Parliamentary Speeches

Mr. Speaker, there is a new government in Ottawa and a new approach: Show up, listen and deliver. I can say on behalf of the Government of Canada that through the child care benefit and the groceries and essentials benefit, we are listening to what the people of Saskatchewan are saying. We are helping them in their time of crisis, but every time we try to do something, the confusing Conservatives turn around and vote against that. Which is it? Do they want us to help Saskatchewan people? On this side, I say we do not need advice on how we support Saskatchewan families. We have a lot of support—

Mr. Speaker, I really, truly believe that the Conservatives do not have a plan. They tout this plan, but I do not think the plan exists. To make a long story short, as we look at all the benefits we are trying to support Saskatchewan families on, one thing is real: The folks across the way voted against it. In fact, the Premier of Saskatchewan, the hon. Scott Moe, has said Canada is doing a wonderful job. I am not sure whom they are talking to, but perhaps they can get back and talk to the Saskatchewan people to see what is really happening.

Mr. Speaker, as I viewed the new seating arrangement of the Conservatives' opposite, I kind of lost my Saskatchewan MPs. Then I looked farther back in the backbenches to where they have been relegated. There is where they ended up. They got demoted by their own party. Why? It is because the Conservatives do not believe in Saskatchewan. They do not believe that there is a new government in Ottawa. They do not believe in hard work. For 10 years, and now 11 years, they have not delivered anything.

Mr. Speaker, let us see what the Conservatives from Saskatchewan voted against. The Canada child benefit they voted against. The national school food program they voted against. The Canada disability benefit they voted against. The Canada groceries and essentials benefit they voted against. The Canada workers benefit they voted against. The Canadian dental care plan they voted against. The old age security program they voted against. Canada student loans and grants they voted against. Record starts in housing in Saskatchewan they voted against. You guys have to learn how to do your job better.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to talk about agriculture for a moment. For the last 10 years, these folks have been here literally doing nothing. Back home in Saskatchewan, we have Saskatchewan's back. In the last 10 years, it has doubled the value of the amount of all agricultural products without the federal Conservative caucus's help. The government stood by Saskatchewan and will continue to have Saskatchewan's back. In the meantime, the Conservatives can sit back for another 10 years. We have this.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is methodically building a vast, exciting world partnership. This front bench is dealing with some very tough issues around trade wars and international conflicts. This caucus is doing the work to assist in every way possible. What the country cannot afford is the voodoo economic plan of the Conservatives. They make no sense. They have not made any sense in the last 10 years, and I doubt very much that we will see anything that makes sense over the next 10 years.

Mr. Speaker, it would be really nice if I saw one Conservative visit northern Saskatchewan to deal with the issues that we are struggling with. Now, I would point out that every time we have an opportunity to help my riding, and many other ridings across this country, whether it is on food and essential benefits, the $10-a-day child care or the food program for the schools, every single time we make initiatives, they vote against them. We will take no lessons on helping any region in Saskatchewan that feels underserved. We will represent all Canadians and stand up for them forever.

Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the members opposite on how to grow the economy. They have been here collectively 51,000 days. That is how long the Conservatives from Saskatchewan have sat here and done absolutely nothing to help Saskatchewan or our Canadian economy. We are grappling with tariffs, trade uncertainty and conflicts, but the work will continue. Since September, we have created over 164 new jobs in this Canadian economy.

Mr. Speaker, we understand that there are struggles within Canada, and we are addressing those struggles. However, for 10 long years, 14 Conservative MPs from Saskatchewan did absolutely nothing to help the situation throughout the country. Their disservice is shameful, and our patience has run out in Saskatchewan. I tell the people of Saskatchewan not to let the Conservatives limit their power and limit their ability, but to join us in building that great Canadian economy.

Mr. Speaker, there is a decade of 14 Saskatchewan Conservatives doing absolutely nothing to further Saskatchewan's interests. On this side of the House, we are building an economy. We are proud of the entrepreneurs who created 88,000 new jobs. We are grateful for the investors. We are pleased to see the producers add to that strength: Saskatchewan canola, Canada's uranium, potash, oil and gas. We are not sitting on our hands—

Madam Speaker, I want to ask one very specific question. What are the member's qualifications that determine his world economic view? I would like it if he could perhaps provide me with a list of studies that he has undertaken or degrees he has achieved. It is important that we take advice from folks who have a lot of knowledge, as our Prime Minister does, on world trading trends. We have often heard, for the last several months, about the Conservatives' plan. Can the member give me a copy of their plan today that they have been talking about for the last two months? I do not think they have a plan. It is a made-up plan with voodoo economics attached to it. Can he give me a copy of their economic plan today?

Mr. Speaker, it is time that we celebrate Canada. We have more good news. Canadian canola sales continue moving to supply the world, Canadian potash is needed everywhere and Canada will deliver. Canadian uranium sales to India are steady, and Canadian agribusiness is booming. We will continue doing what Canada needs. We will stand up for our industries impacted by tariffs. We will protect our workers. We will stand up for our sovereignty. We have a job to do, and we will get it done.

Mr. Speaker, it is very important that we protect and defend our country. All we hear from the Conservatives is negative. They need to stop talking down our country and start backing up Canada. The rest of Canada is doing that. We have seen, in Saskatchewan, for 10 long years, that those Conservative MPs sat on their hands, doing nothing. That is why the people of Saskatchewan are angry. At the end of the day, we come to Ottawa to work; the Conservatives have done nothing in 10 years. I have seen this Liberal government move more things in one year than in their 10 years.

Mr. Speaker, more Liberals from Saskatchewan are coming, so the cavalry is on its way. We will take no lessons from the Conservatives over there. Why? Because they did nothing for 10 long years. Since their absence from Saskatchewan to come over here and do nothing, what has happened back home? This headline reads, “Saskatchewan Value Added Agricultural Revenue Reaches Record $8.4 Billion”, which is twice as much as 10 years ago when you guys left Saskatchewan, so we will not take any lessons from you guys—

Mr. Speaker, we absolutely reject the premise of the Leader of the Opposition's argument. I want to quote what the Prime Minister said several days ago: “The government will always defend private property rights.” I will say it again: “The government will always defend private property rights. We immediately appealed the Cowichan decision. We have always defended private property rights; we always will, and we will always defend the rights of indigenous peoples to build a Canada that is stronger, fairer and more independent.” Why does the Leader of the Opposition try to divide Canadians and misrepresent our Prime Minister?

Mr. Speaker, I have the incredible pleasure of serving as MP for a northern Saskatchewan seat. As an indigenous person within the House of Commons, I feel compelled to make sure we correct the record, in terms of what the opposition motion is suggesting. I want to point out I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg North. Before I get into my presentation, I want to say that somewhere along the lines of discussion, it is important to call upon all our intentions when we talk about the country of Canada. I want to briefly expand on that notion before I do my critique of the Conservatives' presentation. First of all, to clarify to all of Canada, and to the folks who might be paying attention to this particular debate, on May 5 the Prime Minister said, "The government will always defend private property rights. We immediately appealed the Cowichan decision. We have always defended private property rights; we always will, and we will always defend the rights of indigenous peoples to build a Canada that is stronger, fairer and more independent.” That is the Prime Minister of Canada being very clear as to the whole notion around private property rights as the Cowichan decision impacts some of those statements. I listened to the presentation by the Leader of the Opposition, and I reject the premise of his presentation because it is not intended to provide solutions to the problems. It is really intended to divide Canadians, in my opinion, for cheap political theatrics, and that is something that should never happen in the House of Commons. I want to point out that, from the whole perspective of Canada as a country, those who helped build this nation were the first nations, the Métis people, the Innu and many other indigenous groups throughout the land. We stood side by side through centuries of conflict and through centuries of negotiations but more so through centuries of sharing the land. From our perspective, I ask, “What is our responsibility to the country as a whole?” as we grapple through some of these issues that impact not only B.C. but Saskatchewan and Alberta. We see many good examples of how Canadians, first nations Canadians, non-indigenous Canadians, Innu Canadians, Inuit Canadians, Métis Canadians and non-status Canadians, many from my own communities, are trying to keep this country together. All of the discussions we are having here are about strengthening and uniting Canada, and that is an important point that I want to raise during this discussion. I listened to the presentation by the Leader of the Opposition, and all I see is division from some of the points he raised. On one hand, he is suggesting that we do not look at any other agreements of this sort. That is what I understood from his presentation. On the other hand, the member for Edmonton Northwest said we need to strengthen the treaties. How does that work? They cannot give the same speech with a contrasting view like that, trying to be everything to everybody, because, quite frankly, they will be nothing to nobody if they do not make up their minds on which perspective they want to support. I see a huge divide within the Conservative caucus. They say one thing on one hand, and they say something extremely different on the other hand. Sooner or later, Canadians are going to catch on to that. As I stand here today, I ask Canadians, who is looking after Canada's interests, and why is it important to me as an indigenous person and to indigenous folks, whether we are from B.C., Saskatchewan or Alberta? It is very clear, as the member from B.C. mentioned earlier, that there is no threat to private property ownership in this bill. Why do the Conservatives want to make it out to be a threat to Canadians? It is because it is in their political interests. We can look at the Canadian perspective, as I mentioned before. I was raised in a household with a father who was a World War II veteran. He was Métis, and his mom was an indigenous woman. Every day when my dad came home from his service to Canada during the Second World War, he spoke about the value of Canada as a whole. As an indigenous person, he was proud to serve his country. Somewhere along the line, Canada's interests need to be maintained in all of these discussions, through respectful dialogue and discussions among the many provinces that are impacted. I look at modern examples today of who is strengthening Canada. I reject the member for Edmonton Northwest's notion that we are creating division. We absolutely are not. This government is working very hard to deal with economic reconciliation and to engage the indigenous community on many fronts. I dare say that I would compare our record on any day of the week to the Conservative record when it comes to indigenous rights, indigenous opportunities and the indigenous right to sit with us as partners in developing this great country. At the end of the day, there are many indigenous people across this country who are trying to strengthen our country in all kinds of ways. Many times I talk to the people in my riding about social and economic justice for the indigenous people, and we will achieve that as long as we have respectful dialogue between all parties engaged. In the Cowichan decision, as I mentioned, we will respect private property ownership. Now, I will go back to my father's service to this country. It is a beautiful country. We had a number of family members serve in the military. They include my older brother who served as a warrant officer in the air force and my younger brother who served as a warrant officer in the army. I had a sister who also served in the air force, and my daughter almost joined the navy until her mother talked her out of it. The fact of the matter is that we come from a proud military history within my family. How did we get that service-to-Canada perspective? It came from our father, who was a World War II veteran who spoke about the value of keeping Canada together. He was one solid, strong patriot, and yet he was indigenous. If he saw the discussion here today, and the talk about dividing the country over indigenous rights versus private property rights, he would say to us that it is important to keep our country strong and together. Again, our Prime Minister has been very clear. For the record, I am going to read to the opposition his quote: “The government will always defend private property rights. We immediately appealed the Cowichan decision. We have always defended private property rights; we always will, and we will always defend the rights of indigenous peoples to build a Canada that is stronger, fairer and more independent.” Those are the exact same words that I think my father would say to us all. Let us make Canada stronger, let us make Canada fairer, and let us make Canada more independent.

Mr. Speaker, we spoke about the value of Canada, and of course I spoke about my family's service to Canada in the Snowbird response. With my brother having been a flight engineer with the Royal Canadian Air Force for 26 years, I think we should never put any pilots or any of our service members in older aircraft that may not be safe. I would also dare say, with all the information that we have agreed to in terms of strengthening and protecting Canada more, to pay attention to that perspective as well. The Snowbirds have the opportunity to showcase more of what they can do. The minister is absolutely correct. They have a great history, and they are going to always make sure they do Canada proud in many ways, shapes and forms. Modernizing—

Mr. Speaker, the court system, not the House of Commons, should be dealing with this matter. All I am saying today, as a result of some of the discussions we are having, is to not misrepresent what the Prime Minister has stated in the House of Commons. That is why I have read, very slowly, three or four times, his exact quote about private property rights. It is not fair for the opposition members to start off their presentations trying to divide Canadians, misrepresenting what the Prime Minister is saying and not listening to nor defending Canadian interests over all.

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the point. Why do the Conservatives bring up the issue in their effort to divide Canadians? I think it is more crucial at this time that we unite our country in as many ways as we possibly can. Somewhere along the line, somebody has to start talking about Canada's interests, and I notice, as an example, with the Alberta northern chiefs, that first nations leaders have come forward and are defending Canada as a country. That is another example I would share with the assembly, because they are doing their part to strengthen Canada through treaties. There are a lot of great champions. The opposition should stop trying to divide Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I ask Canadians to not compare the new government to perfection but to compare us to the opposition. Our Prime Minister and our government have the ability, the credibility and the capability to build the country up, and Saskatchewan is in. In terms of comparison, I checked with what the Saskatchewan Conservative MPs have done. Year one, they did nothing. Year two, they did nothing. Year three, they did nothing. Year four, they did nothing. Year five, they did nothing. Year six, they did nothing. Year seven, they did nothing. Year eight, they did nothing.

Mr. Speaker, there is more good news for Saskatchewan. Funding for the RCMP Heritage Centre is done. SMR research at the University of Regina is done. Defence procurement for Yorkton is done. Nuclear power opportunities and procurement services for Estevan are done. Housing opportunities in Saskatoon are done. Canola crushing in rural Saskatchewan is done. Let us imagine for a moment, if we had not wasted 10 years of sending Conservative MPs to Ottawa, how much further ahead Saskatchewan could be. That ends now.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say that for 10 long years, the Conservative MPs from Saskatchewan told the people of our province that Canada was broken. That was their constant message. I think about the billions of dollars they left on the table because they would not represent Saskatchewan well and would not do the work. Today, Saskatchewanians on this side of the House are going to help grow Canada, and we are just getting started.

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the member with respect to some of the points she and her leader have raised. This is a most serious matter as the whole world is struggling with high oil prices, not just Canada. We are not immune to that. I would ask the member this: Can Conservative MPs predict oil prices over the next six to 12 months? Do any Conservative MPs have the ability to stop the war in Libya? These confound and certainly concern all Canadians as we struggle with high oil prices. There are real external factors in relation to those matters. It is a serious discussion. Can the member answer this question: Can she stop the war in Libya, which is exposing Canadians to high oil prices across the country and throughout the world?

Mr. Speaker, the member is correct; I have watched his underperformance in the provincial assembly in Saskatchewan. Now, I am watching the collective underperformance of all 13 of the Saskatchewan Conservative MPs. Let me remind folks today that we are announcing uranium development in northern Saskatchewan. This week, I was at SUMA announcing waste water and sewer projects, and water projects for three cities. This government is on the move, and as I mentioned before, that is great news. We are just getting started.

Mr. Speaker, I will get to the question in due time, but I want to say to the Conservatives across the way from Saskatchewan who have been here 10 years that I have been here 10 months, and what did I see? It was defending our northern border, check mark; building the one Canadian economy, check mark; strengthening our world trading partnership, check mark; creating nation-building projects across Canada, check mark; $2.5 billion in uranium sales with India, check mark; and canola sales dramatically increasing, check mark. More good news is that we are just getting started.

Mr. Speaker, there is more good news as my colleague likes to say. The headlines in the newspapers in Saskatchewan state, “Saskatchewan grain terminals seeing increase in canola sales”. Saskatchewan is optimistic on oil and gas. Saskatchewan is building. Why is Saskatchewan building? It is because Canada works. That was the message we heard from the Conservative opposition for the last 10 years. I am here to say we love Saskatchewan, and everything that we do we do for Saskatchewan.

Mr. Speaker, I have been trying to speak with our premier, Scott Moe, in Saskatchewan, but I cannot get a hold of him. He is too busy signing deal after deal with the Prime Minister, which means benefit after benefit for the Saskatchewan people. Any day of the week, I will compare the Prime Minister's and our government's ability, credibility and capability versus a phantom plan designed by an anonymous economist and led by someone who never worked in the private sector before.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the minister for her phenomenal leadership in this regard. It gives me great pleasure to be in the assembly as I listen to her mark this day with a very important speech and something that I think we can all be proud of as Canadians. My question to the minister is this: As we celebrate this step, there are many steps forward. What is next on the agenda as she embarks on this bold, new journey?

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to know that the challenges many families in Canada face have to be recognized. I was very proud to stand with our very capable Minister of Jobs and Family in Regina several weeks ago to announce $1.6 billion to help offset day care fees for the people who want to re-enter the economy. Any day of the week, I will compare our progress on helping families afford the needs of their children to the Conservatives, who have cut and gut many programs in the past.

Mr. Speaker, for 10 long years, Conservative members from Saskatchewan have said Canada is broken. Conservatives have stifled opportunities that Saskatchewan had in potash, uranium, oil and gas. The list goes on. Well, Saskatchewan is on this side of the House. We are going to work hand in hand with Saskatchewan to join the rest of the country and build a great future. This is about economic and social justice for Saskatchewan. We are going to deliver that.

Mr. Speaker, I am practising my French, but I will be speaking in English today. I thank members for their patience as I struggle through trying to learn the French language as best I can. I stand today in opposition to the Leader of the Official Opposition's motion on the affordability matter the Conservatives brought forward, based on two premises. First, in my history in politics, which spans a short time, I remember that, in all the experience I have had in dealing with Conservatives, they talk about low-income people but I have since no evidence in any of their existence that they care about the low-income sector, the low-income families throughout this country. I even dare say I have never seen them do anything about any initiative for the middle-class people of our great country of Canada. The third point I would make is that, with respect to the plan the Conservatives supposedly have, in my view, they have never developed a plan to address affordability for low- and medium-income Canadians ever. They have never had a plan, will never have a plan and certainly will not address those issues if, heaven forbid, they ever become the Government of Canada. We do not take any lessons from the Conservatives on food affordability, especially not from the Leader of the Opposition, because he does not have any proven track record to address those matters. I just want to say at the outset that I oppose the motion on the premise that the Conservatives' history does not lend itself to having any credible argument when it comes to food affordability. I have been an MP for 10 months, and I can say to the people of Saskatchewan, of which I represent the northern part, that I have seen the incredible amount of work the team on this side of the House has done to address the affordability piece, and it is wide-ranging. We are dealing with the challenge of trade throughout the world, including the fact that there have been all the tariffs put in place for Canadians. These are really tough moments for our country. I will point out that the government, this team and all the people, including industry players, provincial leaders, producers and all the other folks, have all come together to stand up for Canada. We know, as we look at trade in general, they dictate a lot of prices. As I tour some of the stores back home in my community of Île-à-la-Crosse, I notice that on some of the produce, more importantly the fruit, it says, “product of U.S.A.” Really it comes from California. We ship in food to stock at our store in northern Saskatchewan, and it is products of the U.S.A. We have enjoyed the trade over many decades with the U.S, and we can see that, obviously, the whole world is part of a trading perspective and that trade really does have influence on prices. Back home, what can we as a Canadian government, what can the Prime Minister, cabinet and caucus do to help all Canadians with the affordability issue? I want to spend a few moments on what we are doing to reduce costs and help families that are struggling. The talking point in rural Saskatchewan is not affordability; it is whether families can stay in the community they love, and the government is making sure they can. Let me go to some of the points we are working on. Affordability means access to essential services and support for middle- and low-income families. I am also proud to say we are also going to provide support for people who pay a lot of taxes and for people who realize the cost of living is really high. We know the issues are out there, and we want to do something to address that. I want to go down a list of some of some of the issues I have learned about over the last nine months I have been an MP. The government has delivered a tax break for 22 million Canadians by eliminating the consumer carbon tax. This was done by our Prime Minister, and it was done fairly quickly. We also spent hundreds of millions of dollars helping the provinces address the challenge of child care. I was in Saskatchewan several weeks ago, where I announced a $1.6-billion child care package. It is meant to help Saskatchewan families so that moms and dads, caregivers, are able to go to work without having really high day care costs to pay. What did I announce that day on behalf of the Government of Canada for all Canadians? I announced that the $10-a-day day care support package will remain in place so day care is affordable for working families. It is working. Men and women are rejoining the workforce because child care is no longer a deterrent. They are building up our economy. They are working. They are making good money. They are paying taxes. Most families that we know are very appreciative of that. We have also delivered the national school food program, feeding over 400,000 kids every year and saving the average family $800 annually on groceries. The government is making that happen. We have eliminated the GST for first-time homebuyers on homes under $1 million, saving Canadians up to $50,000 on their first home. A home is the grandest purchase most people make in their lifetime. The government responded and helped, and I have more good news: The Canada groceries and essentials benefit would help invest $11.7 billion to help over 12 million Canadians afford day-to-day necessities. Any day of the week, I could name other examples that are really important. We are building the one Canadian economy, attracting investment and also doing work among the provinces and the territories to eliminate any trade barriers. All that effort is meant to make us a cohesive, highly interactive trading nation from within. That action saves consumers a lot of extra costs. That work is continuing, positioning Canada as a world leader in trade, a reliable trading partner, and also helping with some of the ongoing costs of operating Canadian households throughout our country. I rise today to say that it is important to recognize that Canada is a great country. We are doing a lot of good things. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely there is. I am French, I am indigenous, but above all, I am Canadian.

Mr. Speaker, here we go again with made-up taxes of the Conservatives. Our tax cuts are real. Our impact is real. Have we got more work to do? Absolutely, and we are continuing that particular work. Canada is a great country. Yes, at this time, we are working to build our reputation to be even greater throughout the world. That work is being led by a very capable Prime Minister and the members of the front bench. All our caucus members help in many ways. Secretaries of state also contribute in many meetings with respect to how to build a great Canadian economy. The Liberals' incentives are real. We compare any day of the week to your made-up tax situation.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to note some of the progress we have made in recognizing the unique challenges we have in this ever-changing world. There are a lot of differences in how we trade among different nations, and this has an impact on Canada. At the end of the day, there are two things we need to respond to. Number one is how we can strengthen our country domestically, and we are doing some of that. How can we help our families domestically? There are the initiatives I identified earlier. Moreover, if we become a highly interactive and efficient trading nation, it helps us as we trade globally. All of that means lower prices and lower taxes for all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I have explained the benefits that we as a Canadian government have put in front of families today and that are all geared toward safety, the economy and, of course, strengthening families. What is also really important is that rural Canada accounts for about 13% of the national population and its GDP contribution is 27%. We can see that the incredible resilience and ability of rural Canada to produce those kinds of goods and provide those kinds of services to the rest of the country should be celebrated. There is no question that rural Canada is a big part of what we plan to engage when we talk about the new Canadian economy, and we are just getting started.

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure which Saskatchewan people the member is speaking with, but the Saskatchewan people I am speaking to talk about the $10-a-day day care. They talk about the reduction of GST on homes. They talk about the school food program. Now they will talk about the Canada groceries and essential benefit, $11.7 billion that will help many Saskatchewan families. Saskatchewan families do not ask for much, just a fair shot and some breathing room at the end of the month.

Mr. Speaker, as with any serious disease, the government will respond to this. We will work with all the officials involved, including our provincial counterparts. The House leader, who has a very kind heart, said to be kind when he answered the questions in some of your interventions. I am going to wish you all the gift of greater tolerance for all people. In the new year, I wish the Conservatives would place the priorities of Canada above your own political agenda. In this new year—