Eric Melillo

Mr. Speaker, Daniel from Dryden shared with me the financial strain he and his family are facing. They are living paycheque to paycheque, and despite working hard and following the rules, it is nearly impossible for them to maintain their home. After 11 years of inflationary Liberal policies, this is the stark reality facing many Canadians, and it is why Conservatives are calling on the Liberals to adopt our economic action plan, which would cut taxes on food, fuel and work, so families can have hope that tomorrow will be better. Will the Liberals adopt our plan so that hard-working Canadians like Daniel can afford to live again?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are all talk, no results. If their plan were working, we would not be facing an affordability crisis. Now, 63% of Canadian workers say that their biggest financial stress is the cost of living. According to the National Payroll Institute, half of employed Canadians spend all of their net pay or more just to be able to keep up with rising costs. I will ask again, why will the Liberals not adopt our plan to cut taxes so that hard-working Canadians can afford to live?

Mr. Speaker, when we are talking about this piece of legislation, it is important to note that a lot of work has been done in this Parliament already, and very quickly. We passed a lot of measures to enable the government to move quickly on major projects. There was a lot of discussion last year, and it continues, about how existential it is for our country to secure our economic sovereignty and to ensure that we can stand on our own two feet. Of course, that still remains today, but the government is dragging its feet and bringing forward more and more legislation to duplicate a lot of work that has already been done by Parliament. Why is the government bringing forward more legislation instead of taking action to ensure we can get projects built in Canada?

Mr. Speaker, the minister already mentioned in the discussion today that we are in a housing crisis. He spoke earlier about the fact that buyers cannot buy and builders cannot build. I would agree with that. I would add that people who are looking to sell also cannot sell during this housing crisis. However, of course, we are in a housing crisis after 11 years of Liberal policies that have brought in more bureaucracies, higher spending and higher inflation that have driven up the cost of living and doubled the cost of housing for Canadians right across the country. That is why we are in this housing crisis. Now that the Liberals are bringing forward more spending, more bureaucracy and more of the same, how are Canadians supposed to believe that the Liberals are going to get us out of this housing crisis that they caused, with more policies that are right along the lines of the policies that caused this crisis in the first place?

Mr. Speaker, there is no question that Canadians want, need and deserve to feel safer in their communities, especially after the Liberal government has unleashed a crime wave across the country. The minister, of course, acknowledged here today that Canadians want this urgently. They urgently want some changes to the situation that the Liberal government has caused. However, the Conservatives have brought forward a number of proposals, including Bill C‑242, the jail not bail act that would keep serious offenders behind bars and not out on bail, yet that was defeated by these Liberals. How can the minister stand here today and talk about the urgency of addressing the issue that the Liberals caused in the first place with their own reckless policies, when they voted against our common-sense proposals to keep serious offenders behind bars?

Mr. Speaker, over one year into this Prime Minister's mandate, and Canadians are still waiting for action on the national projects that were promised. Despite Liberal rhetoric, no new pipelines have been approved, and major projects continue to be stuck in purgatory, including the Trans‑Canada Highway through northwestern Ontario. Improving this vital piece of infrastructure is top of mind for people in our region, whether it be for the safety of travellers or for our overall economic sovereignty. That is why I have been advocating for this project for nearly seven years. Recently, I presented a petition to this House, signed by Canadians from every single province, calling on the government to support improvements to the highway through northwestern Ontario. Canadians know our national highway holds national importance, and its time the Liberals recognize it too. I stand once again, urging the government to finally make good on its promises and finally get shovels in the ground.

Madam Speaker, under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country that is in a recession. We also have the second-highest unemployment in the G7, the worst household debt and the worst housing costs. The Liberals will say that this is just a technical recession, but there is nothing technical about Canadians who are struggling to feed their families, fill their gas tanks or make their bill payments. Will the Prime Minister tell us finally whether this is a Liberal recession or just a technical recession? Which is it?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by Canadians from every province, calling for the federal government to support the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway through northwestern Ontario. The petitioners note that this is a stretch of highway that unfortunately has frequent collisions and fatalities that subsequently lead to many road closures, which then stall the economy. From the standpoint of safety, economic growth and security, as well as protecting national sovereignty, the petitioners are calling on the federal government to support the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway through northwestern Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition today on behalf of over 1,000 people who are urging the government to support the proposed REACH facility in Red Lake. The petitioners note that the current Cochenour Arena is one of the oldest in northern Ontario, and a new facility would provide a modern, expanded space for recreation. The petitioners also note that the facility could serve as an evacuation centre for northern communities frequently displaced by wildfires. Lastly, Red Lake has submitted numerous funding applications but has not received the necessary approvals. I am proud to stand with the good people of Red Lake.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member for Kings—Hants' thoughtful comments on this topic. The fact of the matter is that the Liberals have created a cost of living crisis. Canadians are struggling from coast to coast. What we are putting forward, the elimination of all fuel taxes for the rest of the year, would save an average family over $1,200 this year. The member spoke a lot about some of the small changes the Liberals are now trying to make to fix the issues they caused in the first place with respect to affordability. Would he not agree that allowing Canadian families to save an extra $1,200 this year would help alleviate that cost of living crisis?

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to catch the Speaker's eye and join debate again on this topic. The Liberals always talk about the price of gas and they try to blame foreign influences and foreign conflicts. Conservatives recognize that those foreign components have a cost associated with them. However, if we look at Canada compared with the United States, the price of fuel is 13% higher in Canada. That is very clearly a result of Liberal taxation policies. The Liberals would argue that it is not. With all due respect to the hon. member, how would he justify that 13% difference in the gas price between Canada and the United States, if not for Liberal taxes?

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands' speech. I thought it was very thoughtful. I agree with many of the things she highlighted, one of which was this. If I am not mistaken, I believe she pointed out, quite rightly, that what the Liberals have proposed in terms of removing gas taxes until Labour Day is “insufficient” savings. I believe that was the word the member used. I would agree with that. That is why our Conservative team is bringing forward this motion today to remove all gas taxes for the rest of the year, which would save an average family over $1,200 for the year. I am sure the member would agree that Canadians are struggling with the cost of living. That being said, she has acknowledged that she will not be supporting this motion. I am curious if she can explain why she will not be supporting this motion, given her comments that what the Liberals have brought forward is insufficient. We are planning to go further to offer Canadians more savings.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are on track to add $1 trillion to the national debt. This is the cost of a decade of Liberal credit card budgeting. Now the Liberal Prime Minister, despite his illusions, has added more taxes, more costs and more debt, more of the same. He is just another Liberal. As a result, they are going to be paying more on interest payments this year than on health care. Will the Liberal Prime Minister finally get serious and cancel his credit card budgeting so that Canadians can afford to live?

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister, last year, was elected, in part, on a promise of being a strong fiscal manager. Fast-forward a year to this economic statement and we see, in reality, more spending, higher debt and a budget deficit of over $65 billion, double that of Justin Trudeau, if anyone can believe that. It is interesting to hear the Liberals talking about their strong fiscal position when, in reality, they are bringing forward a reckless fiscal plan. I want to know how the member can explain this reckless policy at a time when Canadians are struggling to get by and facing a cost of living crisis.

Mr. Speaker, the Trans-Canada Highway is top of mind for the people of northern Ontario, whether for safety, economic security or nation building. During a 10-day stretch last winter, the region saw five collisions that resulted in eight fatalities. These types of accidents are far too common. It is also the only east-west corridor in the country. When the highway is delayed just 30 minutes, it costs the economy nearly $50,000. With more opportunities in mining, forestry and nuclear bringing more traffic to the region, this impact will only become greater. The Prime Minister speaks often of protecting our economic security and developing nation-building projects. Despite this rhetoric, no new pipelines have been approved, mines are not being permitted and the national highway continues to be ignored. Improving the Trans-Canada in northern Ontario is a win for all Canadians. It will strengthen our economy and protect our sovereignty. If the Prime Minister is serious about nation-building projects, he should start in northern Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, fuel costs are soaring, and people in Northern Ontario who must travel great distances for essential trips are paying the price. To make matters worse, Canadians are paying 20% more for fuel than our American counterparts. That is why Conservatives have a plan to remove the GST on fuel, the fuel excise tax, the industrial carbon tax and the clean fuel standard for the rest of the year. Our plan would cut costs at the pump by 25¢ per litre and save a family of four over $1,200 this year. The Liberal Prime Minister has already admitted that Conservatives have the right solutions for Canada, but what he is offering will not be nearly enough for people who are struggling. He is going to remove only the excise tax, and only until Labour Day. This half-baked measure will not provide the real relief that Canadians are looking for. It is just another one of the Prime Minister's illusions. Conservatives are calling on the Liberals to vote for our motion to remove all federal taxes on fuel for the rest of the year so Canadians can afford to keep their tanks filled and can have more money in their pockets.

Mr. Speaker, Canada has already lost 100,000 jobs this year, and today, Algoma Steel is laying off 1,000 workers. The Liberal Prime Minister cannot blame only global factors, because Canada has the only shrinking economy, the second-highest unemployment, the highest food inflation and the highest household debt in the G7. These are problems that the Liberals created, and the Liberal Prime Minister has made it worse by blocking growth with anti-energy laws, failing to approve a single new major project and breaking his promise to secure a trade deal last year. When will the Liberals get their taxes and policies out of the way so that Canadians can get back to work?

Mr. Speaker, the February jobs report is dire news for Canadians. Canada lost 108,000 full-time jobs in February. This is the largest one-month decline in full-time employment since COVID. Further, we saw 73,000 job losses in the private sector, and youth unemployment shot up to over 14%. Under the Liberals, Canada has the only shrinking economy in the G7, and now the second-highest unemployment in the G7 as well. When will the Liberals listen to Canadians and the plan that we have put forward to remove taxes and the bureaucracies that are killing jobs in Canada?

Mr. Speaker, the difference between the Liberal rhetoric and the realities facing Canadians is stark. Canadians are not working, because Liberal policies are not working. We have the only shrinking economy in the G7, and now the second-highest unemployment in the G7. To make matters worse, Canada has the highest food price inflation in the G7. We are leading in all the wrong categories. When will the Liberals remove the taxes and bureaucracies that are killing jobs in Canada and driving up the cost of living?

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join the debate on Bill C-20, a piece of legislation purportedly aiming to address the housing crisis in Canada. We know that the Liberals are talking about the legislation in the light of believing that it would build Canadian homes, but we know from reading through the legislation and from the past work, after 10 years or 11 years of Liberal governments, that it would only build more Canadian bureaucracy. There is no question that we are in a housing crisis. We see it right across the country in communities big and small, whether large cities like Toronto or the small rural communities of northern Ontario that I represent. It is the result of Liberal policies and a high tax-and-spend agenda that has driven up the costs of housing construction, interest rates and mortgage rates, and has led to a situation where people right across all walks of life, at different income levels and different ages, are struggling to find appropriate housing. As I mentioned, this is something we see right in northwestern Ontario. I do not know how many seniors I have spoken to who are looking to downsize but cannot find an appropriate place. They are in too big a home. They want to be able to downsize and to move out of their home. They want to allow a young working family to be able to buy their home, but they are unable to do so. As a result, an entire generation of young Canadians are being priced out of home ownership. Mortgage rates are rising, and many people, even those who have a home, perhaps even their dream home, are now worried they are not going to be able to continue making payments. In fact, Canadians are carrying record household debt of $2.6 trillion, and most of that is from mortgages. There is no question as well that homebuilding is trending down. The Liberal government likes to talk a big game about building housing and other infrastructure at speeds never before seen, but homebuilding has been trending down under Liberal governments over the last 11 years, including under the current Prime Minister. From spring to fall last year, 26% fewer permits were issued to build homes. This is a dramatic decrease, showing that the government's policies are continuing not only to not address the issue but also to make the issue even worse. We see it right across the country in the headlines. I would like to look at a few headlines from the real estate section in The Globe and Mail today. I will point out that The Globe and Mail is not necessarily known for its street cred as a Conservative newspaper. Nonetheless, we see, “Townhouse seller in Bolton accepts bid $24,000 under asking”. There is also “Five bidders vie for semi-detached in [Toronto]” and “Buyer waits for Calgary condo price to come within range”. These are just a few headlines from today's paper. We see this over and over, week after week, right across the country. The Liberals have created a housing market where buyers cannot buy, sellers cannot sell and builders cannot build. How does that look locally? Of course, what is going on in northwestern Ontario is not likely to be captured in a national newspaper, unfortunately, but in northwestern Ontario, the city I live in, Kenora, currently has a shortage of 1,620 units, and that deficit is projected to grow to 2,500 units by 2031 as population grows and service demands increase. This has led to rising rents and home prices, of course. Businesses and organizations are also reporting difficulties attracting workers to the region and retaining them, due to the lack of housing and rental options. Many business owners are looking into buying houses that would be owned by the business, strictly for their workers to live in, because there is no other way of bringing workers to the region or keeping them there. In northwestern Ontario, in Red Lake, I was speaking with the mayor last night, and he told me that the community must build at least 40 new homes over the next decade, with an expected population increase of 1,900. That population increase they are expecting is good news. It comes from new mining developments in the region and job growth, with 1,000 jobs at the Kinross Great Bear project. First Mining Gold is bringing in 600 jobs, and Frontier Lithium is bringing over 700 jobs. In addition, there is an expansion of the current Evolution Mining operation by 300 people. West Red Lake Gold Mines is also looking to hire another 200 people. These are just a couple of local examples of the massive gap in housing that exists, but in northwestern Ontario, I think we can see some of the solutions to the housing crisis, namely the land we have. There is a lot of land in northwestern Ontario, and indeed, a lot of land right across the country. Much of it is either vacant land or properties that can be used for housing development. I would include in that the underused and, quite frankly, deteriorating Health Canada-owned properties in Sioux Lookout. I implore the government, once again, to release these properties for housing development to help address the massive gap in housing that we see in the community of Sioux Lookout. It is a hub of the north and a service centre for many remote first nations. We see it in Ear Falls as well. Ear Falls is an interesting community. It is about 336 square kilometres and has a population of less than 1,000. There is a lot of space to build in Ear Falls. There is nothing but space. In fact, there are even many lots that are serviced for housing development in Ear Falls. They are ready to go. Residents in Ear Falls are hoping as well to capitalize on some of the mining activity that we are seeing in the Red Lake and Ear Falls region, but they need to be able to build the houses to make that happen. I would note as well that the government is always talking a big game when it comes to first nations but not following through. That is certainly the case when it comes to housing in first nations. We have seen a number of reports, whether on housing, drinking water or other critical infrastructure, where the government is spending a lot of money, making a lot of announcements and creating a lot of programs, but the results are not changing. Life is not improving in the communities. I am proud to represent 38 first nations across Treaties 3, 5 and 9, and each of these communities has their own unique housing challenges. We have seen reports from the Auditor General, which have repeated that the government is failing when it comes to first nations housing. The Auditor General has pointed out that, despite massively increasing spending, as I mentioned, the Liberals are not meeting their obligations. In fact, homes are being built without being up to code. The prices are skyrocketing because of red tape and a lack of competition in the builders that are available to build these homes. However, instead of addressing these concerns, the Liberal government just keeps throwing money at the issue, and not just in first nations but right across the country. The Liberals are creating more bureaucracy, and communities are not receiving adequate housing as a result. When we look at the Liberal approach overall over the last 10 years, they have failed to recognize that housing is a crisis of their own policies and of their own making. Under their watch, housing prices have doubled, and many young Canadians have given up completely on their dream of home ownership. The Liberals have now admitted that it is a crisis, but their answer is only to create another multi-billion dollar housing bureaucracy, their fourth housing bureaucracy, which is only going to construct 1% of the promised homes they need. They promised 500,000 per year, and in reality, housing starts are expected to fall to just 212,000 per year by 2028. However, Conservatives have a solution. We do not support adding more bureaucratic red tape to the housing sector. That is why we would cut the GST on new homes under $1.3 million, which would save families up to $65,000 and unleash new buildings. We would tie federal infrastructure dollars to homebuilding, ensuring that municipalities must permit at least 15% or more for homebuilding each year. We would cut development charges by 50%, something the Liberals have promised but have failed or refused to do after being elected. We would also end the capital gains tax on reinvestments in the country's homebuilding sector. It is clear that only Conservatives have a plan to restore the Canadian promise of home ownership by axing bureaucracy and taxes on homebuilding, requiring municipalities to issue more permits and letting builders build the homes we need.