Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, while violent crime and extortion continue to rise across Canada, the government keeps targeting law-abiding Canadians instead of criminals. Most provinces and territories have told the government they will not participate in the Liberal gun buyback. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the premier has been clear. The Liberals “should focus on criminals, not law-abiding hunters and our way o…
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Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that, whenever Conservatives stand up to speak to the issues and concerns, and back it up with statistical data, the members opposite like to say that we are quoting misinformation. What is more important is what we are hearing from our constituents. Because the Liberals also like to say that they are solving every problem, life is not so bad and they are coming …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the colleague across the way for his criticism of the solutions the Conservatives have brought forward. He often gets up and talks about farmers and the agriculture industry. There are several dairy farmers in my riding and in Newfoundland and Labrador who have run into some severe financial trouble over the last couple of years. As a concerned member, I have often visited the…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member from across the way for the lesson. I am not sure how he might go to a food bank lineup with that lesson and give that to Canadians who are really struggling right now. One of the criticisms he brought forward is this moment in time that he is criticizing us for, with respect to food inflation rates. The prediction is, however, that over this year we are in right no…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has some of the highest food inflation in the G7, and Canadians are paying for it at the grocery store. Food bank use has more than doubled, with over two million visits every month by people who simply cannot afford groceries. The industrial carbon tax raises the costs of farm equipment, fertilizer and food processors. The Liberals' fuel standard tax raises fuel prices for tru…
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Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, we always want to recognize that people are struggling right now. We understand that sometimes these measures are important, but we do not believe in a system where people are chasing higher payments and adding to inflation, not providing real, long-term solutions. We believe that the government has a responsibility to really dig into the increased costs along the …
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I just want to say that Conservatives believe that tackling the climate crisis can be done while also spurring on the economy. We believe in technology, not taxes. While we have heard, in many cases, that increasing taxes on consumers will somehow contribute to solving the climate crisis, we have a different approach. We take climate change seriously, but we believe in a…
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Mr. Speaker, before I became a member of Parliament, I was an entrepreneur for many years. I understand how, when entrepreneurs incur costs, those costs eventually get passed on to consumers. Canadians understand that as well. I do believe that removing the industrial carbon tax would contribute to helping with the rising food crisis that Canadians find themselves in.
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time today with the member for Calgary Centre. It is an honour to rise today to speak on behalf of the people of the Long Range Mountains on Bill C-19, and to explain why Conservatives will support this legislation while also being honest and transparent with Canadians about the serious affordability challenges it does not solve. The government is saying that th…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' policies will never lower grocery prices with rebates or temporary fixes. As an example, we will not block Bill C-19, but its small rebates would not make food cheaper at the checkout. I have heard from retirees in Newfoundland and Labrador who sit just above the GST credit threshold. They would get no benefit at all, yet they face the same high grocery prices as everyon…
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Madam Speaker, that is certainly not what I see at this time. What I see is government overreach. The Liberals want their hand-picked projects. They want to make Canadians reliant on government programs. Consistently and constantly, I hear investors, business owners and people who want to grow saying that the government just needs to get out of the way. This is what a Canadian sovereignty act is m…
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Madam Speaker, I could not agree more. What about the projects that are still caught up in regulatory paralysis, that do not qualify under nation-building projects? The government has given itself the ability to pick and choose what projects will go forward. We still have tons of smaller projects that want to advance. That is really punishing to rural parts of the country. My riding is mostly rura…
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Madam Speaker, we continue to hope that the government takes our advice and reintroduces policy. We have been saying this for 10 years because this is what we are hearing from Canadians. We welcome the fact that the Liberals are taking these policies and reintroducing them, but lots of times they are half-baked or are somewhere in the middle. The Liberals know what Canadians want, but they are not…
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Madam Speaker, I want to start by welcoming my colleague and friend, with a strong connection to Newfoundland and Labrador, back to this House. It is my honour today to get up and speak to this opposition day motion. Let me begin, first and foremost, by wishing my constituents in the Long Range Mountains, and all Canadians, a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. As we look ahead to the challeng…
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Mr. Speaker, I wanted to respond to some comments made across the way with respect to the minority parliament and Newfoundland and Labrador, where gains were made for the Conservatives after decades of Liberal members. One of the things that resonated with people back home is how Conservatives were addressing the urban and rural divide we often see in this country. I am curious if the member would…
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Mr. Speaker, Stats Canada confirms what Canadian families already know at the checkout. Food inflation has jumped by 6.2% in the last year. Grocery prices are up 5%, and Canada now has the highest food inflation in the G7. Newfoundland and Labrador has the second-highest food inflation rate in the entire country. Higher transportation costs mean that local families are hit even harder. Conservativ…
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Mr. Speaker, we are ready to work with the government on real, long-term solutions instead of recycled, temporary, Trudeau-era rebates. Canada has been called the food inflation capital of the G7. That is real hardship. People back home ask me how far this has to go before it stops. The Prime Minister cannot blame global factors when all other countries have lower food price inflation than Canada.…
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Mr. Speaker, that answer is not acceptable, and I am going to tell you why. A woman in my riding shared a moment that she said she will never forget. She was in the grocery store and saw a senior couple standing at the meat counter. The elderly wife looked at her husband and quietly said, “I know I need to buy something, but I do not know what to buy because everything is so expensive.” The woman …
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Mr. Speaker, while Canadians cannot afford the basics, the Liberal Prime Minister spent nearly $800,000 on a private jet. In Newfoundland and Labrador we have the highest unemployment rate in the country, at more than 10%. Families are stretched thin. “Canada's Food Price Report” shows that the grocery bill has more than doubled since 2015, rising from $159 a week to $338. Next year families are e…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of Canadians with respect to the Liberal-Bloc amendments to Bill C-9. I was in my riding on the weekend and was absolutely overwhelmed with the number of constituents who brought this concern forward to me with hundreds of signatures. In a country that is hungry and hurting, the government has prioritized attacking freedom of religion and f…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians that he should be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Canadians are now paying 112% more for food than when the Liberals took office and groceries are consuming a bigger share of every family's budget. Even basic centre-aisle staples, such as coffee and baby formula, are skyrocketing. Canada's food price report confirms that next year, Canadian…
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Madam Speaker, I also serve a riding in Atlantic Canada. One thing I commonly hear in my riding is that rural and remote communities have been left behind by the Liberal government and have also been punished by the high cost of everything and the policies the Liberals have implemented. I am just wondering if my colleague hears the same thing. Maybe he would like to speak to that.
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Mr. Speaker, a local single mom of three reached out to me today in complete desperation. She is working hard, doing everything right, yet a series of setbacks has pushed her to the brink. She is falling behind on the basics. Now she is trying to figure out how to give her kids Christmas, while food inflation makes the essentials feel out of reach. Families should not have to choose between grocer…
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Mr. Speaker, every dollar the government spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians through higher taxes and inflation. The Liberals are taxing food at every stage, from farm to fork, with their industrial carbon tax, their fuel regulations and their plastics ban. The Liberals' fuel regulations alone will raise the cost of gas and diesel by up to 17¢ a litre and cost the economy $9 billion. Newf…
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Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals make excuses, food bank use in Canada has exploded. The new HungerCount report shows over 2.2 million monthly visits, a 5% increase from last year and double since 2019. One in five food bank clients has a job, but they still cannot afford to feed their family. In Newfoundland and Labrador, local food banks are overwhelmed. Families are lining up earlier and leaving…
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Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to rise today on behalf of the residents of Long Range Mountains regarding small craft harbours. These harbours are the heartbeat of coastal communities. Not only do people earn a living from these areas, but they are also a community gathering place, a part of our history and a part of our culture. The petitioners are concerned that without investment in these harbour…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of Long Range Mountains and on behalf of Canadians across the country to speak to Bill C-241, an act to establish a national strategy respecting flood and drought forecasting. In Newfoundland and Labrador, our connection to water is part of our identity. In fact, we are one of only a few places in the world that has an island on an island on an isl…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, more than two million visits were made to food banks in March, with twice as many Canadians needing help to eat than in 2019. In a nation as rich in resources as we are, this is unacceptable. Nearly one in five people who turn to a food bank is employed. They go to work every day and still cannot afford groceries. One third are children. Seniors are showing up in record numbers. Food …
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Mr. Speaker, I have not been in the House very long, but often when we are up speaking and proposing solutions, we hear a comment from the member opposite about something that happened decades ago. I am curious to know what hope that offers the next generation, as outlined by my colleague's speech.
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Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals brag, more and more people line up at the food banks in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Liberals voted against our motion to reduce food costs. It is not good enough. Sneaky hidden Liberal food taxes, like the clean-fuel regulations, are driving up food costs, and since March, food prices have risen 48% faster in Canada than in the U.S. This year alone, food banks ar…
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Mr. Speaker, under the Liberal government, everything is costing more, especially food. New food inflation data shows prices in Atlantic Canada are climbing faster than the national average, and in Newfoundland and Labrador, people are under tremendous pressure. Our province already has the highest unemployment rate in the country, yet families are being hit again at the grocery store. Beef is up …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister asked to be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Long Range Mountains families are working hard to keep food on the table, yet each visit brings shock at the checkout. The price of staples has soared because of the Liberal government's hidden taxes. Those baked-in taxes are clear: the industrial carbon tax on fertilizer and farm equipment, the inflation tax fr…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' $742-million gun grab continues to be mired in controversy after the minister admitted on leaked audio that it will not work. In Cape Breton, residents are angered by the program being launched, and the local police union was left in the dark and not consulted. Now we find out that the Liberal minister is the brother-in-law of the police chief overseeing the program. Wil…
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Mr. Speaker, the real truth is that the Prime Minister has been on this job for half a year, and grocery prices have already become more unaffordable. The so-called struggle meals, like Hamburger Helper and Kraft Dinner, are trending as Canadians struggle with the high price of food, all because of things like food packaging taxes and the industrial carbon tax. Canadians are judging the Prime Mini…
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Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians in higher Liberal taxes and inflation. Let us start with the grocery aisle. The Prime Minister promised that he would judged by Canadians' experience at the grocery store, and since he took office, food prices have been rising 50% faster here than in the U.S. Greta from Trout River, a widow, reached out sayin…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister once said Canadians would judge him by the costs at the grocery store. Well, the verdict is in. I hear regularly from people in Trout River, Corner Brook and Stephenville; they are all struggling to put food on the table. Across Canada, 25% of households are now food-insecure. In Newfoundland and Labrador, we face the highest rate of child food insecurity in the c…
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Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Prime Minister spends adds to the deficit and pushes the price of food higher for Canadian families. In fact, the Parliamentary Budget Officer revealed that the deficit will be higher than was promised just six months ago. Runaway deficits drive up the price of everything we buy. This is a tax on working families. The Prime Minister said that we could judge him by the…
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Mr. Speaker, regardless of the career of the member, the harsh reality is that Newfoundland and Labrador families are struggling just to eat. Nearly 40% of children live in food-insecure households, and single-parent families experience a 56% food insecurity rate. That is the highest in the country. Thousands of kids and parents are depending on food banks just to get by. Meanwhile, food prices co…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Tobique—Mactaquac. Before I begin, I just want to acknowledge my Conservative colleague from Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, who is also a new MP. He had so much passion in what he was speaking about, and I share that passion. It is an absolute honour and privilege to be back in the House after spending the summer in my riding and serving the i…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is imposing an emissions cap that functions as a production cap, creating uncertainty, driving away investment and threatening the livelihoods of thousands of workers across our province. Offshore oil and gas requires high upfront capital costs and long timelines to production. Without certainty, there will be no investment. That is why this cap must be repealed to …
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Madam Speaker, the reality is that it is not about investment; it is about removing the emissions cap. This is signalling to investors that once the Bay du Nord project goes through, there is no more space. We have all kinds of potential. The government wants to leave it in the ground. It does not want to develop this resource. It is fine to say what is happening over on your side of the country. …
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Madam Speaker, I am not sure whether my colleague was directing his question to me, as he addressed the government.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague. We share a lot of commonalities. A lot of people from Newfoundland and Labrador end up over in Alberta. The member is exactly right. Regardless of the commentary or the narrative that gets spun around these conversations, the reality is that proponents tell us time and time again that this is the problem and that this is why the sector is not growing. The …
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I have a point of order as well, Mr. Speaker. During my colleague's speech earlier, the member for Waterloo called him just an excuse—
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Madam Speaker, I am proud to say that those in the oil and gas sector are constantly creating technology and innovation to reduce emissions. They are leaders in this industry. We can reduce emissions in this country if we allow them to thrive and move forward in this space.
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Mr. Speaker, the requirement for the criminal record check is not written within the legislation. This is something that I am extremely concerned about. It is something that I hear. I am just curious if my colleague would like to speak to that or expand on that a bit more. I would give him the opportunity to respond if this is a concern that he also has.
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to note that a lot of the time we think of these issues as big-city problems. In fact, even in the very small communities that I represent, I often get reports about this. Burnout is one thing I often hear about from the police officers who are dealing with this on a regular basis. Resources are getting eaten up on a regular basis. They are frustrated, they wan…
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Mr. Speaker, despite the attempt to distract from the real issue, the reality is that everywhere I go in my riding, I hear the same concern. People are stretched thin and families are struggling to put food on the table. This is a national crisis. A new report from Food Banks Canada gives the Liberal government a failing grade on food insecurity. Beef is up 33%. Basics like sugar and potatoes are …
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said Canadians would judge him by the cost at the grocery store. Canadians are indeed judging, and 25% of Canadian households are struggling to afford food. Food bank use since the pandemic is up from 600,000 to four million at Canada's largest food bank in Toronto. This is another Liberal broken promise. Does the Prime Minister understand that the country is facing…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Newfoundland and Labrador. Our ridings share a lot of commonalities, and we hear a lot of the same things at the doors. It is absolutely true what he is saying. People feel that Ottawa is so far away that politicians are completely out of touch, and they just do not trust them. My concern is that we are continuing in the same vein and giving the Liberals way …
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