Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would have hoped the NDP member from Quebec, who I believe came in 2011 as the official opposition, would respect that I made specific reference to the duties of the loyal opposition, something his former leader Thomas Mulcair did when he had the opportunity to hold Prime Minister Harper to account. As I said, Prime Minister Harper actually waived client-solicitor privilege when t…
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Madam Speaker, the oracle from Winnipeg talks about an idea that somehow a majority believes this should go to PROC—
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Madam Speaker, again, the member seems to think everyone shares his reality. I would point out that is not the case. We have different points of view. I enjoy his interventions, but if members on the other side are unhappy with what I have to say, they should respond at the appropriate time with their own counter-arguments.
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Madam Speaker, it is always a privilege to stand here on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. Before I begin, I would like to remind the House why privilege is important. Privilege goes to the very core of how we as elected officials do our job and hold the government to account. It encompasses both the rights and the immunities that every member of the House requires …
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Madam Speaker, I will refer to the member as the member for Winnipeg North in future discussions, but I will point out the continued belief that members cannot use sarcasm or satire. How do we know we live in a free country? It is when we can criticize those in power openly and freely. If the Liberals have better ideas than mine, they should use them. The answer to free speech that one disagrees w…
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Madam Speaker, common-sense Conservatives ask for a recorded division.
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Madam Speaker, I certainly appreciate the member's speech today. I wanted to talk about the ineligible companies that received monies from SDTC despite the Auditor General saying they were not even eligible to receive the monies in the first place. In my riding, there were constituents who either were paid too much CERB or were found to be ineligible, after the fact, for CERB. They had to pay it b…
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Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I greatly regret interrupting the proceedings, but I think that if you look for quorum, you will find that we do not have it. We should take care of that.
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Mr. Speaker, my constituents have told me in no uncertain terms that they want a carbon tax election. There is only one person left who prevents that by keeping this Prime Minister in power, and that person is the leader of the NDP. That is the same leader of the NDP who made a big stunt when he told Canadians he had ripped up his coalition deal with the Liberals. It was a perfectly timed scam on …
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Mr. Speaker, it is truly a privilege to stand here on behalf of the wonderful people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. When we talk about privilege, we must remember that our work here representing our constituents is an honour, not an entitlement. Privilege is something that we as parliamentarians have inherited through the centuries to ensure that we can speak and exercise our roles as gra…
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Mr. Speaker, this gives me an opportunity to rail a little bit about the Trudeau Sr.'s use of the charter to essentially Americanize our system and to remove some of the supremacy of Parliament. I do not believe the trust that was given to those members of Parliament at that time was honoured because, essentially, the supremacy of Parliament when it comes to certain elements of law-making is no lo…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an excellent point, because the Auditor General has publicly said that their office has asked for more funding because under the Liberal government, spending has gone up by unbelievable amounts and has effectively doubled our debt. Canadians may not feel that they are getting better results for it, but more money has sloshed through the system through Parliament, and the Auditor…
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Mr. Speaker, the member's question touches on a number of things. The commitment to a rule of law means it is not up to the judgment of the men and women who are in positions of authority to ultimately decide whether a case is right or it is wrong. That is decided by laws, as they are laid out. In this place, the government serves the House of Commons, and when a majority of the House of Commons a…
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Mr. Speaker, in a free and open society, people only make decisions if they know there is certainty. How do we know that when we get out of bed in the morning we are not going to get run over? We trust that the system is going to operate as it should. This is one of the reasons we have representative democracy, where we are not all voting on an app, like perhaps some jurisdictions do. In places li…
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With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) digital initiative: (a) what are the start and end dates of the cutover period during which there will be no activity related to the processing of accounting for imported goods or processing of refunds of duties and taxes; (b) what are importers supposed to do during this period; (c) what …
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate that my fellow British Columbian came to this place to debate a very serious issue. However, I have to say that, hearing the cartoon talking points coming out of the Liberal Party, it has totally lost all reality. I am just going to address one small sliver here. The Leader of the Canada's Conservative Party has publicly responded to the Supreme Court's decision that so…
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Madam Speaker, I request a recorded division, please.
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Madam Speaker, I support a policy where the government is collecting the right amount of taxes. For example, the member, at finance committee, raised legitimate questions about the so-called luxury tax, a tax on workers. We actually had industry come and say the tax will harm industry and will push business to the United States and other places. That is a policy I 100% agree with the Bloc Québécoi…
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Madam Speaker, I will give the member a practical example. My understanding is that, in the Similkameen and in Penticton proper, there have not been any sign-ups for a dentist. Maybe there has been one now, but the NDP is touting this program as being widely available and accessible to people. I have had people in Kelowna tell me they have tried to go to a different dentist, but the new dentist re…
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Madam Speaker, we do not agree with the government's agenda. It is called a democracy when people can disagree. I would also disagree with the whole statement that the government thinks it has the right issues today. My constituents are talking about unaffordability and being able to pay their bills. They want to see us axe the tax. They also want to hear us talk about housing. It is politicians w…
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Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure and an honour to rise on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, and I am very proud to be sharing this time with the previous member. The Standing Committee on Finance has a very important job. In fact, it is a rare committee because, in our Standing Orders, it actually says that the finance committee must travel and hear widely fro…
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Madam Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up. Why is that? Two years ago, when the NDP leader could not beat the Liberal Prime Minister, he joined him. Their cozy coalition has led to higher taxes, higher food prices and skyrocketing crime. Recently, the NDP leader said he was ending the partnership, but it was all a charade. He said t…
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Madam Speaker, as always, it is an honour to rise on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola to speak about a topic on which I know there are a range of views. In a democracy, we can disagree, but I would say that everyone who has spoken tonight believes in helping Canadians, particularly those living in poverty. I spoke earlier today about how part of being Canadian is tr…
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Mr. Speaker, imagine living in a rural community like Merritt or Princeton, British Columbia. People work hard, pay their taxes, but see little return from Ottawa. In 2021, these communities were devastated by massive floods. The Prime Minister told them that he had their backs: ministers visit, telling them to hang tight for their new disaster mitigation adaptation fund; the municipalities apply,…
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Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to rise on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. Rents are up, unemployment is up, food bank usage is up and time is up. Who tells us this? The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, which I have sat on in previous Parliaments, does. In its study on the housi…
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Madam Speaker, as a former municipal councillor for the great community of Penticton, I learned that under the Local Government Act, yes, municipalities are authorized to create development cost charges to capture some of the costs for building new. However, let us be remindful of two things. First of all, when a development cost charge is added, without explaining what can be charged and what sho…
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Madam Speaker, I believe that the member also served as municipal councillor at one particular point, and I want to let her know that while there are gatekeepers, I am sure she was mindful, when she made her votes at Victoria council, of young people and their opportunities. However, first of all, the Harper government worked with the Campbell government at the time, and instead of having duelling…
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With regard to the government's Disaster Mitigation Adaptation Fund applications and the statements made by the Mayor of Merritt, Michael Goetz, and the Mayor of Princeton, Spencer Coyne, both in British Columbia, that their municipalities' applications for funding under this program were denied by the government without explanation: (a) why was Merritt’s application denied; (b) why was Princeton’…
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With regard to the $5 billion in funding through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements to British Columbia, committed in the 2021 Fall Economic Statement, in response to extreme weather events: (a) how much of this commitment has been delivered to British Columbia to date, in total, and broken down by specific project funded; (b) when will the outstanding amount be delivered; and (c) what…
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With regard to the testimony from the Information Commissioner on May 16, 2024, at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in which she said that "We are now looking at a total funding shortfall of $700,000 which represents a reduction in my budget of approximately 5%": why did the government make this reduction to the Information Commissioner's budget?
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Madam Speaker, I am happy the member from the NDP raised the subject of choices and what is worthy of support. I spoke to a constituent who could not believe that the NDP supported the budget implementation act last year, because it made big changes to natural health products and their regulations. They cannot understand why the NDP would support the Minister of Health to put in place a regime tha…
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite says that there is the fanning of flames, or whatnot, or disinformation, but I think this is a chamber where we hold each other in some esteem. If he wants to note a particular subject and to make an allegation against the leader of the official opposition, we are all here to debate the actual bill and not to cast aspersions on each other's character. If he wants…
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Madam Speaker, I have been around this place long enough to see a clear pattern of what a Liberal budget is, as well as the Liberals' omnibus budget implementation acts, which, of course, they promised not to use. One might ask what exactly is the pattern of a Liberal budget. We have to go back to 2015 for a moment. What happened in 2015 is that the Prime Minister promised three years of so-called…
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Madam Speaker, I will let Canadians judge the content and the conduct of that member. He cannot even get the parties' correct names in this room, so I do not know if they will trust him with details. When it comes to a prime minister's security detail, it is the RCMP that makes the decision on what security is appropriate. I believe that it is important for a prime minister to remain safe and secu…
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Madam Speaker, it is important to know whether the Bloc Québécois plans to vote for or against the government and the bill. The Bloc Québécois member has a choice. She must decide whether the budget and the Prime Minister are acceptable and balanced for Canadians. It is important to note that the Conservative Party is voting against the government. We do not trust the Prime Minister or the Ministe…
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With regard to expenditures made under object code 3252 (Interest, administration or service charges, and other penalty charges), broken down by department, agency, or other government entity for each of the last five years: (a) how many expenditures were made; (b) what was the total value of the expenditures; and (c) what are the details of each such expenditure over $500, including, for each, th…
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to this legislation, I believe there should be more debate on it because it is a wider bill. Right now, it takes about seven years for an oncology drug to be approved in Canada. That is partly because of the many processes it has to go through at Health Canada and through a provincial group that discusses drugs, etc. This would add to that, so we need to have more conver…
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Mr. Speaker, that rhetoric will not put money in the back pockets of British Columbians, and while the cost of the jet-setting Prime Minister's summer luxury tours and vacation soars, his carbon taxes and gas taxes are driving Canadians nose first into the ground. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. Canadians are struggling to afford a simple road trip. Our Conservative common-sense plan is …
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Mr. Speaker, our jet-setting Prime Minister has begun his summer luxury tour early, blowing through Philadelphia with his usual all-expenses-paid five-star hotels and all the food and alcohol his entourage can take. After nine years of an NDP-Liberal government, most Canadians can hardly afford a summer road trip. Will the Prime Minister adopt our common-sense plan to put $682 in the pockets of Br…
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Madam Speaker, after nine years of this speNDP-Liberal government, finding an affordable rental is only getting harder. Despite its record spending, a new report says that rents in Canada increased 9.3% annually in April. It has gotten so bad that people's only choice when seeking an affordable rental is to laugh or cry. Given the dire situation of these renters, could the Minister of Housing plea…
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Madam Speaker, a lot of that spending does not kick in until after the next election, so I do not think that promise is worth the paper the minister has written on. This week, the Bank of Canada warned, “Higher debt-servicing costs reduce a household’s financial flexibility, making them more financially vulnerable if their income declines or they face an unexpected material expense.” Considering t…
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Mr. Speaker, I have to say it seems a bit surreal to be here tonight debating Bill C-59. In a way, it reminds me of the movie Back to the Future, because we are going back to the Liberals' fall mini-budget of last year with the hindsight of knowing what we know today because of the Liberals' recently introduced and massively failed budget 2024 document. What did they call that budget again? Was it…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bank of Canada put this out yesterday: “Higher debt-servicing costs reduce a household’s financial flexibility, making them more financially vulnerable if their income declines or they face an unexpected material expense.” I have talked about all the billions of dollars that the government does not have and that it has been borrowing and spending. Could the member opposite please …
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Mr. Speaker, I certainly commend that member for continually getting up on the issue of affordability. In fact, when I was on the finance committee, we had a former premier of Nunavut come and discuss concerns around the carbon tax, specifically how, in Nunavut, the Nunavut government was essentially subsidizing much of the diesel that supplied power for people to keep themselves warm during the w…
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Mr. Speaker, I certainly appreciate the member's contribution tonight. Barrie—Innisfil is very lucky to have him. What I would say is that we had the member from Calgary Skyview specifically talk about two areas. Number one was the tax-free savings program for young people. When I speak to young people, they have no savings. They do not have $8,000 to tuck away for a home some day. When they hear …
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. I will inform the House that I will be splitting my time with the incredible member of Parliament for Prince Albert. I have been around this place long enough to see a clear pattern of what a Liberal budget is. What exactly is the pattern of a Liberal budget? We have to go back to 2015 for a m…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not support any initiative of the Liberal government, because the government will do whatever it takes to stay in power. If the member is so confident that particular deal is going to be so great for every Canadian, why has the government not brought up the business case? Why has it not shown us the contracts? The latest Liberal budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year proposes to spen…
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Madam Speaker, that is a great question. In many rural parts of my riding, from places such as Merritt, B.C., which we all know is still trying to rebuild from some of the floods that happened a few years ago, to places like Hedley, I continue to get reports about the so-called drug legalization program, where people are allowed to consume hard drugs, crack, heroin, etc. on the streets. There are …
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Mr. Speaker, there is a synergy between the Liberal Party and the NDP, where they are constantly trying to outbid each other for who can be more relevant. The problem is that they are constantly asking for a new national priority, when the federal government has zero experience in doing something. In my area of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, when I was the United Way chair, there was a great…
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