousands of folks who elected me. I believe in the millions of people who voted for this opposition to do our job to hold the government accountable. The government made backroom deals to manufacture this majority. If the Liberals had some decency, they would keep our committees the way they are, let Canadians hear the truth, stop this power grab and stand up for democracy.

Mr. Speaker, absolute power comes with absolute responsibility as well. We have seen a pattern in the past. The member talked about ethics violations. The government has been found guilty of 10 ethics violations. Guess what. The punishment was 200 bucks. If it was not for the work at our committees, and if it was not for the work of the opposition, the Liberals would try to hide from those scandals, and Canadians would never know. If they are not afraid of the work they are doing, let the committees stand. Let Canadians see the truth. When we shine a light on the government, we make better government. That is our job, and we are not going to stop fighting for that.

Mr. Speaker, I have already mentioned that in my speech. It is a great question. It does require some follow-up. We have seen the Alto scandal that is unfolding in front of us. That is a big problem. The PrescribeIT scandal that we asked the AG to investigate today is a massive scandal. There are tons of others. For example, today the Liberals announced the bankers special fund for debt, where they are going to be putting billions of dollars into some sort of debt financing, which is going to, again, open the government up for more scandals. It is a slush fund the Liberals are setting up. Where there is money, they have a history of corruption. They have been caught in the past. We are going to keep on fighting that good fight. We are not going to stop. I know they want us to stop. They are trying very hard. We are not going to stop. We are going to keep fighting, and we are going to hold them accountable.

Mr. Speaker, they wanted a minority government where there were checks and balances in place, where we held the Prime Minister accountable, where we held him to his promises. The Prime Minister has broken all his promises. He is making up things as he goes. He is literally trying to control and censor Parliament. He is trying to take control of committees so he can push his radical agenda on Canadians. That is not what they signed up for. We are going to make sure we hold him accountable for that.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the RCMP and CBSA, a massive multi-million-dollar drug lab was shut down near Norwich. In Woodstock, drug dealers pushing fentanyl and cocaine were arrested, but then released on bail. Liberal weak-on-crime, catch-and-release and open border policies are destroying our communities. Under their watch, 50,000 Canadians have lost their lives due to drug overdoses. When will the Liberals crack down on these criminals and protect our communities?

Mr. Speaker, the police are doing their jobs, but it is this Liberal government that is failing Canadians. The Liberals promised 1,000 new RCMP officers and 1,000 new border guards, but they failed to deliver them. The AG says that, in Canada, we are short 3,400 RCMP officers. Meanwhile, illegal guns and illegal drugs keep pouring across our borders and into our communities. Will the Liberals stop recycling their speeches and finally act to protect Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to our economy, the Liberals are telling Canadians that they have never had it so good, but here are the facts. Under the Liberal government, in the G7, Canada now has the highest household debt, the most unaffordable housing, the lowest investment per worker and the worst food price inflation, double that of the U.S.. Today's Stats Canada report shows that food inflation is once again rising, with the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables hitting a three-year high. Canada has the second-lowest productivity and the second-highest unemployment in the G7. Almost 100,000 jobs were lost last month, 5,000 of which were from the auto sector. Thousands of spinoff jobs left our country as well. There were job losses in steel and lumber. Our youth unemployment rate is over 14%, and we have the fewest homes per capita in the G7. We have the second-slowest building permit process in the OECD. I am not done yet. Under the Liberal government, 500 billion dollars' worth of investment has left Canada for the U.S., and twice as many Canadians are opening businesses in the U.S. as are doing so in Canada. The CFIB has said that more businesses have closed than opened. In fact, business closures have outpaced openings for six consecutive quarters, and 55% of small business owners say they would not recommend starting a business right now. Input costs for our farmers are skyrocketing, especially with the fertilizer tariff the Liberal government put on our farmers. We are the only country in the G7 that has put those tariffs on farmers, and because of that, food prices have gone up. There are 2.2 million food bank visits in a single month. One in ten of those is by a senior, and a quarter are for youth and children. The gap between the rich and the poor is also growing. Sixty per cent of Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque, only $200 away from bankruptcy. From the new numbers that came out today, we see that inflation is rising once again. Canada used to be a happy nation. Canadians were happy people, but under the Liberal government, we went from the fifth-happiest 10 years ago to the 18th-happiest last year. Since the Prime Minister took office, we have become the 25th‑happiest in the world, so Canadians are not happy with the direction this country is going, yet the Prime Minister stood in the House and said, “Affordability is the best it has been in over a decade.” Can the member tell me, beyond the Liberal insiders and Liberal elites who are getting rich from government contracts, do Liberals really feel that affordability has been the best since 2015?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is so out of touch with the reality of what Canadian families are facing. The member talked about temporary pauses, temporary measures and one-time tax breaks. I always welcome a tax break. It is the people's money and the money should be going back into their pockets. However, the Liberals had a chance this week to remove all federal taxes on fuel, but instead of going all the way, they just took off one tax, the excise tax. Their plan saves 10¢ a litre. The Conservative plan would have saved 25¢ a litre or $1,200 for the average family, and that is what we are calling for. We are calling for a full tax exemption on fuel, all federal taxes, in 2026. The sad reality is that Canadians are struggling. They are struggling to put food on the table. Seniors are skipping meals. Kids have their milk watered down. Will the Liberal member tell us what measures they are taking to support families who are struggling in Canada today?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have thrown in the towel on Canada's auto sector. Since 2015, auto production is down by half, exports are down by 53% and over 5,000 auto jobs are gone. The Conservatives' auto pact would restore tariff-free access to the U.S., doubling auto production here at home. Instead of giving up on our auto sector, will the Liberals stand with their auto workers and support our motion to boost production here in Canada?

Mr. Speaker, here is what the president of Unifor Local 222 said, “Finally, a...plan to protect the livelihood of thousands of Ontario Auto sector workers.” Under the Liberal plan, production is down and exports are down, but job losses are up. The Conservative plan would double auto production here in Canada. The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association supports our plan. The local unions support our plan. The auto worker on the assembly line supports our plan. Will the Liberals?

Mr. Speaker, as parliamentarians we are entrusted with something special: the duty to do what is right, not what is easy. What is right is very clear. It is right to build a criminal justice system that protects Canadians and protects the most vulnerable, that listens to the stories of victims and that recognizes the profound impact that every life lost and every family shattered truly carries. Behind every crime stat there is a name, a face and a family that will never be the same. I have met with those families. They are parents who will never see their child again. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents and communities are now divided into before and after, all because a repeat violent offender was released in their communities over and over again. The stories stay with me: the heartbreak, the tears and the silence when we have no other words left to share with them. We must ask ourselves how many more headlines we have to read, how many more victims will have to suffer and how many more families have to be broken before we finally take serious action in this chamber. Victims are feeling like they are the ones living on house arrest, looking over their shoulders and changing their routines, all while the criminals walk in and out of jail scot-free. Victims who have had their lives permanently changed are the ones facing life sentences. It is not the criminals; they are out on the streets, enjoying life. As such, the jail not bail bill, which we consulted on right across this country, has one guiding principle. It is that repeat violent offenders, that small class of folks who terrorize our communities, should not be released on our streets. The bill is about restoring balance in our system. It is about restoring deterrence. The Liberals can heckle me all they want. They can sit here and heckle all they want. They have been doing that for a long time, but the bill is about restoring trust in our criminal justice system when far too many Canadians have lost faith in it. My colleagues and I have travelled the country, coast to coast to coast. We have had over two dozen town halls. We have met with thousands of Canadians, families, victims and law enforcement. We have tens of thousands of signatures on petitions. The message we hear is very clear. It is that Canadians are terrified. They are fed up. They have anxiety. Sadly, they are hurting, but despite that pain, they still have hope that we can make the right call in this chamber and put forward solid policy ideas that could restore safe streets in our country yet again. That is why my bill offers over a dozen clear, concrete solutions to the criminal justice system that would prioritize public safety, that would put the rights of victims first for a change and that would make our communities the thriving communities we used to have. As such, I encourage all members, with the vote coming up on Wednesday, to send a clear message to criminals that enough is enough, but also a clearer message to victims that we see them, we hear them and we stand with them. On this side of the House, Conservatives are united. We are united in fighting for safe streets. To those Canadians watching at home, they should not lose faith or give up, but hold on, because it is in the darkest chapters we have the brightest lights shining. We will stand with the victims. We will stand with law enforcement. We will stand with every single Canadian right across this country, and we will put the rights of victims first because we know they are worth fighting for.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister promised safety with 1,000 new RCMP officers, but that is just typical banker spin. The Auditor General is now reporting that there is a 3,400 officer shortage with the RCMP. Recruitment is failing. Training seats are going unfilled, and after a year-long process only 6% of applicants are making it through. With crime rising at alarming levels, when will the Liberal Prime Minister stop his illusions and bring boots to the ground and protect Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, after 11 years of Liberal government, Canadians are now struggling to feed their families. We have a record number of visits to food banks, with 2.2 million people in a single month. We have the highest food inflation in the G7, which is double that of the U.S. We have a 10% increase in homelessness in Ontario. These numbers are more than just stats. They affect Canadians every single day. Seniors are now calling my office asking to apply for MAID, not because they are sick but because they cannot feed themselves anymore. They feel burdened. We have single parents and working-class Canadians now calling themselves the working poor. They have decent jobs but still cannot feed their families. In Canada, we have some of the best farmers. My riding of Oxford is full of them. They are hard workers. They roll up their sleeves. They get the job done. Our planting season is just around the corner. I am getting a lot of calls from farmers telling me that their input costs are skyrocketing. They are facing increasing fertilizer tariffs and costs. I will add that we are the only country to have fertilizer tariffs on our farmers. They are seeing the industrial carbon tax go up and rising fuel costs. All these things are not only making it harder for the farmers to farm, but they are adding more costs for Canadians at the grocery store. This is not something we want to see. We should be providing great, nutritious food to our communities, to Canadians. We have the best land, the best farmers and the best resources. However, because of the Liberals' poor domestic policies, we have seen food unaffordability hit an alarming number. We have food insecurity in places we have never seen before. The government offers temporary measures, such as a one-time food price break. That is not going to do anything to lower prices. As we see the rising price of gas, and we are seeing it today on energy, the cost of groceries is also going to go up. Experts are saying in the latest report that came out this morning, that with rising fertilizer costs and with rising energy costs, grocery prices are going to skyrocket this summer. We are not ready for that. Canadians are not ready for that. My question for the Liberal minister is a very simple one: What is one policy or one measure that the Liberals have taken to lower the input costs for our farmers?

Mr. Speaker, I wish we could feed families with the word salad the member served up in the House today. It is funny, because when the Liberals are asked about the housing crisis, they blame the Iran war. When we ask them about the 100,000 job losses, they blame the Iran war. When we ask about food insecurity and the cost of living crisis, they blame the Iran war. The Iran war started three weeks ago, but their failed policies started 11 years ago. When we tax the farmer who grows the food, the trucker who ships the food and the processor who processes the food, guess who ends up paying? It is Canadians. Will the parliamentary secretary stand up in the House today and tell us if they will remove the fertilizer tariffs that only Canada is charging and reduce food prices for all Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, I am rising once again to submit petitions on behalf of Oxford residents, with a thousand more signatures, raising concerns with the Liberals' attack on faith in Bill C-9. The petitioners are very concerned about the Liberal-Bloc amendments to Bill C-9, which could be used to criminalize passages from the Bible, the Torah and the Quran. Faith plays a huge part in our communities. It is the backbone of a strong, vibrant country. The petitioners are calling on all members of the House to stop this attack on faith, to stand with faith communities, religious freedom and freedom of expression, and to stop Liberal censorship. Once again, I call on the House to stand with these faith communities.

Madam Speaker, I would like to start off by sending my deepest condolences and prayers to everyone in Tumbler Ridge. What we saw and what we heard are heartbreaking stories. As a father, I mourn with them. As Canadians, we all stand with the community, and we are sending our prayers to the first responders, the victims and their families. May God bless them all during this challenging time. Canadians from all areas of our country are standing with them. I will now shift to the issue at hand, which affects my riding quite a bit. Oxford County, usually known as the dairy capital of Canada, has a lot of farmers and a lot of agriculture. We also have a huge footprint when it comes to the auto sector. Members of the government have visited us recently as well. We were just celebrating a successful milestone in Woodstock at the Toyota plant, which started production of the new generation of RAV4s. I visited the plant and spoke to the workers who are producing the amazing RAV4s. Every 30 seconds, a new vehicle pops off the assembly line. That is possible only because of the hard work, dedication and commitment of the people who make it happen. The workers in the auto industry are some of the best in the world. In my riding and in Windsor, Oshawa, Brampton and Quebec, there is a huge footprint of the amazing folks who are leading the way when it comes to manufacturing. We are seeing an attack on the Canadian auto industry, and we are feeling it coming from within sometimes, in some of the policies coming from the current government. The government has been talking a very big game when it comes to the auto sector, with a lot of photo ops, a lot of fancy summits and a lot of talk. However, the rhetoric is not matching the reality, and for my riding, this is having serious consequences, and not just with the job losses. I look at what the auto workers and the industry do for us. They are out in the community, and they are giving back to charities. They are usually the first ones to support events like Coldest Night of the Year, which is a national charity that focuses on people who are homeless. They give back when they can. They come together as one strong community. The industry and the workers are feeling betrayed by the government now. Looking at the Prime Minister's record, let's look back at the last year. We have lost 5,000 jobs in the industry: direct jobs in Brampton, Ingersoll and Oshawa, and at Paccar in Quebec. There are also tens of thousands of indirect jobs, the spinoff jobs, that operate because of these manufacturing jobs. Under the current government, under the Liberals' watch and under their failed leadership, auto production has been cut by half. In 2015, over two million cars were made in Canada; now it is a little over a million cars. We are now under attack when it comes to the auto industry. The government has had the opportunity to stand up for our workers, to show solidarity and to fight against the unjustified tariffs that are affecting our community, but it has not. The Liberals are not showing any leadership. When the Liberals announced the new strategy, workers in my riding did not back it up. I have been getting calls and emails to my office. People are asking why the government is subsidizing, using their tax dollars to fund, American-made EVs. We should be bringing that money here to Canada, especially when Donald Trump is putting tariffs on Canadian-made autos. The Liberals talked about standing up to Donald Trump; we saw the campaign about elbows up. When it comes to issues like this, that is missing. Now the Liberals are repackaging their EV mandate with a different word and different packaging to make it look like it is new and exciting, but it is the same stuff that will have the same consequences on our economy. The EV mandates were not supported by the manufacturers here in Canada. Brian Kingston and other leaders opposed them. They said that the Liberals did not know what they were talking about and that they had doubled down on their failed experiments. What did that do? It made us uncompetitive and brought instability to our industry, which in return meant job losses. That is why we proposed scrapping the EV mandates a long time ago. We have been calling for that for over a year. We should be increasing demand for production in our country. We have the best, hardest-working workers. They want to get to work. They want to roll up their sleeves and build Canada. Instead of taking the GST off Canadian-made vehicles, which would incentivize our local economy because on a $50,000 vehicle it would give Canadians a $2,500 saving, the Liberals are going to ship the money down south. Canadians do not want their tax dollars going into luxury vehicles they cannot afford, especially during an affordability crisis, when that money could be spent on boosting our local economy and making sure our workers get the jobs they need so they can put food on the table and would not have to line up at food banks as we have seen in the last bit under the current government. The government is completely out of touch. Workers in Oxford County called me last week after the plant in Ingersoll laid them off. When they started getting their payouts and saw that more than half of their paycheque was being withheld in taxes, they were shocked. They had no words to explain what that would mean for their family. They do not know how they will pay their mortgage, rent and other bills, or how they will feed their family. They are making changes now for the summer, such as taking their kids out of their sports leagues. All they wanted was for the government to do the right thing and stand with them, because that is what it claimed it would do. It talks a big game, saying it is with the workers, but when it comes to standing up for them in the House, it does not. Therefore we brought forward a proposal that would, under section 153 of the Income Tax Act, a federally governed system, provide some relief. When our economy is not doing well, I think relief should be there for workers, which would mean they could food on the table and would give them some breathing space and room for relief. We told the minister we wanted to co-operate in good faith. We said we wanted to work together in collaboration around the table. The Liberals flatly rejected it. They called it “political malpractice”. I can tell members that it is political malpractice to not stand with the workers who dedicate so much to our country. The Liberals have turned their backs on them. They talk a big game and talk rhetoric, but the reality does not match their words. Therefore we are calling on all sides to work with us in collaboration. Let us get to the table. Let us scrap the EV mandates; no matter how we brand them, they should be gone. We should look at scrapping the subsidies that are going to fund things down south, bring that money back home and put Canadian jobs and Canadian workers first. Let us take the GST off our Canadian-made vehicles. Let us give our workers the relief they need during these challenging times. That is what it means to be Canadian. It is time to stand up and support the auto industry.

Madam Speaker, it was great to have the parliamentary secretary visit our riding. I welcome any member who wants to come take a look at some of the greatest things that get made. They should come to Oxford County; we will take them for a nice tour and show them all the great things that are happening in my riding. It is a beautiful place to be. One thing that is very clear is that we were making hybrid vehicles before the government started putting all the regulations in. I have been in direct contact with Toyota quite regularly. The company tells me it will do what the market wants, what consumers want. That should be the way our auto sector works: Consumers should decide what kind of cars they want to drive. If consumers want to drive gas-powered vehicles, they should be allowed to. In Oxford County, that is what a lot of folks want to drive. We have a lot of agriculture equipment, a lot of farming equipment; that is what is needed. If somebody wants to invest in a hybrid, it is their choice; they should be allowed to. If anyone wants to drive an electric vehicle, it should be their choice. We should let Canadians decide what vehicles they want to drive. Sometimes they could try to use reports that lean towards their biases, but I believe and trust Canadians for their expertise. I can say that Toyota will keep on doing what it is doing, and it actually calls on the government to stand with it as well.

Madam Speaker, like my hon. colleague across the aisle, I represent an agriculture community. The farmers in my riding are telling me that input costs are being driven by the government. Whether by taxes on farm equipment or taxes on fertilizer, the Liberals are the ones driving up the costs, which are then, obviously, being sent to our consumers. I have said it before and I will say it again: When we tax the farmer who grows the food, when we tax the trucker who ships the food and when we tax the processor who processes the food, what that does is drive the cost of food up. I am a big believer that the government should not be choosing winners and losers, and this is why our plan lets the market decide which direction it should be going in, not the Liberal government.

Mr. Speaker, under the Liberal government, Canadian auto production is down by half. Mass auto layoffs in Oshawa, Brampton and Ingersoll are devastating our communities. We gave the minister a very reasonable solution to help auto workers. Under section 153 of the Income Tax Act, he can bring forward a regulatory change to reduce the mandatory withholding rate on lump sum severances for impacted workers. The Minister of Finance rejected it. Why?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance called standing with auto workers “political malpractice”. It is easy to talk about that here in Ottawa, but try saying that to the workers who lost their jobs, to the workers who cannot feed their families, to the workers who cannot pay their mortgages. The government is sending billions of their tax dollars outside of Canada to fund foreign jobs and foreign projects. Canadian workers feel betrayed. Will the minister just drop the rhetoric, work with us and stand for Canadian workers?

Madam Speaker, in the last election, the Prime Minister said Canadians should judge him by the prices at the grocery store. Those were his words, but since then, he has actually failed. The stats are in; the facts are in. We have the highest food inflation in the G7, higher than in the U.S., actually double that of the U.S. There are 2.5 million food bank visits in a single month. A quarter of them are for children. There is a 10% increase in homelessness encampments in Ontario. There is a crisis that is unfolding. Every time someone goes to the grocery store to buy some nutritious food for their family, they go to the check-out lane, look at the food they are buying and look at the price being rung in. They cannot believe their eyes. Seniors are putting items back on the shelf just because they cannot afford them. Working-class folks who have decent jobs are now relying on food banks for the first time. The demand for food banks is actually at one of its highest levels. One of the food banks in my riding said that people who once used to once donate to the food bank are the ones actually using it now. Just last week I received one of the toughest, worst emails I think I have ever received in my three years as the member of Parliament for Oxford. I woke up and looked at an email from a senior. She asked how she can apply for MAID. She wanted to end her life. In that email, she talked about the reason why. She said she cannot afford to eat. She does not feel like being a burden to her own family, to her kids. That is a story from my riding. This is happening in Canada. I could give members lots of examples of food insecurity in our communities. The government, instead of going after the root cause of fixing this crisis, is bringing forward temporary relief. I always say that any relief is good relief. I always believe we should be giving taxpayers their money back, but we have to look at the larger context. How is it that our food inflation is double that of the U.S.? I know the Liberal government blames the U.S. for everything, but this is a domestic problem. It is a homegrown problem. Our farmers are being punished with rising input costs and taxes on fertilizer. Our shippers are seeing their costs go up. Truckers are feeling the pain. Food processors are dealing with regulatory burdens and more red tape than anywhere else in the world. In Oxford, a senior came up to me and said that it is cheaper to buy produce that is grown in Mexico, 3,400 kilometres away, than it is to buy Oxford-grown produce. My question is this: Why will the government not scrap these hidden types of—

Madam Speaker, we have the best farmers and the best land in the world, yet our farmers are being punished with these extra taxes. We have brought forward motions in this chamber to take off the hidden food taxes, which include the industrial carbon tax. We have talked about removing the food packaging tax and making sure we could bring more competition to our grocery chains. We are bringing solutions. We have also said to the government, “Let us work in collaboration. Let us work together and pass our motions.” As the member rightly pointed out, this is affecting Canadians right across the board, so we have been putting forward solutions. Let us scrap the tariffs on fertilizer that are driving up cost for our farmers. It is an easy fix. It is why we even supported the Liberals' temporary measure to give relief to families. We are at the table, ready to work. We are proposing solutions. I always say that, if we tax the farmer who grows the food, tax the shipper who ships the food and tax the processor who processes the food, everyone pays—

Mr. Speaker, CAMI workers were devastated last year when they lost their jobs, but it got worse. Last week they received their layoff payout, only to see that more than half of it was clawed back in taxes. That is thousands of dollars, and many of them cannot afford to wait for next year's tax return. They need the money now to pay their bills, their mortgage and their rent, and to put food on the table. Will the Liberals work with us, stand with CAMI auto workers and provide immediate tax relief so they can afford to live?

Mr. Speaker, I did not get an answer to my question, but it is sadly ironic that while Canadian workers are losing their jobs, and while more than half of their payouts are taken by taxes, the Liberals are handing out $2.3 billion in subsidies for American-made electric vehicles. All this is happening while the U.S. is slapping tariffs on Canadian-made autos. Canadian tax dollars should not be funding American-made EVs, so my question is very simple: Why is money being taken out of the pockets of auto workers to fund American jobs?

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of petitioners from Oxford County who are concerned that the Liberal-Bloc amendments to Bill C-9 could be used to criminalize passages from the Bible, the Quran, the Torah and other sacred texts. The state has no place in the religious texts or teachings of any faith community, and freedom of expression and freedom of religion are fundamental rights that must be preserved. They are calling on the Government of Canada to protect religious freedom, uphold the right to read and share sacred texts, and prevent government overreach into matters of faith.

Mr. Speaker, Canada once built over two million vehicles in a single year, but under the Liberals, that is now down to 1.2 million. That is nearly half, and as production drops, 1,200 more auto workers in Oshawa worked their last shifts just this last week. CAMI workers who lost their jobs are now getting heavily taxed payouts, and they are struggling to make ends meet while their plant sits idle. There is no production. There is no timeline, and there is no support. After destroying Canada's auto industry, when will the Liberals finally stand up for auto workers?

Mr. Speaker, auto workers in my riding want their jobs back. Auto workers have kept our country moving for generations. They are hard-working, they are tough and they are highly skilled, but the government keeps selling them out. We need Canadian cars made with Canadian steel and made by Canadian workers. The Liberals promised a deal. They promised they would defend Canadian jobs, but we are seeing job losses right across our country. How many more auto workers have to lose their livelihoods before the government starts putting Canada's jobs first?