Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House today to talk about the budget. I will be sharing my time with the member for North Island—Powell River. This budget, in my mind, is really a confirmation of what we have seen gradually increasing over the last 10 years. The Prime Minister himself has spoken about it. He gave a pre-emptive speech a few weeks ago and talked about the sacrifices th…
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Madam Speaker, the Liberal member for Winnipeg North was going on about Japan. I just wonder whether the member could talk about Japan and the folly of comparing Canada to Japan when it comes to debt and the debt-to-GDP ratio. How did Japan get there? Japan's debt-to-GDP ratio is 250%. How it happened is persistent, long-term deficits, and then all of a sudden, one day, it is in a big mess. Could …
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Madam Speaker, the member is missing out on a few key points. One is to remember which government initiated the national shipbuilding project. With respect to some of the spending the Liberals may be taking credit for today, those seeds were planted many, many years ago. Another thing I would also mention is the expenditures on the F-35. The bungling of the Liberal government on the F-35 lost us d…
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Madam Speaker, what I would say is that it was given up and there was nothing gained in return. At one time, the Liberals gave it up because they thought it would help them get to the negotiating table. We have done that too many times now, and that is unfortunate. Another thing I would say to my Bloc colleague is that the Liberal government has way overstepped its boundaries and is so far into al…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that some of the Liberals are confused today when they are giving their speeches. They are acting as if the deal were a new one. It is an old deal. There was CETA and, post-Brexit, there was the temporary agreement. There are over 10 years' worth of outstanding issues. The Canada-U.K. deal would have been a chance to fix issues around beef and other issues. This may be a worse…
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Madam Speaker, one comment the member made defies logic. It is not in the fact that open dialogue is not bad. It is good; I agree with that part. However, CETA has been around a long time. Mary Ng was negotiating the Canada-U.K. trade agreement, but it broke down on one of the things around some of the trade irritants we have with the U.K. Now we are looking at CPTPP and more access. There will be…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the member two questions specifically. There is a huge trade deficit on Canadian cars entering the U.K. versus U.K. cars coming into Canada. It is about 20:1. How can there be a trade deficit in Canada with U.K. beef? There is more beef from the United Kingdom entering Canada than Canadian beef heading into the United Kingdom. How can we do anything with the Unit…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, last night, for a few hours we were a nation united, gathered around our TVs watching the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Mariners in seven games to reach the World Series for the first time in 32 years. The season started slow, but around the middle of May, something clicked. Playing with grit, hustle, good pitching, defence and no easy outs in the lineups, the Blue Jays went 73-45 to fin…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise here today. What we are talking about today with this motion is ending the Justin Trudeau-style economic philosophy and the Justin Trudeau-style budgeting and getting back to the basics here. We are talking about investments today and different things. Before I get started, I should congratulate the Toronto Blue Jays on a great victory and a great series. It wa…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. I can give an example. Over 20 years ago in my riding, where I used to work, the owner of Wescast Industries at the time made a decision to make a huge investment in Wingham, Ontario to build a new foundry where exhaust manifolds would be built and sold around the world. It was the largest manufacturer of them in the world. There were 2,000 employees in Ontar…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, nobody is putting down AI. Simply put, I am saying that when given the choice where to invest, investors are picking the United States. That is all I am saying on that. When it comes to the debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, I do not know why the Liberals even bring it up anymore. Once we get to 100% debt-to-GDP ratio, it is over. No country has ever recovered from that. Basic…
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Mr. Speaker, the member had better ask his Prime Minister, because I am sure he will give him a lesson on macroeconomics. We can take just one simple measure: the price of gold. That is where stability is found for countries. When the Liberal government was elected in 2015, the price of gold was $1,200. The price of gold today is $4,000, and that is not because the government has been doing a grea…
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Mr. Speaker, if the member from Kingston and the member from Winnipeg do not get it, I am sorry but you guys are the ones who are sitting at the cabinet table and are saying that the ship is going great. It is not going great; it is going badly.
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Mr. Speaker, I really think question period today highlighted the fracture in philosophies on the best way forward for the Canadian economy. What we heard in question period today from the Liberals, time and again, was that if we keep spoon-feeding and force-feeding the failed policies of the last 10 years, it might work, instead of letting free enterprise and the capital market move forward with …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to professional and special services spending by category, in 2022-23, as listed in table 1 of the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report titled "Fiscal cost of task-based IT contracting": (a) what was the total amount spent on contracts for (i) engineering and architectural services, (ii) business services, (iii) informatics services, (iv) health and welfare services, (v) other service…
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With regard to professional and special services spending by category, in 2022-23, as listed in table 1 of the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report titled "Fiscal cost of task-based IT contracting": (a) what is the total amount spent on contracts for management consulting; and (b) what are the details of all such contracts, including for each (i) the amount, (ii) the vendor, (iii) the date and du…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today. It is my first opportunity to rise in the House since the last election. I would like to thank the voters in Huron—Bruce for their support through the years. I certainly appreciate it. It is humbling; I will say that. I would also like to thank my family and extended family for their great support through the years. I would also like to thank all the fa…
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Mr. Speaker, on the problem that the hon. member talks about, she will see if she just goes outside of Guelph a bit that there are an awful lot of people who make their living with a pickup truck. Whether they are a contractor or whatever they do, they have a pickup truck. The way it is today, take, for example, a Ford electric truck. It is great if someone is just tooting down the road with nothi…
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask the hon. member to talk to car dealership managers right now and ask how sales of EVs are going once the government rebates and grants are falling off. We can look at the data for the first six months of the year, and we know sales are down because the grants are down. The other thing I will say is to take a look at the combustion engine and its evolution over the last 30 …
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Mr. Speaker, it is all part of the consideration. I know the hon. member is a big fan of snowmobiles and chainsaws and all of these things. We can think back to snowmobiles 30 years ago when there was not one snowmobile in the country that was four-stroke. They all were two-stroke, and they used mixed fuel, and we could smell them five kilometres away. Most of them now are four-stroke, and people …
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With regard to government programs aimed at establishing digital credentials or a digital identification (ID): (a) how many employees or full-time equivalents are assigned to working on such a program; (b) how much money has been spent exploring or studying options in relation to such a program in the past five years, in total and broken down by type of expenditure; (c) what is the government's pl…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member could comment a bit about the wasteful spending. I cannot believe the wasteful spending over the last nine years. The member for Kingston and the Islands asks what we are going to do. My colleague here will outline that we would not have this wasteful spending, such as $10 million on a cricket farm about an hour from where I grew up, $400 million in this slush f…
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Madam Speaker, the Conservative Party has submitted a dissenting report on this study of the Arctic and the research therein. As a couple of highlights, from our perspective, one is the potential lack of coordination across all the research projects there. Of course, we want to make sure that there is top value for taxpayers, knowing that there is no duplication. In addition to this, there should …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, you are right. I was not comparing him to a beautiful Labrador or anything like that. What I was trying—
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I did withdraw the comment about three points of order ago. The point is, with the member for Timmins—James Bay—
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the best way they can help the RCMP is to release all the documents. The RCMP is having to pull them one or two at a time and it is taking forever. The easiest thing for the Liberal government to do, if it really wants to get to the bottom of this, is give all the documents to the RCMP, do a complete dump, so the RCMP can look at everything and see where the trail leads.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I do not think the Leader of the Opposition is scared of anything, other than maybe when he upsets his wife. I think he is scared for the future of this country if the Liberals stay. That is why he is asking for a carbon tax election. As we see when we are in our communities, seniors and people on a fixed income are hurting, and every day the Liberal-NDP government is here is one mo…
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Mr. Speaker, I hear the member for Timmins—James Bay chirping away, just like he always does. I do not know if members have ever driven down a country road and saw a dog running along the farm, barking at every car that goes by. That is really what he is like now, at the end of his political career. He is really just like that country dog—
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, if the member had been listening, in my fourth withdrawal, I withdrew those comments, so there is no point because the record will show that I made an unqualified withdrawal.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that. The last point I want to make is about some of the hypocrisy we see with the Liberal government. It just goes on and on. In this House of Commons, I have listened many times to the Liberals saying we have to do something about fossil fuels, oil, gas, etc. I read an article this morning in The Globe and Mail. It was an update on the results of the Trans Mountain pipe…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, first of all, the Liberal government could just release all the documents and get on with it. With regard to the Conservative leader, he has been clear that he wants the names released and we will see where it goes. He is very confident—
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Madam Speaker, as much as I think highly of the member, he is not telling the whole story, because there is also the heating of livestock barns and other buildings for growing food. He did not mention that. What he would have mentioned if he was being completely forthright in the debate was that the Senate took that out. Why would the Bloc Québécois take orders from the Senate? The other point he …
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Madam Speaker, I find it interesting that when these points are made, the member for Winnipeg North always heckles. I have seen him do this for years. When a member is making a point, he will not let them make the point. The point is, the leader of the Conservative Party has said to release the names. The Prime Minister has dangled it, so he should just release the names.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I think the member is still on the agriculture committee. Regarding my private member's bill, the Bloc members voted for it at second reading, at committee and at third reading. Then it came back from the Senate amended. Can members believe the Bloc is now taking its orders from the Senate? Now it will not support Bill C-234, which deals with on-farm carbon tax on natural gas and pr…
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Mr. Speaker, when members of Parliament go back to their ridings on the weekend or during their constituency weeks and when they go to community events, or to their local arena, or to the local community centre or legion, wherever they go, I am sure they get the same comments that I get, no matter what political party. Sometimes we are a little amazed at what people want to talk about. If we are a…
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Madam Speaker, the member for Timmins—James Bay will notice that while he was asking his question, I never heckled him once. I actually listened to his question, which is something he rarely does. What always amazes me about the member is how thin his skin is. He has so much to say, but when something gets redirected to him, all of a sudden he is offended so easily. He offends everybody. The point…
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Mr. Speaker, the member's and my offices are beside each other, so we can talk about this later, if there are any ongoing questions. The taxes are hiking up the cost of a driver's licence, fishing licence, hunting licence, camping licence, liquor licence, event permit, court application, and the list goes on. The government is not able to manage its own internal interactions, affairs and cost over…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to meetings held between the US Ambassador, David Cohen, and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry or the Deputy Minister: what are the details of all meetings in which the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act has been raised, including, the (i) date and time, (ii) names and titles of those in attendance, (iii) location, (iv) summary of the discussions?
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With regard to government grant programs which are or have been administered by external parties or vendors since 2016: what are the details of all such programs, including, for each, the (i) name of the program, (ii) description or purpose of the program, (iii) amount of funding provided through the grants, (iv) number of grant recipients, (v) name of the external party or vendor that administere…
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With regard to government advertising during or connected to the Super Bowl, including the pre- and post-game broadcasts, on February 11, 2024: (a) what was the total amount spent on advertising; and (b) what is the breakdown of the spending by each advertisement, including a description of the contents, and by media outlet, along with when the advertisement ran (pre-game, during the game, etc.)?
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With regard to the High Frequency Rail project and the final report expected in late 2023 to inform government decisions on opportunities to enhance rail service in Southwestern Ontario: (a) is the final report complete, and, if so, what is the website address where the report can be found; and (b) if the final report is not yet complete, when will it be, and what is the reason it was not ready in…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I already presented the motion a couple of weeks ago. It takes out all the amendments that came from the Senate and puts it back in its original form. I appreciate the member for Kings—Hants. We have a good working relationship. However, I would also point out that the Liberals appointed six other senators, just in the last couple of months, to get this bill passed. He knows one senat…
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Mr. Speaker, a colleague of ours submitted an Order Paper question on the cost to administer the carbon tax, which I believe is $82 million a year. That is outrageous in and of itself. In regard to the environment, what I would say to my hon. colleague is this. Farmers are not the problem. I know he was not saying that farmers were the problem; I realize that. Farmers are doing their part. In life…
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moved: That a message be sent to the Senate to acquaint Their Honours that this House disagrees with the amendments made by the Senate to Bill C-234, An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act. Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise again and talk to Bill C-234. Groundhog Day is just a few days away and it feels like Groundhog Day again on this bill, Bill C-234. It was basically two ye…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, just simply, at the end of the day and at the bottom line, if this bill could do one thing, it would be to axe the tax for farmers so that there are lower prices at the grocery store. That is what at the end of the day we have to do. If all the elected members of Parliament want to help people in their ridings, I am telling them that this is one way they can get it done.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC): what were the expenditures incurred by NSERC related to the reception on November 1, 2023, titled "Celebrating Excellence: Honouring Canada's Top Natural Sciences and Engineering Researchers", in total, and broken down by item?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would ask the parliamentary secretary to retract his comments and apologize. If he does not want to, then I suggest we move on to the next speaker and continue debate.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, the ag minister and the environment minister are simply not listening to farmers. A pork farmer with a pork farm just down the road from where I grew up had a natural gas bill in February that was $4,300. His carbon tax was $3,300, or 75%. How can any farmer make a living when farmers have to pay that much carbon tax on the natural gas they use on their farms? When…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time today with the member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington. With regard to Bill C-234, I would like to recognize a couple of people, the first being the member for Brandon—Souris. Before he was elected, he worked in the private sector. He was one of the people who gave the idea for the beginnings of this bill in the last Parliament to the member for Northumber…
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Mr. Speaker, I have never heard the member get up and say anything about somebody like Denise Batters. I have never heard her have any concern for some of the stuff that Senator Denise Batters goes through. With respect to the particular senator that the member spoke about, I really do not know what the whole deal is with what happened, to be honest; I have other things to think about. However, I …
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