Parliamentary Speeches

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to start off by saying I will be sharing my time with the member for Richmond—Arthabaska. It is with great honour that I rise in the House to speak on behalf of the hard-working folks of Elmwood—Transcona. My speech today will centre on the spring economic statement, with a specific focus on the updates regarding trades and labour. Before becoming a member of Parliament, I worked as a construction electrician. My last day on a ladder was actually March 21, 2025, just two days before the election was called, and I am still the sitting vice-president of my local, IBEW Local 2085 in Winnipeg. When I reviewed the spring economic update, I was thankful to see some efforts that would benefit Red Seal tradespeople through a plan to recruit and train 80,000 to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trade workers by 2030, with a 50% reduction in time. To do this, the Liberal government wants to give Red Seal tradespeople a national registered apprenticeship number. However, the major problem that would arise is that different jurisdictions have different rules in place that would need to be addressed before any interprovincial harmonization could take place. Furthermore, following the implementation of this plan, the Liberal government wants to have more training and exams be online, but as we learned during COVID, online training is not really effective for the trades. Trades training requires real-life scenarios and hands-on instruction. These critical classes must continue to be taught in person so apprentices can receive training in real-world environments and so they can become comfortable with the powerful equipment they will be operating. Right off the bat, the online testing plan and secure credentials would have adverse effects on trade workers who are trained under the current system. As I said, different jurisdictions have different certification processes and training requirements. According to the Liberal government, its goal is to build one Canadian economy instead of 13. The unintended consequence of this is that a national registered apprenticeship number would force a top-down standardized system that would not have automatic buy-in from the provinces. Extensive consultation would be required with all the provinces to get their buy-in on a national apprenticeship system. It is a bit of a “cart before the horse” thing. Furthermore, several active federal apprenticeship grants were shut down by the current Liberal government without justification. Just one year ago, in 2025, the apprenticeship incentive grant, the apprenticeship incentive grant for women, and the apprenticeship completion grant were all shut down. In addition, in 2024, the apprenticeship service program was shut down. All these programs, which were designed to support apprentices through their education, were very important to young Canadians looking to break into the trades. They were supports I relied on when I was an apprentice, yet they were all closed by the Liberal government. Now the Liberal government has decided to enact the build Canada apprenticeship service, with a new announcement of the same apprenticeship grant it cancelled just one year ago. The government is essentially trying to take credit for creating a program exactly the same as the one it shut down. While the Liberals are patting themselves on the back, many apprentices who relied on that funding left their journey in the Canadian trades because the government turned its back on them. The cuts undoubtedly had significant impacts on apprentices who were already in the training program. In a 2025 article, the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada pleaded for the government not to abandon apprenticeship supports, explaining that 70% of apprentices used the original apprenticeship incentive grant to cover the cost of training expenses such as tools, and 32% of apprentices used part of the grant for general living costs. We need to support Canadians who are eager to build. The last thing the Liberal government should be doing is turning its back on them. In 2024, I read a Global News article titled, “Manitoba stakeholders concerned as federal government tosses apprenticeship grants”. This article predicted the very concerns that trade workers had with the government's decision to cut the apprenticeship grants. Darryl Harrison, director of stakeholder engagement with the Winnipeg Construction Association, was interviewed in the same article and said, “the removal of this grant seems like a backward step to us.” Many apprentices counted on receiving the grant from the government and not needing to get a loan. Curtis Haines, an electrical apprentice at the time, stated that losing the apprenticeship incentive grant may have been a deal breaker for many of his peers and colleagues who had other financial responsibilities such as bills and young families. When I started in the electrical trade, I was a late bloomer in the trade, with small children. I needed every dollar of support I could get. Those grants helped me make ends meet, and many of my classmates at the time relied on those same supports. Another piece of worker policy in the spring economic update that I want to address is the Liberal government's promise to quicken the process of training new Red Seal skilled trade workers by 50%. Rushing the training of Red Seal trade workers can have negative impacts on their education, especially when it comes to their safety training. It is clear to me that the Liberals want to treat workers as inputs on a spreadsheet, to get workers certified as quickly as possible so they can get each unit under way, regardless of the risk. In reality, it is important for apprentices to have the quality education and training that prepares them for the job site. Job sites can often be a dangerous workplace. Another major issue that the spring economic update fails to mention is that there has not been any additional funding for seats in post-secondary institutions that provide training. For example, in Manitoba, Red River College Polytechnic, a post-secondary institution offering many skilled trades programs, has been forced to temporarily shut down certain programs because of inconsistent messaging around support from the federal government On top of program cancellations, post-secondary institutions have had to reduce seat capacity and cut the number of students accepted into the programs. Many instructors have been laid off due to course cancellations. Many programs have waiting lists but cannot expand capacity because the spring economic statement expanded funding to only a portion of the training journey of an apprentice. Red River College Polytechnic is hardly the only one. Many trades colleges across Canada have faced similar issues. The reality is that there seems to be a disconnect between what the Liberal government plans on doing and the situation we are currently facing on the ground. The Liberals are claiming that they want to add a significant number of new Red Seal trained trade workers, yet educational institutions no longer have the resources nor the capacity to welcome new students. The Liberals have no plan to address these shortages, and the longer they continue to ignore what is happening on the ground, the more unrealistic their targets will become. This sounds familiar. Their plan also fails to explain how they will make sure that skilled trade workers will continue having good-paying and reliable jobs available to them in Canada. In the spring economic update, the Liberal Party claims that, with the team Canada strong plan, they would be creating clear pathways for young Canadians to get into good jobs. They are quite sure that these job opportunities will arise, yet they are simply ignoring the fact that, according to StatsCan, there are 207,000 unemployed Canadians in the trades right now. How can Canadian workers have faith in the system when the system is not interested in looking out for them? The unfortunate reality is that after we worked with the Liberals to pass Bill C-5 nearly one year ago, giving them sweeping infrastructure powers with the development of the Major Projects Office, nothing has come of it. It is a shame that we are not building in this country. After 11 years of inaction, we have simply fallen behind globally. For people who are not familiar with the trades, I will explain that apprenticeship training can be broken down into two main sections: technical training in the classroom and field hours on the job site. Field hours are the most important part of any apprenticeship training in the trades, and without adequate field hours, an apprentice will not secure their Red Seal certification. Simply put, apprentices need jobs in order to continue building infrastructure in Canada. With the lack of jobs, apprentices are having greater difficulty completing their training. The Liberals can throw all the money at training and programs that they want to. However, if we want to truly support the workers of tomorrow, we need to get trades jobs flowing in Canada. The Liberals should be focusing on finding solutions to the problems they have ignored over the last decade. It is not enough to just encourage young Canadians who are looking to get into the trades as a possible future to get certified, only to find out that they will not be able to find job opportunities. The road back from this mess starts with support for trades colleges, certainty that apprentice funding remains constant, a clear promise to never cut trades funding again, and a push to get major projects going and to get jobs flowing back into Canada.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great privilege that I rise in the House to honour an exceptional member of the Elmwood—Transcona community, Leilani Esteban-Villarba. Leilani is the hard-working executive director of the Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation. Through their efforts, she and her team lead practical and ground-level neighbourhood work to help support and uplift our community. Leilani and the CNRC have created vital non-profit programs and started key neighbourhood initiatives. Leilani's work is not abstract. She and her team are a direct solution to growing problems facing Canadian society. Her work is squarely focused on addressing the needs of our community, whether they are affordable groceries, access to housing, safer streets, or cleaner neighbourhoods. Because of the CNRC, Elmwood is stronger, safer and a better place to live. I thank Leilani for everything she and the CNRC do for our community.

Mr. Speaker, under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession. There has been a lot of media attention on creative definitions to describe the Liberals' track record. One of my friends from out in the field, Mike, asked me to share his story with the House. He is a hard-working family man who, after working overtime, still did not have enough money to make ends meet. Can the Prime Minister please tell Mike the difference between a recession and a technical recession? Mike's grocery bill cannot tell the difference.

Mr. Speaker, while fuel prices are soaring, hard-working Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. We know we cannot opt out of global factors, but we can take measures domestically to help Canadians who are hurting. After weeks of pressure, the Liberals finally caved to our demands to remove taxes at the pump during these uncertain times. The half-measure will not deliver the results Canadians need. Canadians need practical and tangible solutions, not more recycled speeches and empty promises. We need to take action and Canadians need results. We need to build up our natural gas infrastructure and strengthen our leverage abroad while looking out for folks at home. Therefore, I call on the Liberals to remove all taxes at the pump for the rest of the year so Canadian families can keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are hurting. The Prime Minister promised Canadians the best, yet our economy is performing among the worst. We have lost over 100,000 jobs in the first two months of this year, and our economy is beginning to shrink. If this is the result of global factors, as the Liberals claim, why is our economy performing so poorly compared to those of other G7 countries? Will the Prime Minister work with us to reverse the disastrous economic policies that have made it harder for Canadians to put food on the table?

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with my hon. colleague, the member for Richmond—Arthabaska. It is with great honour that I rise in the House today to speak to Bill C-15, the budget implementation act. The bill is massive, over 600 pages long, and I have even heard some of my colleagues across the aisle call it a big, beautiful bill. These large bills, known as omnibus bills, often carry a lot of the government's priorities in a single document, including things that make it virtually unsupportable. When in opposition, the Liberals condemned the practice of omnibus bills, only for them to put forward exactly the same thing. It is unfortunate that the Liberals talk out of both sides of their mouth. On one hand, the Liberals constantly criticized the Conservatives in the House for putting forward large bills, then on the other hand, they do exactly the same thing. Given the size of the bill, I find it shocking that it missed the mark on addressing so many key issues. One of the biggest issues affecting every Canadian, which I will be drawing attention to, is the cost of groceries. Not only does Bill C-15 not address the rising cost of food, but the out-of-control spending in this omnibus bill would actually make food inflation worse. Like so many Canadians struggling to make ends meet, I remember what life was like 10 years ago, before the Liberals took over. We had a prosperous economy that weathered the 2008 economic crisis, and a growing, stable middle class. At the time, I was working as a construction electrician, and my wife and I raised our three teenagers. If members have had the pleasure of feeding teenagers, they know that they can eat and that they eat a lot. I used to joke with my kids and tell them that I would be able to afford a brand new truck when they moved out with the money I would save from how much they ate. In those days, Canada was doing well. Wages were high and steadily increasing. The cost of living was manageable, and most Canadians could even brag that we had a higher standard of living than Americans did. Unfortunately, those days seem to be long in the rear-view mirror. We are now seeing headlines in The Globe and Mail such as “Out of nowhere, Canada became poorer than Alabama. How is that possible?” It is shocking to think about it in these terms, but after a decade of economic vandalism by the Liberal government, this is where we are at. Food banks in the country are seeing an unprecedented rise in usage. National food bank organizations, like Food Banks Canada, have sounded the alarm, highlighting that just last month there were 2.2 million food bank visits across Canada. That is double the monthly food bank usage recorded just six years ago. It is clear that the crisis in our food banks is only growing. Young families looking to make ends meet while also providing nutritious meals for their family are feeling squeezed by rising costs. Just since the last election, the price of produce like peppers and lettuce is up more than 40%. The price of beef is up more than 27%. The price of baby formula has risen 13%. Canadians cannot keep up, and the rampant spending found in government policies like those in Bill C-15 will only make matters worse. Back in the day, I used to enjoy working overtime because I knew that when I put in a little extra effort, it meant we would be able to afford something extra for our family, like a new TV, some furniture, a home renovation or just something nice that was outside the family budget. Now, after 10 years of the Liberal government's economic mismanagement, those days are gone. My friends in the trades tell me that they need to work overtime just to make ends meet. I cannot stress enough the word “need”. The fact that a good-paying construction job does not even give Canadian families enough money to make ends meet is a travesty, and the government should be ashamed that it has let the cost of living crisis get so out of control. A family's rent or mortgage used to be the biggest monthly expense, but now groceries are quickly becoming that. This is a direct result of Liberal deficit spending and debt accumulation driving down the value of our dollar and increasing the cost of literally everything Canadians buy. This is not a difficult concept to grasp: If a country owes more money, it prints more money, and when governments print more money, the dollar is worth less to investors. Government members will tell us that it is not our fault and that it is the result of global economic challenges, but 70% of all the food that Canadians consume comes from right here in Canada. That is not a global economic problem; it is a Liberal government policy problem. This is not to mention that other countries are weathering global economic challenges better than we are, rather than using them as an excuse to ignore rising costs. As I mentioned earlier, Canadians know what it was like when the economic crisis hit in 2008. Our government of the day did not make excuses. It took action, spurred the economy and came out of the crisis better than most. Last weekend, I was sitting down with an electrician friend of mine. He said to me that he was having trouble making ends meet. I was floored. He is well-established in our trade, has a good-paying job, is married with two kids and has been living in his home for five years. He shared with me that he remembers shopping with his wife when they first moved into their home. Back then, one could get a shopping cart full of groceries and feed a family of four for $250. The grocery store he went to used to offer a promotion that if someone spent $250 or more, they would get a free gift. He told me that many times when they were at the till after getting everything they needed to feed their family, his wife would have him run around to grab a couple more things so they could qualify for the free item. Their cart was full of good, healthy, nutritious food, including meat, vegetables and all the things a growing family needs, plus a few extra goodies they did not need but could afford. He says that now, after buying groceries and paying their utilities, there is no money left at the end of the month for savings, extras or even emergencies. This story is all too familiar for so many families in Canada today, but the reality is that it never used to be like this. People are working two or three jobs just to get by, and those who cannot make it are forced to food banks. The budget does not do anything to give hope to Canadians, and the massive spending will continue to increase food prices and push more Canadian families toward financial insecurity. We have the ability to feed Canadians good food at affordable prices. As I said, the vast majority of the food we consume is produced domestically and is not impacted by global economic instability, regardless of what the government claims. I know what I will hear from my colleagues across the aisle. They will argue that global factors are responsible for rising costs and that Bill C-19 would provide relief for Canadians. To some extent that is true, and that is why we are helping fast-track it. It would provide much-needed relief to Canadians who have gone through so much, but it is still a half measure. Canadians need more help, and the Liberals can start by lowering spending and reducing the burden of inflation on Canadians. When the government put forward both Bill C-15 and Bill C-19, it took one step forward and two steps back. Even my parents are struggling with the rising cost of food. A retired principal and a schoolteacher on a fixed pension, they are truly feeling the squeeze. The skyrocketing cost of food is quickly eroding their standard of living. They worked hard their whole life, educated the next generation and saved to set themselves up to enjoy retirement, only to have their standard of living taken away by the Liberal government's economic mismanagement. When the government spends during an inflation crisis, it adds fuel to the fire, and in turn, goods cost more. My parents, as well as many seniors, are having trouble keeping up with the rapidly rising cost of living, and that is taking away from their lifestyle that they worked so hard for their whole life. We owe it to the people who had a hand in building our great country to do right by them and keep our economy in check. At the end of the day, the reality is that empty promises and Liberal slogans will not put food on the table for struggling Canadian families. Life can be hard enough. The government should stop making it harder for working families, and instead give them a hand. Therefore, I am calling on the Liberals to do the right thing: Rein in their out-of-control spending and work to lower the inflationary burden on Canadian families.

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have put forth many policy proposals on what would make food prices better. As my hon. colleague mentioned, the industrial carbon tax on farmers has a big effect on the cost of food and on the people who are producing the food right here in this country, such as cattle farmers. Why is the price of beef so high? It is because there is an industrial carbon tax. There is also the food packaging tax and the other Liberal hidden taxes. We have proposed that the Liberals remove them to bring down the cost of food, but obviously that is not in the budget and they are refusing to do that.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great privilege that I rise in the House to honour an outstanding member of the Elmwood—Transcona community, Peter Martin. Peter Martin is a tireless advocate for military veterans and the Transcona community in Winnipeg. He is a Métis veteran of the Canadian Army, a member of the Last Post Fund, the missing marker program, and the organizer of wreaths for veterans at the Transcona Cemetery Field of Honour. Peter is also the Manitoba coordinator of the No Stone Left Alone ceremonies, which bring children and veterans together to place poppies on veterans' headstones. This program educates our youth about our military veterans and gives veterans the opportunity to share their stories with our local youth. I would like to tell Peter, from me personally and from the House, that I thank him for everything he does in service to our community and in service to our country. From the bottom of my heart, I thank him.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect us to work together to improve their lives. In that spirit, we worked with the Liberals to pass Bill C-5, giving the Prime Minister sweeping powers to get projects built faster. Despite the press releases and photo ops, nothing has been built. When we build, Canadians get jobs, our economy grows and life becomes more affordable. We have put forward a bill that would repeal regulations that block development, reward provinces that build, and protect Canadian innovation. Will the government work with us and pass a Canadian sovereignty act?

Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to rise in the House and speak on behalf of the people of Elmwood—Transcona. The Liberal government's soft-on-crime ideology has failed. Since the Liberals took office, violent crime is up 54%, sexual assaults are up 75%, and extortion has skyrocketed an astounding 330%. In major Canadian cities like Brampton, Surrey, Vancouver and Calgary, crimes like extortion are out of control. Canadians want action, not more speeches and not more press releases. The Liberal government must immediately repeal its catch-and-release laws, Bill C–5 and Bill C–75, and put an end to the revolving-door justice system. It must also restore and strengthen mandatory jail time, so extortionists face real consequences for their crimes rather than a slap on the wrist. Conservatives have put forward a comprehensive plan to protect our communities. Last year, the member for Oxford introduced the jail not bail act, to reverse the disastrous Liberal bail policies created through Bill C–5 and Bill C–75, while the member for Edmonton Gateway introduced Bill C-381, the protection against extortion act, which the Liberals voted down, choosing to put criminals over communities. The Liberal bail reform bill, Bill C-14, does not remove the principle of restraint, which has caused the revolving-door criminal justice system. This falls short of the comprehensive bail reform that was promised to Canadians in the last election. Even so, we have offered to fast-track the bill so Canadians can get some much-needed relief. While all this is happening on our streets, the Liberals have chosen to spend $750 million to target law-abiding gun owners. They are continually choosing ideology over facts and political influence over public safety. Will the Liberal government actually take the concerns of our communities seriously and ensure that career criminals and repeat violent offenders get jail, not bail?

Mr. Speaker, I am a trained, vetted, tested and licensed gun owner. I am not a criminal. I have the great privilege, as many Canadians do, to purchase and use firearms safely and responsibly. To the community of hunters, sports shooters and indigenous communities, firearms are not just equipment or tools. They are a way of life. The Liberals have chosen to attack groups of law-abiding Canadians for no reason beyond ideology. The Liberals have completely dropped the ball on this file, so much so that the minister responsible for this failed buyback program was not even aware of what an RPAL was mere months ago. When will the Liberal government stop attacking law-abiding firearms owners and get serious about holding the real criminals accountable?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are hungry. According to a Harvest Manitoba report, over 60,000 Manitobans are turning to food banks just to make ends meet. For many Canadians, there is just not enough paycheque at the end of each month to cover the basics. This is heartbreaking, and Parliament can do something about it. In the last election, the Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him based on “their experience at the grocery store”. When I speak to folks in my community about the cost of living crisis, what I hear are horror stories. Grocery prices have doubled over the last decade, and the reality is that “Canada's Food Price Report” for 2026 warns that things are only expected to get worse. This news should be a wake-up call for each and every member in the House. I call on the government to remove hidden taxes on food so Canadians can finally afford to bring home nutritious and affordable meals for their families.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister campaigned on the concerns of Canadians regarding the trade war with the United States. He even billed himself as a so-called master negotiator who would secure a deal with President Trump by July 21 of this year. When asked this past weekend about the progress of the trade negotiations, he replied, “Who cares?” Well, I care and the hard-working men and women of Elmwood—Transcona care. We have seen tons of good-paying Canadian jobs flee to the United States following Trump's tariff threats. Is the Prime Minister prepared to look workers in the eye and tell them he does not care about their livelihoods? Canadians deserve a more urgent approach at the negotiating table. I urge the Prime Minister to take these trade negotiations seriously and stand up for Canada. Conservatives stand ready to deal with President Trump and take the trade war seriously, because we do care about Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour to rise today on behalf of my constituents in Elmwood—Transcona to talk about Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act. We have seen crime increase year after year since the Liberals passed Bill C-5 and Bill C-75. These bills broke an otherwise normal, functioning bail system and directed the courts to release accused persons at the earliest reasonable opportunity and under the least onerous conditions, otherwise known as the principle of restraint. This has led to a revolving-door criminal justice system that saw the same repeat violent offenders receiving bail nearly immediately after they were initially arrested. Now, many years later, we have businesses closing, extortion, auto thefts and home invasions on the rise, and chaos in our streets. We hear story after story about victims who are injured or even killed by a repeat violent offender who is out on bail. Marina Simard was stabbed to death by her brother in northern Manitoba. Tyrone Simard was out on bail on the condition that he stay away from his sister. Bailey McCourt was murdered by her ex-husband James Plover just hours after he was released on bail following an assault conviction. Savannah Kulla, a 29-year-old mother of four, was shot and killed in a Brampton strip mall while her killer was out on bail. These are not just horror stories from a Stephen King novel. These are real people who are victims of the Liberals' soft-on-crime bail. These laws put the rights of criminals ahead of the rights of victims. We now see the consequences of these policies every day in our streets. Violent crime is up 55%. Illegal firearms crime is up 130%. Sexual assaults are up 76%. Homicides are up 29%. Extortion is up a whopping 330%. It never used to be like this. These are unnerving statistics and they are a direct result of Liberal hug-a-thug bail laws. We cannot get numb to this reality. This should not be our new normal. The Liberals have now tabled Bill C-14 to try to fix the problem they caused. It is a bit like having the same plumber come back to fix a system they did not install properly the first time. Bill C-14 is a start, but it falls short of what this country needs for crime legislation. It does not remove the principle of restraint that releases criminals on the least onerous conditions. It does not restore the mandatory minimum sentences that were removed through Bill C-5. It does not remove the option of house arrest for repeat offenders. It does not do enough to protect public safety by ensuring that judges are required to hold criminals to account for their actions. We know we cannot fix this problem on our own and we want to work with all members of the House to make a positive difference in the lives of law-abiding Canadians. However, we want to ensure that any new measures that get passed by the House actually work toward fixing the problems we see in our communities. I have heard from my neighbours and members of my community that they are concerned with the overwhelming rise in crime over the last few years. Parents are afraid to let their children walk to school. Stores are closing down due to theft, and people no longer feel comfortable leaving their doors unlocked at night. According to a Postmedia-Leger poll, over half of Canadians say that they no longer feel safe in their neighbourhoods and that the justice system is working against their interests. This is a heartbreaking statistic. What has become of our great country when the majority of our citizens say that they do not feel safe living here? We have let fear control our justice system, and we have put the feelings and comforts of criminals ahead of the safety of law-abiding Canadians. The reality is that we need to empower law enforcement to do their jobs rather than demonize and belittle them. Officers do their jobs to protect our communities, yet the same people they arrest in the morning end up back on the street, usually victimizing the same person, by the afternoon due to our current broken bail policies. Let us take a local example from my community. In Winnipeg, dozens of 7-Elevens have closed due to the crime wave. Not only is it no longer profitable to operate some businesses due to theft, but the safety of employees is constantly at risk when repeat violent offenders are not held accountable for their actions. We are incentivizing bad behaviour by not punishing the perpetrators. Recently, some of my Manitoba colleagues and I hosted a jail not bail town hall to meet with Winnipeggers to discuss the damaging effects of crime in our city and what can be done to stop it. During this town hall, I heard many harrowing stories. For example, Julia, who lives in Valley Gardens, the neighbourhood I grew up in, no longer feels safe going on walks alone at night. It did not used to be this way, and it does not have to stay this way. Members of my community, who are scared to even leave their homes, are looking to all of us for leadership. We must work together to pass meaningful legislation that protects victims and punishes repeat violent offenders. To that end, Bill C-14 is on the right track to fix the Trudeau-era bail policies, but it still needs work. It may be surprising to some, but outside of the victims, the people who struggle the most from the current disastrous bail policies are actually the police. I recently spoke with a family friend who works for the Winnipeg Police Service, and he recounted how dangerous the job is for him now compared to in years past, how he spends days arresting the same people for committing similar crimes and victimizing the same people. The scary truth is, more often than not, it is a small group of people committing the same crimes over and over again. In Vancouver, the same 40 people were responsible for over 6,000 crimes. That is nearly 150 crimes per person in a single year. Our society cannot function like this. Hearing from our brave police officers how demoralizing it is to arrest the same people over and over for the same crimes is heartbreaking. The reality is that we can do something about it by passing concrete bail reform legislation that reverses the disastrous policies that have burdened our communities for nearly a decade. Bill C-14 is the government's own admission that its bail experiment has failed. We have seen a 41% rise in the violent crime severity index since 2014. This means increases in homicide, sexual assault and extortion across Canada. This has led to the marginalization of law-abiding Canadians in favour of repeat violent offenders. The current system is broken and backwards. It is unacceptable that law-abiding Canadians are living in fear. It breaks my heart that my grandkids are not being raised in the Canada I grew up in, the Canada where we could leave our front door unlocked, walk around our neighbourhood at night without fear and spend time downtown without having to look over our shoulder. This was avoidable, and we need to give future generations the same safety guarantees we grew up with. I want to reiterate that the bill itself replicates a lot of the asks that our party has made to the government regarding bail reform. It is on the right track. It rights the wrongs from the previous Liberal government and seeks to hold criminals accountable. However, it is not perfect, and it is unfortunate that it took this long to reach this conclusion. When I listened to the justice minister introduce this bill, I finally felt that the government was starting to get it, that it was finally on the right track when it comes to addressing the serious bail reforms that need to be undertaken in Canada. Bill C-14 has the backing of law enforcement officers and gives them some of the mechanisms they need to do their job, but at this point they are desperate for a solution, and we are ready to work with every member in this House for the betterment of all Canadians. However, in the spirit of collaboration and working together for the good of Canadians, I hope the government will act upon our recommendations and ensure that Bill C-14 mandates jail, not bail for repeat violent offenders, and that career criminals remain off our streets in order to keep our communities safe. The stats show that when criminals are off our streets, crime rates go down, and crime is disincentivized. We are all human beings, and we all make mistakes. Everyone in this room believes in second chances; some of us might even have needed one, but we do not believe in 18 second chances. At a certain point, enough is enough. As lawmakers, we must replace the current status quo and the principle of restraint with the principle of public safety, and instruct judges to hold criminals accountable for their actions.

Mr. Speaker, this government is the most expensive in Canadian history. Every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians. The more the Liberals spend, the more things cost. The nearly $80 billion in deficit spending means that $450 a month is coming right out of Canadians' pockets. This will make it even harder for Canadians to buy groceries and pay their bills. Instead, we get a bloated bureaucracy and high-priced consultants. Why does the Prime Minister believe he can spend hard-working Canadians' money better than they can?

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present a petition, pursuant to Standing Order 36. In this petition, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to reject recommendation 430 of the finance committee's pre-budget report, reaffirm Canada's commitment to an open culture and support citizens' freedom to promote the common good through the advancement of religion without punitive measures. The petitioners feel that recommendation 430 is working against religious freedoms. These charitable organizations have a large impact on the community, with many community outreach programs, and they are against this recommendation.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' bail has unleashed crime and chaos on our streets. One recent example was a home invasion where the perpetrator was out on bail. Their law, Bill C-75, requires courts to release violent career criminals at the earliest opportunity and under the least onerous conditions. The Prime Minister promised the Liberals would flip-flop on bail, but it was a bait and switch, with the bail law still in place six months after he took power. Will the Prime Minister scrap Liberal bail or get out of the way and let Conservatives do it?

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Liberal government, we are in a housing crisis. Builders cannot build, and young Canadians are priced out of the market. Now housing starts are down 16%, and a new report shows that Canada is at risk of losing 100,000 housing-related trades jobs. That means that construction workers and tradespeople, like me, will all lose their livelihoods while the government refuses to get shovels in the ground. Why is the Prime Minister building another costly housing bureaucracy in Ottawa while workers are out of a job?

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honour that I rise today in this House to speak in support of the “three strikes and you're out” bill, our plan to hold repeat violent offenders accountable and to combat rising crime in our streets. I am a proud Winnipegger and even prouder to represent my neighbours in the riding of Elmwood—Transcona. Although I am proud of my home, the crime wave crippling our city has truly gone out of control. My office has been inundated with calls from folks from all different walks of life, all concerned that they no longer feel safe on the streets and even in their homes. At this point, it is hard to see anything any other way. Over the last 10 years, we have become accustomed to a criminal justice system that puts criminals first and does not deliver justice. Our current system takes power away from law enforcement, puts perpetrators of crime back on the street and victimizes hard-working, law-abiding Canadians in our society. Jody, one of my constituents, has had her home broken into 14 times by the same group of thugs. While Jody lives in fear, her tormentors are getting released on no-cash bail within 24 hours of their crime, ready to reoffend and put Jody and her neighbours back into a state of shock, panic and fear. It is not just Jody either. In my first month of office, I sent out a community survey asking folks in Elmwood—Transcona what they thought were the most pressing issues facing our community. While I got many good, thoughtful responses, one issue that is top of mind for a majority of people in my community is that crime is totally out of control. Parents no longer feel safe having their kids walk to school or take the bus. Our three-strikes plan would put repeat violent offenders behind bars and keep communities safe. We need to put our foot down and take crime seriously. We all believe in second chances, but we do not believe in 20 chances. This would be hard enough on families that are struggling to make ends meet without also facing the rising rates of car theft. It has gotten so bad that some police are even suggesting that people leave their keys on the porch to avoid break-ins. This is crazy. This harmful mentality will only lead to more theft, more crime and more innocent victims. Things were not always this way. Folks in our communities used to leave their doors unlocked and did not worry about their cars getting broken into. Today, my neighbours live in fear, and it breaks my heart that for the last 10 years, the Liberals could have done something to fix the out-of-control crime but decided to sit on their hands and pretend that nothing was wrong while their failed experiment continued to put Canadians at risk. The law we are proposing would stop criminals convicted of three serious offences from getting bail, probation, parole or house arrest. It would keep violent criminals behind bars, away from their victims and off our streets. The law would also keep dangerous offenders away from society until they have proven that they no longer are a threat to those around them. Police also feel the effects of poor criminal justice policies first-hand. Imagine how demoralizing it is to arrest the same person they arrested last week for robbing the same 7-Eleven they robbed the week before. We are not giving those in law enforcement the tools they need to get the job done. Just last week, we met with Mayor Scott Gillingham, who shared his thoughts on the out-of-control crime that is plaguing Winnipeg streets. He mentioned that the same individual had been arrested twice by the Winnipeg Police Service's violent crimes unit. A person has to be pretty violent to be arrested by that unit. He was subsequently convicted of failing to comply with bail restrictions 12 times and was released enough times to be convicted of 24 more violent offences. These offences were not stealing a pack of gum from a convenience store. The offender in question was convicted of shooting and carjacking while already out on bail. Last month alone, 178 offenders were wanted on warrants for violating bail and were arrested on new charges. Seven of them assaulted the very same people they victimized despite a court prohibiting them to do so. This is not just a threat to the victims, who often have multiple run-ins with repeat offenders; it is also a threat to first responders, social workers, health care workers and public transit operators. The unfortunate truth is that this is not just a Winnipeg problem; this is a Canada-wide problem. Police associations across Canada have been speaking out on the lack of support that the federal government has given them in putting repeat violent offenders behind bars. We need to do our job here so that they can do their job out there—

With regard to recommendations made by the Information Commissioner of Canada, pursuant to section 37 of the Access to Information Act: what has been done to address and implement each recommendation made in each of the following reports of the Information Commissioner of Canada, broken down by report and recommendation, (i) Canadian Heritage (Re), 2020 OIC 10, (ii) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (Re), 2021 OIC 11, (iii) Library and Archives Canada (Re), 2022 OIC 17, (iv) Canadian Security Intelligence Service (Re), 2023 OIC 11, (v) Global Affairs Canada (Re), 2023 OIC 43, (vi) Canada Border Services Agency (Re), 2024 OIC 15, (vii) National Defence (Re), 2024 OIC 31, (viii) National Defence (Re), 2024 OIC 32, (ix) Environment and Climate Change Canada (Re), 2024 OIC 33, (x) National Defence (Re), 2024 OIC 34, (xi) Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (Re), 2024 OIC 39, (xii) Canada Revenue Agency (Re), 2024 OIC 52, (xiii) National Defence (Re), 2024 OIC 54?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's first four weeks in Parliament were filled with broken promises: a broken promise on spending, a broken promise on the tax cut, a broken promise on consultants, a broken promise on defence and a broken promise on being elbows up with the U.S. The Parliamentary Budget Officer found the Liberals' tax cut will only save Canadians $90 this year and $190 next year. That is $15 per month or about four cans of tuna. Did the Prime Minister mislead Canadians during this election, is he misleading them now or is it both?

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honour and humility that I rise today to speak in this House. I would like to start by thanking the people of Elmwood—Transcona for putting their trust in me to represent them in this House of Commons. I would also like to thank my amazing campaign team and caucus colleagues for working tirelessly, day in and day out, to support me and the Conservative Party. Without all of them, I would not be in this House today. To my three amazing sons, Cameron, Jordan and Brendon, my two wonderful daughters-in-law and three incredible grandchildren, I thank them for being there for me. I thank my father Herb, my mother Linda, my brother Mark and my sister Shannon for working so hard to help me get here and having my back. I would like to thank my mother-in-law and father-in-law, as well as my sister-in-law and three brothers-in-law. Lastly, to Sandra, my beautiful wife of 30 years, I thank her for always unconditionally supporting me and believing in me. People with my story do not end up here. I was raised by a teacher and a homemaker in the Valley Gardens area of Winnipeg. I graduated from Kildonan-East Collegiate, where I met my wife. Fresh out of high school, we became very young parents, and our life together did not start out easy. Working full-time as a printing press operator, we struggled, working opposite shifts for many years to save on child care. We saved every penny, and eventually we were able to buy a house. Home ownership did not make life easier, but it did mean that we had a place to call our own. Now, for so many, home ownership is just a dream. After many years establishing our family together, I changed careers and became a construction electrician. After working as an apprentice for a number of years and experiencing first-hand how employees in the trades are often poorly treated, I joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. My involvement with the IBEW increased over the years as my passion for workers' rights grew. Now I am the sitting vice-president. As a long-time union member, I have always paid attention to politics and watched every day as the NDP-Liberal government turned its back on workers like me. The community I grew up in is made up of hard-working people, tradespeople, blue-collar workers and union workers. These are the people who build this country and keep it running. With the runaway NDP-Liberal spending that caused excessive inflation and the out-of-control immigration that caused ballooning house prices and rapidly rising food costs, I decided it was time to stand up and do something. The message from Pierre Poilievre was clear, that the Conservative Party is the party for the working class, so I joined the fight. As I knocked on thousands of doors and spoke to people just like me, I realized I was not the only one who feels this way. Working-class people felt abandoned by the NDP-Liberal government, and everyday Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. It was not always like that. In 2015, before the lost Liberal decade, the middle class was doing well. We were outperforming the United States, and our dollar was stronger. Now that is gone, and the only thing the Liberals are doing about it is the same thing they have been doing for 10 years: spend more money. However, now it is even worse. They are spending more money with no budget and no accountability. I spoke with a young family on their doorstep, and they were worried about what they were going to do later this year when their mortgage comes up for renewal. Interest rates have soared over the past five years, and we know that the raising of interest rates is a measure to slow inflation, the same inflation that was caused by government overspending, the same inflation that is driving up food prices and the same inflation that is forcing hard-working, everyday Canadians to line up at food banks just to make ends meet. During the campaign, I spoke with a colleague of mine, a construction electrician. He was concerned with the future of employment in the construction industry in Manitoba. With no large projects on the horizon and only a few months left to complete the projects already under way, the work picture does not look good. Without any policy changes from the Liberal government regarding mining and energy, and with a looming recession brought on by dangerous and destructive tariffs from the United States and the Liberal government's lack of action, the outlook will not change. This is the same government with the same policies and the same economic outcome. The ministerial musical chairs will not solve Canada's problems. It is clear that the same Liberal ministers with the same Liberal policies are delivering even worse results. Canadians need a real plan that will unleash Canada's economic potential and deliver powerful paycheques for our people. Under the current Prime Minister, bloated bureaucracy will grow by 6%, more than double the combined rate of inflation and population growth. Consultant spending will increase by 37% to $26 billion a year, requiring the average family to pay $1,400 on consultants alone. None of the extra spending the Liberals have asked for will actually help Canadians. Almost all of it is for bureaucratic administration and high-priced consultants, who will be out the door and gone forever. It seems the Liberal government thinks that this country is built by consultants sitting in an office shuffling paper. I assure members that it is not. Canada is built by people who get up every morning, put on their boots and do hard work. These are the people who serve and protect, deliver our goods, bring our mail, teach our future generations, pick up their tool boxes, manufacture our products and grow our food. I love this country. I have lived here my whole life. I raised my kids here, and now they are raising their kids here. It is a great honour to serve in this House. I am here to stand up and protect the future of Canada, the future of our children and the future of our grandchildren. I am here to fight for workers and their families. I am here to fight for workers' rights and good-paying union jobs. I am here to protect hunters, sport shooters and law-abiding gun owners. I am here to represent the hard-working people of Elmwood—Transcona and all the hard-working people in Canada, the greatest country in the world. As a Conservative, I believe in removing barriers to work, reducing the tax burden on working Canadians and getting government out of the way so businesses can grow, hire and thrive. Canadians deserve a government that works for those who do the work and a government that works for students and young people desperate to pursue their dreams. I am thankful for this opportunity to stand before the House and speak to the nation. It is an honour and a privilege to serve the Canadian people.

Mr. Speaker, knocking on thousands of doors in my community this past spring, I heard the same concern: People are worried about the rise in crime. In Winnipeg, violent crimes like assaults, threats and extortion are increasing. Homicide Canada reported that in 2024, Winnipeg had over 40 homicides for the sixth year in a row. Because of Liberal bills, Bill C-5 and Bill C-75, repeat violent offenders are treated with kid gloves and get released. When will the Liberals finally put the rights of victims and law-abiding Canadians ahead of their soft-on-crime, hug-a-thug agenda?

Mr. Speaker, as I rise today, I want to thank my family, friends, volunteers and the hard-working people of Elmwood—Transcona, who placed their trust in me and the Conservative Party. These are the Canadians who get up early, put on their boots and build the country we love. I have been in their boots for 18 years as a construction electrician, proud union member and vice-president of IBEW Local 2085. The NDP and Liberals have abandoned unions. They have driven up inflation, housing costs and taxes while supporting union-busting tactics. That is why more rank-and-file union members are turning to the Conservatives, many for the first time. Just weeks ago, we received support from local unions, including the ILA, the UBC, IBEW, the UA, Boilermakers, LIUNA and many more. Conservatives are the party of blue-collar workers. We will keep working to earn the trust of Canadian workers and keep delivering the strong and prosperous future they deserve.