Clifford Small

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister may have the authority, but he certainly does not have the right to trade away the future of fishermen and plant workers just to gain momentary access to Europeans. Giving France 1,500 tonnes of snow crab to catch on the Canadian shelf is history repeating itself. Pierre Elliott Trudeau traded away our fish to Europeans in the sixties, seventies and eighties. The question is, will the Liberal Prime Minister stop the European carnage of Canadian fisheries and cancel his modern-day giveaway of Canadian coastal livelihoods?

Mr. Speaker, obviously, the minister is not familiar with this issue. The Liberal government has turned its back on Canada's fishing industry. The Prime Minister is abandoning our sovereignty in favour of Europeans, who have a long history of destroying Canadian fish stocks. Yesterday, the Minister of Fisheries bragged about how she hung out with fishermen in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Conservatives stand with Canadian coastal communities instead of those on the French islands. Will the Liberal Prime Minister change course and cancel this deal with France to protect Canadian livelihoods?

Mr. Speaker, President Macron of France has announced a 1,500-metric-ton quota of snow crab, to be caught on Canada's continental shelf. He released this shortly after his meeting with the Liberal Prime Minister a few days ago. According to French media, this Canadian crab will be caught by a French vessel and landed in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Why is the Liberal Prime Minister selling out our fishery to France, which has not even ratified CETA?

Madam Speaker, it is great to stand on behalf of the people of Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame and speak for the first time as the member for the riding that has its former name back. I just heard Prime Minister Trudeau's and his successor's special spokesman brag about the success of the dental program and how it brings down the cost of living. Our constituency assistants have a group chat with other assistants right across Canada. The number one common issue that they are dealing with is seniors who have fallen through the cracks of this super-duper dental program. They are finding that after they have had their treatment or received their dentures or whatever procedure they had, they get a $100 bill, a $500 bill or a $900 bill. Last evening my constituency assistant from Gander told me that a senior citizen had gotten a $10,000 bill, and they do not know how to pay it. They are shocked. My question is for the spokesman for the Prime Minister. Will he stop bragging about this failed program, or will the government simply fix it?

Mr. Speaker, Brett Cox, a fisherman from English Harbour West, reached out to me yesterday and said, “We need the tariff gone on sea cucumber or that fishery is done.” He is referring to the 25% Chinese tariff, which still applies to all Canadian seafood except lobster and crab products. China is the second largest market for our seafood. If the Liberal Prime Minister's new relationship with China is beneficial to Canada, why are these crippling tariffs still in place?

Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague's speech on the spring economic statement. I know that he comes from a riding in New Brunswick where salmon are paramount in Restigouche. The Minister of Fisheries announced $82 million towards making Atlantic salmon as they once were, in a great healthy state. At the same time that she made that announcement, she cut two biodiversity centres, which were long established, one in New Brunswick, the member's home province, and one in Nova Scotia. In my province of Newfoundland and Labrador, she has not even laid out contracts for river guardians this year. If we do not protect spawners, then there will be no spawn, and salmon will be finished. Will the member question the minister to make sure she puts her money where her mouth is?

Mr. Speaker, this Liberal Prime Minister bragged about his deal with China to remove tariffs from Canadian seafood. There were 49 seafood products subjected to 25% Canadian tariffs, but this government secured exemption for only two species and only until the end of this year. Harvesters and plant workers who rely on Chinese markets for turbot, sea cucumber, whelk, capelin, geoduck, shrimp and surf clams are reeling from these tariffs. When will these Liberals secure real, lasting relief from Chinese tariffs and stop failing the Canadian seafood industry?

Mr. Speaker, more than 9,500 people responded to DFO's food fishery survey, and the overwhelming majority called for a longer season and greater flexibility. These findings reflect exactly what Conservatives have been calling for: Respect our traditions, let us fish when it is safe to do so and provide fair access to the food fishery. The recent northern cod assessment shows the stock is growing. Therefore, there is enough to go around. The clock is ticking, and many folks back home and those visiting who are planning on taking part in the food fishery want to be ready and have their plans in order. There is no need to keep fishers in the dark until the last minute as many Liberal fisheries ministers have done over the last 11 years. I call on the minister to stop delaying her decision and announce the details for this summer's food fishery immediately.

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have tabled a dissenting report. The then minister of fisheries, the member for Beauséjour, came to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2018 and talked about how massive the unit one redfish fishery would be. Some harvesters invested up to a million dollars, money they would have had to retire on, to prosecute this fishery. When the decision came down, coastal communities and folks who were adjacent, who would have relied on this unit one redfish fishery, found that it was an absolute bust. Our report talks about the fact that one of the number one factors in fisheries management, adjacency, was not adhered to properly. We are not quite happy with the report the member referenced, so we have tabled a short summary of how we feel the report could have been better.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe what I heard yesterday. The housing minister blames skyrocketing housing costs on the war in Iran. Everyone knows this affordability crisis is due to 10 years of his government. Canadians are facing the worst food inflation and the only shrinking economy in the G7, yet the Prime Minister is pushing ahead with his industrial carbon tax and his fuel standard tax, which will rise to 17¢ a litre. When will the Liberals stop blaming events abroad and take responsibility for policies at home to make life more affordable for Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, service medals represent the formal recognition of dedication, service and sacrifice by members of our Canadian Armed Forces, workers in emergency services, firefighters and other eligible public servants. These service medals have been taking longer and longer for people to receive. There are cases of folks passing away before they get their long-service medals. I thank the folks who spearheaded this petition, the firefighters of Newfoundland and Labrador, who are calling on the government to fix this and to make the process much more expedient, so those who have sacrificed and served are honoured on time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the remarkable career of one of Newfoundland and Labrador's greatest athletes, Brad Gushue. Not only is he a gold medallist and a bronze medallist, but he has also captured six Brier titles, a world championship, two Pan Continental Curling Championships and two world junior titles. He has also won the grand slam of curling 15 times. After more than two decades representing Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada with pride, Brad recently curled the final game of his extraordinary curling career. His leadership, dedication and sportsmanship have inspired athletes right across our great nation. I ask all members to join me in congratulating Brad Gushue on an incredible career, in thanking him for the pride he has brought to our country and in extending to him our best wishes for the next chapter of his life.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to again present a petition on behalf of the recreational scallopers in Newfoundland and Labrador to provide for a more inclusive licensing policy. I send a special thanks to Gerald Parrott from Harbour Breton for collecting the names on this petition. The elderly, physically challenged and disabled want the ability to use a mechanical hauler to retrieve their scallop rakes. These rakes can weigh hundreds of pounds once they have been towed over the bottom for a little while. This petition also calls for commercial scallopers to be allowed to hold a recreational scallop licence. I look forward to a response from the regional minister for Newfoundland and Labrador that is much better than the nonsense we received from her parliamentary secretary.

Madam Speaker, on January 23, 22-year-old Jamal Adem Omer assaulted a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer and a civilian employee outside police headquarters in St. John's. He faces charges of aggravated assault, assaulting a police officer, uttering threats, resisting arrest and attempting to disarm an officer. Both victims were injured and required medical attention. The civilian who was injured was a very good friend of mine. Members would be devastated if they saw the pictures. Officers and staff at RNC headquarters are devastated that this happened on their own property. They want a safe and secure workplace where police and civilian staff can perform their duties without fear and where they can drop off and pick up their kids at the on-site day care knowing they are safe. Criminals know the law is on their side. The assault is the result of 10 years of the government's mismanagement of the judicial system. The government must listen to those on the front lines and support our police officers, strengthen protections—

Mr. Speaker, on January 27, Charlottetown police responded to a violent home invasion involving assault, an imitation firearm and a chemical irritant. Two individuals known to the victims were arrested. One of the accused is facing multiple charges, including, with no surprise, failure to comply with conditions of release and probation. The Liberal soft-on-crime principle of restraint continues to put dangerous offenders back on the street. Will the government repeal Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 so that Canadians can once again feel safe in their homes?

Mr. Speaker, our small craft harbours are the Trans-Canada Highways of our fishing industry. For the last 20 years, the budget for small craft harbours' capital funding has remained at $90 million, and it needs to be doubled, at least. Petitioners call on the government to live up to its election promise to increase small craft harbour funding. I am presenting this petition on behalf of the coastal communities that rely on our small craft harbours.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of constituents of mine in the Coast of Bays area who signed it. They want to be able to use mechanical scallop haulers. There is discrimination against elderly people and against people who have disabilities and other physical constraints. Rakes, with scallops and rocks, are very heavy to haul up, and this presents a safety danger. In addition, the petition calls for commercial harvesters to be allowed to fish scallops recreationally.

Madam Speaker, we know that the Liberals are against oil and gas. It is very easy: If the Prime Minister and Liberal government supports the oil and gas industry, Newfoundland and Labrador's oil and gas is already at tidewater. There are no excuses. They would not have to blame it on another province or first nations. It could not possibly fail if we had the right regulations to support our offshore oil and gas, but Bill C-49, Bill C-69 and the emissions cap are all to block Newfoundland and Labrador's oil and gas. This pipeline through B.C. is going to be a real struggle, and the Liberals know that it will fail. They are setting it up to fail and they will not vote for it today. I wonder if the hon. member for Kings—Hants will vote for this motion and support his own MOU, or is his party too fractured?

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour to stand here in this place as a member of Parliament representing Newfoundland and Labrador, and especially the riding that sent me here, now known as Central Newfoundland. I stand today to talk about Bill C-15, the budget implementation act, and the impacts it would have on ordinary Canadians, Newfoundlanders and the folks from Central Newfoundland, as well as the impacts it would have on industry in Canada. This is my take on this budget, as the shadow minister for fisheries and oceans. Budget 2025 lays out a $78-billion deficit. There is a Liberal spending problem in this country. The Liberals have increased our national debt by as much as all of the governments in Canada that preceded this one, and they have done it in just 10 years. How do we pay for that debt? Where does the money come from? One simple way is by selling bonds and paying interest to the bondholders, but who is really paying the lease on those new printed dollars? It is ordinary Canadians, and the cost is $55 billion. That $55 billion could be giving relief to Canadians and lowering their cost of living. It is more than the amount spent on health care by the federal government or collected in HST. This big debt is breaking Canadians, and half of that $55 billion in interest is due to the Liberal government. Printing money devalues a nation's currency. We recall pictures of Germany in World War II, when it took a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. Inflation here is not quite that bad yet, but it is getting up there with the doubling of food bank usage since the Liberals came to power. We are really reaping what we have sown in Canada. Let me rephrase that. We are reaping what the Liberals have sown since 2015. Not only do they have a spending problem; they now have a revenue problem. We have lost billions of dollars in revenue in mining and oil and gas, and we are feeling that now. Canada is a country with a vast social net for citizens, but it has to be paid for. If we cannot harvest our resources properly, we are leaving revenue on the table. In the case of Newfoundland and Labrador, in the last three years, we have not had one bid on an offshore lease for oil and gas. No one wants to take a chance on investing in an exploration program in Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore with the unconstitutional Bill C-69. In the case of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, we have Bill C-49, which industry experts tell me is an even bigger drag on investment in Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore than Bill C-69. The last little piece here is the emissions cap, but I am told it is not as crippling as Bill C-49. How many billions of dollars are we losing in royalty revenue? In the case of Bay du Nord, which took almost 1,300 days for permitting, for every day that project is not producing, $333 million in royalties is stranded. I hope that paints a little picture. There is continued crippling of the oil and gas and mining industries by the Liberal government, and false narratives are being spun. Liberals talked in the budget about how the emissions caps may go one of these days if A, B, C, D, E, F and G are all done, but there is no guarantee that emissions caps will be gone. They will not be gone based on what is in the budget, because it is all hypothetical, yet Liberals and certain media in Newfoundland and Labrador have touted the budget as being the end of emissions caps or production caps. It is a false narrative that has been spun. The Prime Minister talks a big talk about national projects, but in the meantime, billions and billions of dollars continue to flee Canada, and it is not going to stop until the crippling red tape I outlined earlier gets cut. The resource industry-killing pieces of legislation desperately need to be changed. It is more important for resource provinces to have proper legislation in place than it is to continue to keep them on the dole, to keep them waiting for handouts, always beholden to Ottawa. I will speak a little about how the budget relates to the fishery. I just alluded to the misleading nature of the Prime Minister. In the election, the Liberals promised a $250-million expansion of the small craft harbours budget. There is nothing in the budget except mentioning money that was promised. In fact in one instance, and I do not know who proofread the budget, it refers to 2022 and 2023 small craft harbours money. It is unbelievable. Continuing on down to the shoreline on the fishery, a big report just came out of the Marine Institute at Memorial University, which talked about the amount of predation by seals on the fish stocks. This new study says that 24 times more fish are consumed by harp seals alone than in the fisheries catch rates. The harp seal accounts for only about half of the biomass of seals in the Atlantic Ocean, considering it is only one of five species. Since 2010, Canada's fishing industry has had its GDP shrink. In the meantime, Norway's GDP in the fishery has increased 4.5-fold in the same length of time. I see the pittances put in the budget, about $20 million a year for agricultural food and seafood product marketing, and it is a joke. It is a slap in the face for the fishing industry. For folks in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I., New Brunswick and Quebec, which have seen tariffs due to China, the China fiasco that is on the go, it has cost the industry about $100 million this year. I will not be supporting the budget. It is an amateur scrapbook job.

Mr. Speaker, if there is anyone in the House who needs to apologize, it is the bigmouth from Winnipeg who is always spinning that false Liberal narrative. Fewer than 10% of schools in Canada can take advantage—