Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, what I am hearing in my riding of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte is not good news. Yes, interest rates have come down, but they were way high. What I am hearing is that people are having a tough time surviving and living right now. I had a call just a couple of weeks ago from a lady who has a child with special needs. This lady has now stopped eating lunch because she has to help feed…
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Mr. Speaker, I should have said the Leader of the Opposition. I am sorry. That was a slip. It is Friday morning. We will continue to cut the taxes, and we will make life more affordable for Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise here again and to talk about the SDTC scandal we have been seized with now for maybe three weeks. I am here today in the House to discuss a shocking misuse of taxpayers' dollars. Four hundred million dollars has been wasted, while the cost of living is up, food bank usage is up, the carbon tax is up and the Liberal government has an $8 billion budget overrun, …
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Mr. Speaker, I am not going to indulge in conspiracy theories. The facts are facts. Queen's Park in Toronto runs provincial issues. We are here, in Ottawa, running federal issues. I know that, once there is an election, and hopefully it will be soon, as do all my constituents, Conservatives will be in power under Pierre Poilievre. We will cut—
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Mr. Speaker, I will be very quick, but it is a shame to hear that, and I will actually add to it. Speaking of residents moving to the States, I recently, just a few weeks ago, had a doctor from Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte come to my office for a meeting. He informed me that he and many of doctors are looking at moving to the States due to the increase in taxes, especially the capital gains tax.…
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Mr. Speaker, just this week, the Toronto Police Association specifically pointed out the member opposite for her misinformation. Hopefully this misinformation today will get pointed out again. Police associations in Toronto, York, Vancouver and Surrey have all spoken out against the Prime Minister's failed handgun policy, which has done nothing to stop violent crime. When will the Prime Minister l…
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up. Police across Canada are slamming the Prime Minister and his self-congratulatory social media campaign touting a failed handgun policy that has stopped violent gun crime. The Toronto Police Association had to fact-check the Prime Minister and remind him that 85% of guns seized by their member…
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the Prime Minister, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up. Just this week, Barrie Police arrested a repeat offender in possession of stolen goods only hours after being released on bail. In the past two weeks alone, this one offender has been charged with theft six times. M. Gow, a Barrie resident, recently wrote into Barrie Today to state that the…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my good colleague from Foothills for that great speech on this very serious issue. I know that, in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, there are a lot of people struggling to pay their bills, to heat, to eat and just to live, quite frankly. We are talking about a huge sum of money here, as $400 million has gone missing. Could the hon. member explain to me how much better this mone…
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Madam Speaker, I feel as though there has been a long rain delay and I have cooled off, but I am warmed up and ready to get going again. I know you are new to the chair, Madam Speaker, from when I first started, and you missed the first few minutes; if you would like me to start over—
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Mr. Speaker, I have a quote that I would like to mention here on the floor of the House of Commons. This came up during committee hearings on this horrific SDTC scandal that we are hearing about, and I would like to read it specifically: ...I think the current government is more interested in protecting themselves and protecting the situation from being a public nightmare. They would rather protec…
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Mr. Speaker, I am probably going to disappoint a lot of my friends and family members who were ready to tune in around five o'clock tonight, on the edge of their seat, ready for this. We have brought it a bit forward to quarter to two in the afternoon, so I do not think they are as keen around the TV as I thought they would be, but here we go. Today I am pleased to speak to an egregious violation …
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate everybody wanting to hear me from the top. It means that it must be really riveting and that they are enjoying my words. I appreciate that. I would have loved the opportunity to start from the top, but I will continue from the quote. It is a great quote. This is right from the whistle-blower who worked there: The true failure of the situation stands at the feet of …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost, crime or corruption. We know the Liberal government took a legitimate federal foundation called Sustainable Development Technology Canada and turned it into a green slush fund for well-connected Liberal cronies and buddies. These Liberal insiders who were appointed to the board of SDTC gave nearly $400 million in tax …
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Madam Speaker, what we are doing is holding the government to account. It was ruled by the Speaker, the Liberal Speaker himself, that these documents must be produced. It is interesting. I would like to relay a little story—
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Madam Speaker, that is too disappointing. For the members opposite, I will carry on from where I was, so I do not have to repeat some of the stuff we went through at the beginning. I will remind members that the Auditor General gave SDTC a clean bill of health in 2017. It was only after the Prime Minister's hand-picked Liberal board members were appointed that the fund began voting to give itself …
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Madam Speaker, there are no games being played on this side of the floor. We are trying to get to the truth of a horrendous scandal and an egregious violation of the people's rights and the taxpayers' money right now. We have been speaking on this issue for a little over a week. This could end at any time if the documents were just produced. There is no “if and or”. We have said that this will end…
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Madam Speaker, that is a very good point. I am hearing daily when I go out that taxpayers are tight on money right now. They are tired of paying taxes that are being wasted. My hon. colleague down the aisle brings up a great point. This money that was wasted could have been spent in so many better ways. A good example is the bill she brought forward, which Conservatives supported, giving extra mon…
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Madam Speaker, on this side of the aisle we are trying to hide nothing whatsoever. We are trying to get to the bottom of scandals and issues that are going on. Right now, this week, we are talking about the scandal of SDTC, a scandal that has caused hundreds of millions of dollars to go missing. That is what we are talking about. That is what we are trying to get to the bottom of. There are always…
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Madam Speaker, my opinion is that they are trying to hide something. I would like to read again something I have read before, because I think it is very imperative, especially with regard to the question I was just asked. The statement was from a member of SDTC who was in committee. This is a direct quote: “I think the current government is more interested in protecting themselves and protecting t…
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Madam Speaker, I just wanted to mention that I was at a large function on Saturday night. A lot of people in my riding, let us be honest, do not pay close attention to what is going on here at Parliament all the time. I could not believe how many people on Saturday night came up to me and were angry. They were upset. They know about the issue that is going on. They want answers, they want to know …
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the Liberal government's reckless approach to public safety has unleashed chaos, crime, drugs and disorder in our communities. Under the Liberal government's justice laws, violent offenders are released back on the streets. This catch-and-release system strains our police services and puts the men and women in uniform who dedicate their lives to serve and protect our…
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Mr. Speaker, some of the testimony and the words that we have been hearing over the last few days have just been mind-boggling. The scandal just keeps growing. I would like to just bring up a comment that was made in committee by an employee of SDTC. I am going to read it specifically. I would like to know the comments from the member for Calgary Nose Hill. The quote from the employee was: I think…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on the words we have heard over the last 10 minutes. The member's riding is not all that far south of where I live in beautiful Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte. I am hearing a much different message in my community, which it is that people are struggling a lot. There is a big issue in my area these days with homeless encampments. The member opposite mentioned a …
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up. Under this soft-on-crime Liberal government, car theft is up 34%, including being up by over 300% in Toronto. We know that in Ontario, 68% of those convicted for an auto theft-related offence serve a sentence of six months or less. Just recently, we learned that Ontario's carjacking task force ma…
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up, time is up. Due to the Liberal government's elimination of mandatory prison time for countless violent offences, criminals are given free rein to terrorize our communities. The results of the Liberal government's soft-on-crime policies are clear: Canadians do not even feel safe walking down their streets or…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I just listened, for 20 minutes, to the member opposite talking about the job the Liberals have done over nine years on the housing file in Canada. I represent Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte and there are housing encampments all over our riding now. Nine years ago, these did not exist. Just this week, I read in Barrie Today, there was another fire at a homeless encampment at Milligan'…
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Madam Speaker, it was great to work with my colleague and get this thing done so quickly in our committee. I want to bring up an issue and ask him what he thinks about it. One of the things we heard in committee was that implementation would take quite a while. I wonder whether the member has any thoughts on that, or any ideas about the timelines, if it is not implemented before the next election.…
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Mr. Speaker, the long, cold winter is gone. The sun is shining, and the days are warmer. June is here, and with its arrival comes the much anticipated opening of local farmers' markets all across Canada. In my community, we are very fortunate to have three major local farmers' markets operating. The Barrie farmers' market is back outdoors and is open every Saturday, on Collier Street, from 9 a.m. …
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With regard to Correctional Service Canada (CSC), in total and broken down by year since 2016: (a) how many times has CSC overridden an inmate's security level in relation to the security level cut-off scores in the (i) Security Reclassification Scale, (ii) Security Reclassification Scale for Women, (iii) Security Reclassification Scale for Women - Version 2; (b) of the instances in (a), how many …
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With regard to Correctional Service Canada (CSC), in total and broken down by year since 2016: (a) how many federally incarcerated inmates have sought a medically assisted death; (b) how many federally incarcerated inmates have been granted a medically assisted death; (c) what is the breakdown of inmates in (a) and (b) by (i) dangerous offenders, (ii) high-profile offenders, (iii) multiple murdere…
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Madam Speaker, I have the numbers right here from the province of Ontario, where the member opposite and I both live. In the province of Ontario, the average family pays $1,674 and receives a rebate of $1,047. That leaves them paying $627 extra. Those facts just are not accurate. After eight years, farmers in my community are struggling, and they know that the Prime Minister's carbon tax coalition…
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Madam Speaker, yesterday the NDP-Liberal government voted to increase the carbon tax by 23%, making the cost of gas, groceries and home heating more expensive. In my community, in January alone, the Barrie Food Bank saw over 7,000 individuals in need of food assistance and provided 540 emergency food hampers for individuals experiencing homelessness. This year, a million more Canadians than last y…
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, yesterday, the Premier of Ontario put out a statement that said, “People across Canada are hurting right now from the high cost of living. The federal governments needs to put—
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With regard to Correctional Service Canada’s role in distributing the Net Aggregate Damages Award payments from the Federal Administrative Segregation Class Action Settlement: (a) how many federally incarcerated inmates received payments from the Federal Administrative Segregation Class Action Settlement, in total and broken down by correctional institution; (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by how…
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost, crime or corruption. Only common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime. Canadians deserve answers about how the Liberal government's useless arrive scam app went from costing $80,000 to at least $60 million. Just last week, the national president of the CBSA's un…
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, car thefts are up 34% across Canada, and a vehicle is stolen every six minutes. According to the Liberal government's own news release, auto thefts in Toronto are up 300% since 2015, and Statistics Canada data shows auto theft is up 216% across the entire GTA since 2015. What happened in 2015? The Prime Minister happened. After eight ye…
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Madam Speaker, I wish I had more time, but I agree that any time there is anything put in place by the government, it is bureaucracy growth. We saw that over the last eight years, and I am sure that as this increases, the bureaucracy is going to increase also. We need to cut back some of that and get back to helping our residents in Canada.
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to be here today and partake in this important discussion. It is a tough act to follow; my colleague from Renfrew did a great job. It is an honour to take part in this very important and timely debate on behalf of the great people of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte. I have received countless communications from residents in my community who are concerned about the inf…
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Madam Speaker, I question the member opposite when he says this is not good policy. I am willing to go to a campaign or an election any time and run on these. I can tell members that the people of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte are very supportive of axing the tax, building the homes, fixing the budget and stopping the crime. Those are the four things I am hearing day in, day out from the resident…
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Madam Speaker, as I am a member from Ontario, I do hear when some colleagues in Alberta are speaking, but I am going to, again, speak about my constituents from Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte in Ontario. They are struggling, and yes, I do believe this carbon tax is taking money out of their pockets, and it is going to the government. It is not just the tax itself; it is the GST on the tax. We are …
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Madam Speaker, again, we cannot live in the past. I am living for today.
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I do not know what is so funny. Madam Speaker, I am trying to help my constituents today and not 10 or 20 years ago. I am not getting calls from 20 years ago. I am getting calls today from residents who need our help. If I was in the House 10 or 20 years ago, perhaps we would look at those things, but I am here today to represent the citizens of my area and to axe the tax today.
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With regard to Correctional Service Canada (CSC), in total and broken down by year since 2016: (a) how many times has CSC overridden an inmate's security level in relation to the security level cut-off scores in the Custody Rating Scale; (b) of the instances in (a), how many times was the level of custody overridden to be (i) lower, (ii) higher, than cut-off scores; (c) what is the breakdown of (a…
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With regard to the Climate Action Incentive Payment and the government's plan to increase the rural top-up rate from 10 to 20 percent of the baseline amount starting in April 2024: how will the rate increase be funded, including whether the increase will come from general revenue or from carbon tax revenue?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Christmas is right around the corner and many families in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte are struggling with the high cost of living. Residents can thankfully turn to their local food banks and other great community programs over the Christmas season to help put food on the table and gifts under the tree. I want to highlight one charity in particular. Barrie and District Christmas Che…
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Mr. Speaker, in May 2022, the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities did a full and detailed examination of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. It came back with one single recommendation: to abolish the Canada Infrastructure Bank. That was the only recommendation that could be made from the committee's findings. As I glance through the committee's findings in that detailed re…
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Mr. Speaker, we have been talking a lot about proper decorum in the House, and I thought the rule was that, every time you rise to speak, members are supposed to take their seats. I see that is not being done. Am I wrong in that? Should people be sitting once you stand to speak?
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With regard to government expenditures on sporting event tickets since May 1, 2019: for each expenditure, what was the (i) date, (ii) location, (iii) sport, (iv) league and teams involved, if applicable, (v) total cost, (vi) cost per ticket, (vii) number of tickets, (viii) titles of persons using the tickets, (ix) name or title of the event for which tickets were purchased by, or billed to, any de…
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With regard to government expenditures on gala or concert tickets, since May 1, 2019: for each expenditure, what was the (i) date, (ii) location, (iii) event title and description, (iv) total cost, (v) cost per ticket, (vi) number of tickets, (vii) titles of the people using the tickets, (viii) name or title of the event for which tickets were purchased by, or billed to, any department, agency, Cr…
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