Grant Jackson

Mr. Speaker, new numbers from Harvest Manitoba should concern every member of the House. In March, more than 61,000 Manitobans accessed a food bank, and more than half of them were children. According to the Winnipeg Free Press, food bank use in our province has increased by more than 150% since 2020. Today, an average of nearly 25,000 Manitoba households rely on food banks every month, which is more than double the number from just a few years ago. Behind these numbers are parents trying to feed their children, seniors stretching fixed incomes, and working families who simply cannot keep up with the cost of the basics. Manitobans are working hard, but too many are being forced to turn to food banks just to put dinner on the table. This should not be accepted as normal. Canadians need a government focused on lowering the cost of living so that working families can afford the necessities and get ahead again. It is time to implement our Conservative economic action plan, which will deliver real—

Mr. Speaker, after nearly 18 months of the Liberal government, Canadians have witnessed a lot of talk and no results when it comes to affordability. Kayleigh from Westman wrote to me and said she spends $160 a week just driving to work and over $2,000 a month on groceries to feed her kids. Despite working full-time, Kayleigh writes, “it feels like we are falling further behind every month.” Her friends and neighbours, like all young parents in my community, are questioning why they work so hard and never get ahead. Will the Liberals adopt our economic action plan to save families like Kayleigh's nearly $10,000 this year and provide real relief?

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be back here and to rise on behalf of the residents of Brandon—Souris to present a petition regarding an announcement from the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, which confirmed in April that it will be cutting six research positions at the Brandon agricultural research station. This is a very important facility, not just for my constituency but also, indeed, for Canada's and North America's agricultural sectors. Much of the research that has been done at this facility has gone on to produce some of the most biosecure, resistant crops, which have dominated North America's agricultural industry and market. It is a shame that the government has decided to cut leading-edge research positions at this facility. The petitioners and my constituents are calling on the government to reverse its decision.

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to be back and a pleasure to see you in the chair. I wonder if my colleague from Edmonton would mind giving his perspective. The member for Winnipeg West just spoke about the lack of consultation with treaty partners. I thought the question was a little bizarre coming from the member for Winnipeg West, given the member from Edmonton's history as a proud chief of his first nation and his relationship with the federal government and the Crown over the course of his service in that role. I wonder if the member for Edmonton Northwest could give a little bit more clarity for the member from Winnipeg on this topic.

Madam Speaker, the comments from the member for Winnipeg North are really interesting because the member from Edmonton earlier admitted that there is a treaty commissioner that some provinces have, to deal with the failure of government to follow through with the commitments of the historic numbered treaties. I think everybody finds that to be very reasonable. However, this bill would create a modern treaty commissioner. With numerous modern treaties it is actively pursuing, some of which are before this House for debate, the government is admitting that it is already preparing for the fact that it is not going to follow through with the commitments that it has written into those treaties. The government needs to create another independent office at the same time as it is passing these treaties, to make sure it actually keeps the commitments that it is making to the first nations people in this country. That is a bit outrageous, and I wonder if my colleague from British Columbia would agree.