Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, a recent study has found that, on average, gen Z Canadians have only between $9 and $16 left at the end of the month for spending cash. This is barely enough for survival, let alone long-term saving goals. Another report from the Missing Middle Initiative found that 93% of young Canadians are concerned about the state of housing in Canada, with many giving up completely on their dream…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Ear Falls sawmill has been shut down since October. The Ignace mill is expected to close in March, and now 150 people will be affected by the closure of a line at Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper. Every day more closures are announced. These are good-paying jobs for hard-working Canadians that are now gone. The government's rhetoric of supporting workers is not matching the reality of t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the member for Winnipeg North must not have been listening at all to any of the comments I was making. In terms of the tax cuts being brought forward, it is going to be about $90 per month in savings for the average Canadian, but with Liberal inflation and Liberal spending, that is going to be completely wiped out. He mentions the GST relief for first-time homebuyers, b…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am happy I was able to catch the Speaker's eye and join the debate. I appreciate the warm reception from my colleagues here in the chamber. I hope that they have that same enthusiasm after they hear what I have to say. Of course, I appreciate the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley for graciously sharing his time with me to take part in the debate. He is a great, valuable member of our…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that is definitely what young Canadians are facing. That dream of Canada's promise has been taken away after 10 years of the Liberal government driving up the cost of living and pushing the cost of housing to the point that young Canadians are giving up on their dreams of home ownership. The Liberals are just moving forward with the exact same policies, which is going to continue to p…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals, throughout this debate, have spoken a lot about the GST relief for first-time homebuyers, leaving out the fact that relief is available particularly when it comes to first-time homebuyers buying new homes. I know in northwestern Ontario, this is something that almost never happens, in part because there are not many new homes being built but also because what young first…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to continue the debate. I was talking about this affordability crisis we are facing right across Canada and specifically in my region of northwest Ontario. We are seeing a housing crisis along with that. People are struggling to afford rent or housing for first-time homebuyers. Those who have a home are also worried about being able to hold on to it, with …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I think the member from the Bloc Québécois raises some very interesting, very compelling points. In response to that, all I can truly say is that it speaks to the broader discussion that I laid out in my speech around the fact that these policies being brought forward in Bill C-4, however well-intentioned they may be, are largely missing the mark in terms of what Canadians are looking…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in debate and speak to this very important topic. I want to thank the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for being so gracious as to share some of his time with me and for his important work on this issue throughout the course of this Parliament so far. I know that young Canadians from coast to coast to coast are thankful for the work he has been doi…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, only the Liberals can look at an important discussion such as this as a filibuster. We are here talking about youth unemployment, something that is reaching record highs, because of 10 years of Liberal economic mismanagement. The member speaks of all these policies. It is the Liberal policies that have caused this crisis in the first place, that have doubled housing costs and that h…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, there is no question that young Canadians know they are worse off than their parents were and their grandparents were. I hear from youth, and I hear from their parents as well, that life has become so unaffordable. It is almost impossible to find a house in northwestern Ontario at an affordable price. Houses are being sold before they even make it to the market, because of this hous…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I do not know if the member heard my comments properly, but I am actually blaming the Liberals, after 10 years of their economic mismanagement, for the youth unemployment crisis, and that is exactly what has happened. It is the Liberals who have mismanaged the housing crisis, our economy and, yes, immigration. All of these things are impacting the economic foundations of our country…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, according to the Liberals' own numbers, they overspent on the bureaucracy at FedNor by 60% of what was planned last year. That is $2.7 million spent on themselves that should have been used to support communities across northern Ontario. While people across the country are struggling with housing costs, which have doubled, and a record 2.2 million people are visiting food banks, the…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, it is Halloween, the season of tricks, masks and make-believe. It is fitting, because Canadians have seen all three under the Liberal government. Recently, the Prime Minister told a room full of students they will have to make even more sacrifices. Unfortunately, this is nothing new, as young Canadians have had to sacrifice plenty after 10 long years. They have given up completely o…
Read full speech →Oral questions
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised he would negotiate a win with the United States, but he has broken that promise when it comes to softwood lumber. Softwood tariffs were at 14% when he took office; they then jumped to 35%, and they are now at 45%. The Prime Minister has sold out our workers, and softwood tariffs have tripled. Now the Ear Falls sawmill is facing an indefinite shutdown, affec…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told a room full of students that they are going to have to make sacrifices. They have already given up their dream of home ownership, they went all summer without work and they are paying the price of exploding food costs. Food bank visits have doubled since 2019, and Canadians should not have to sacrifice any more for Liberal failures. They have sacrificed enough …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, last night the Prime Minister told a room full of students that they are going to have to make sacrifices. They have already had to sacrifice their dream of home ownership. Over 70% of young Canadians are worried that they will never be able to afford a down payment. They have paid the price as food costs have exploded, nearly 4%, year over year, in September. They spent the whole sum…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, after years of talk, the Prime Minister is breaking his promise to get shovels in the ground when it comes to the constantly delayed Ring of Fire in northern Ontario. Thousands of jobs and billions of dollars are on the line, yet the Liberals refuse to move the project ahead. The roadway will not even be built until 2028, and the Liberals ignored the project completely on their nation…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the bill is coming at an interesting time, after 10 years of the Liberal government that has brought forth soft-on-crime policies that have weakened our border and have put Canada in the situation we are currently in. At the indigenous affairs committee, we are having a lot of discussion right now about first nations policing as well, and we are hearing about the increased gang activi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the bill is being brought forward at a time when the Liberals are trying to address a lot of failures that are a result of their 10 years in government. I am wondering whether the member wants to speak more to the Liberal failure to address crime and to the policies they brought forward that have made crime worse.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member just spoke about the Liberals' failures. Of course, the Liberals have been in government now for 10 years, and what we have seen is that they have broken the bail system and that they failed to get frontline officers on the border and law enforcement the resources they need. I am wondering whether the member wants to speak more on the pattern of failure of the Liberal gover…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is important in this discussion that law-abiding Canadians should not lose their liberty to pay for the failures of the Liberals, but, unfortunately, Canadians are often finding themselves paying for the failures of the Liberal government. That is the case when it comes to trade. The Ear Falls sawmill has announced an indefinite shutdown, affecting nearly 150 workers, citing U.S.…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canada has the slowest-growing economy in the G7 and the second-highest unemployment, and young Canadians are paying the price. The youth unemployment rate is nearly 15%, which is, with the exception of the COVID years, the highest it has been since 2010. There are 17,000 young people in Ontario who have lost their jobs in the last month, and the Prime Minister wants to send $1 trilli…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I ask that it carry on division. (Motion agreed to, bill read the second time and referred to a committee)
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the great work of the member. In sharing his comments, the member spoke a bit about the intent and principle behind this bill versus what the bill actually achieves. I am just wondering if he wants to add any more comments to that.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to pick up on that last topic. The member and I had an opportunity to do some travelling together. We met with some first nations. Particularly, at Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation outside Thunder Bay, we had a great discussion about the procurement process. We heard first-hand how they did not feel involved and did not feel they had the opportunity to be involved in that proces…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member on her election to this place. What is striking about this bill is that it is really not necessary. The government has the power right now to bring forward and deal with modern treaties. The past Conservative government got six modern treaties signed. After 10 years of the tired Liberal government, I wonder if the member can share what exactly has prevented t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have to begin with a correction. Earlier today in debate, I mentioned that Conservatives got six modern treaties signed in six years, but it should have been five. I apologize for that. I will note that five modern treaties in six years are still five more than the Liberals have achieved in 10 years. We have seen time and time again that the Liberals have ignored the reports of the …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, very clearly, as I said in my remarks, what Parliament and, I suggest, the government need to do is move forward on modern treaties, first nations policing, clean drinking water and infrastructure. All of these issues help support self-determination and self-government. We do not need more bureaucrats, departments and offices to tell the government to do that. We have an Auditor Gener…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the great work of my colleague in this chamber. He has been a valuable addition to our team, and I look forward to serving with him over the course of this term and, hopefully, beyond. I agree completely with the member's assessment of things. The commissioner would duplicate work that is already being done by the Auditor General and other officers of Parliament, as I hav…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this is more typical Liberal legislation. I have had the honour of serving on the indigenous and northern affairs committee for many years now. Over and over, we have seen the government make big promises and then take very little action. The member spoke about the 94 calls to action, but only 14 or 15 have been completed by the government. It made big promises on drinking water and d…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate working with the member opposite as well at committee. We have done some great work together. Of course, we do not agree on everything, as everyone will know, but I appreciate the opportunity to work with him. Yes, it was great to have the blanket exercise yesterday, at which there were youth from the Mishkeegogamang First Nation in my riding, a community I have had the o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate my colleague's sharing his experience as an elected member of this place, of the provincial legislature and, of course, in his nation as well. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge. I wonder if he has more commentary on the pattern of the Liberal government in making big promises and bringing in very little follow-through afterwards. It is looking, once ag…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure to participate in the debate through questions and comments today, and it is an honour to finally be able to rise and deliver my remarks on this important topic. Before I get into the substance of that, I would like to mention that I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Chatham-Kent—Leamington. He is a great colleague, and he has a wealth of knowle…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague across the way's thoughts on this topic. I think one of the greatest frustrations I have had throughout the debate today is the fact that nothing is stopping the current government, the Liberal government, from moving forward on modern treaties today. It is creating another officer of Parliament in this legislation, to presumably hold it accountable, but we h…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to present a petition in which the undersigned point out that religious charities in Canada provide vital services to society, including food banks, care for seniors, newcomer support, youth programs and mental health support, all rooted in their faith traditions. Freedom of religion and freedom of belief are fundamental rights in Canada that are protected by the C…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, northern Ontario was hit with devastating job news this week when Kap Paper in Kapuskasing announced plans to close its mill, affecting 200 jobs directly and many more indirectly. The company is blaming a lack of federal supports for this decision, saying that although a program was announced months ago to help, nothing is going to be available in time to save this mill. This is compl…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are only building more bureaucracy to try to address the housing crisis that they created. At $13 billion to build 4,000 homes, that is $3.2 million per home. It is clear that the more things change, the more they stay the same with the Liberals. It is more bureaucracy, higher deficits and slower homebuilding. We also know that 100,000 construction workers could be out of…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it is great to be back for this fall session of Parliament. I continue to be grateful to the people of northwestern Ontario for their continued support. I am here with our Conservative team to work with all members of the House. We are committed to holding the government to account by opposing what is wrong and proposing alternatives in the national interest. Some of our priorities th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, housing starts have actually declined 16%. Let us take a look at the Prime Minister's top officials. We have the housing minister, who brought a 150% increase to the price of homes when he was a mayor. We have a new head of a $13-billion housing bureaucracy, a Toronto city councillor who saw a 700% increase to building taxes. Is it any wonder that housing starts are down and bureaucra…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke a lot about how the government is moving forward very heavy-handedly. This is something I think we have seen as a pattern with the Liberal government, trampling on liberties and freedoms of Canadians in a number of instances. I would like to know whether the member would like to speak about that more, as well as further about how we see a pattern of the government b…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario: what is the total value of the agency's grants and contributions for the fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25, broken down by federal electoral district?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the departmental result indicator for the amount leveraged per dollar invested, by Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario projects, for which the target is 1.80: (a) what is the explanation for the result decreasing from 2.02 in 2021-22 to 1.61 in 2023-24; and (b) what is the rationale for not meeting the 1.80 target in 2023-24?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to Community Futures Program funding awarded to Community Futures Ontario: (a) what percentages and amounts of funds in the contribution agreements were allocated to Community Futures Development Corporations in Northern Ontario, for each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal years; (b) what are the projections for the percentages and amounts of funds in the 2025-26 contribution agreement …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario’s target in the 2023-24 Departmental Results Report, to render a decision on applications within 80 working days of the receipt of a complete application and to issue payment on eligible claim submissions within 35 working days: (a) what is the rationale for why these targets are not being met 15% of the time; and (b) how …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have finally admitted there is a housing crisis, and that is a good thing, but in the very same comments, they articulate that they believe their plan is working. They have been in government for the last 10 years, and it is because of their plan that we face this housing crisis across the country today. I will remind members that when Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to sell surplus government properties in order to build 4,000 housing units by 2028, but a scathing report from the Auditor General showed that, after five years, they had built only 309 of those units and are on pace to build only about 12% of the 4,000 they promised. This is of particular concern now because Canadians are facing a housing crisis, and the Libera…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, the northern road link that has been proposed by Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation has been under assessment for two years. As I mentioned, during the lost Liberal decade projects have been stalled through the impact assessment process. On what date will the northern road link project be approved?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, mining is critical to our economic independence, yet the Liberals have continually put up roadblocks to development every step of the way. How long does it take to approve a mine in Canada today?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, how long does it take to approve a mine in Canada today?
Read full speech →