Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is on behalf of the residents of Sage Mesa, in my riding in Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, and other communities across my riding and across Canada, who have been on boil water rationing and boil water regulations for many, many years. Access to safe, affordable and clean drinking water should not continue to be an issue in Canada. Therefore, they are as…
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Mr. Speaker, finally, I am presenting a petition in which my constituents express a deep concern about the proposed changes to the salmon allocation policy that would decimate regular recreation fishing opportunities for coho and chinook in British Columbia. Constituents are calling upon the ministry of fisheries and oceans to leave the current salmon allocation policy alone and uphold the cultura…
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Madam Speaker, MOUs will not deliver Canadian natural resources to markets, but pipelines and ports will. However, I want to turn to the forestry sector now. We know that a decade of Liberal ministers negotiating with four presidential administrations has not delivered a softwood lumber agreement, while Prime Minister Harper was able to sign one in mere weeks. New challenges of the second Trump ad…
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Madam Speaker, I rise to seek answers on the government's natural resources policies. Residents in my community are watching the war in Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, which are blamed for the spike in prices at the pump. Just this week, my daughter shared with me that gas prices for her in Vancouver had reached over two dollars per litre. It is not just the Lower Mainland. The avera…
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Mr. Speaker, I am tabling three petitions today on behalf of constituents from Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay. The first petition has 1,600 signatures. Residents are asking for the federal government to partner with the province and provide funding for a secondary route from South Okanagan to Kelowna as an alternate to Highway 97. Highway 97 is the only major route between Penticton and …
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Again, Mr. Speaker, I think this is a question running through everyone's mind. I wonder what the members on the other side of the aisle are thinking. They must be getting the phone calls I am getting. They must be getting the emails, the written letters and the calls from their local faith leaders who are completely against this because, as I mentioned earlier, they are afraid of what they might …
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Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak to Bill C-9, a piece of legislation that has brought forward huge concerns for Canadians of every religious background across the country. Canadians I speak with in my community are not asking for more censorship. They are asking for safer streets, stronger communities and a government that focuses on real problems. Instead of focusing on these concerns, the Li…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member across the aisle for the question he has asked many times today. I would like to ask the member why the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council, the World Sikh Organization of Canada, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Labour Congress, the Centre for Free Expression and Canadians for Justice and Peace i…
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Mr. Speaker, I think this is the question running through the mind of just about every MP of the House, on both sides of the aisle, I am sure, because this is attacking religion, freedom of speech and democracy. Right now, people in our communities are afraid to walk down the street. They are afraid to go shopping. There are elderly people afraid of break-ins at their home. That is what we should …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in a discussion about unsafe injection sites, I asked the Liberal Minister of Health the easiest possible question: Is injecting fentanyl safe? Instead of giving a straight answer, the minister laughed and said that research shows continuing to inject fentanyl saves lives. Extending addiction does not save lives. I will ask it again: Does the minister believe injecting illeg…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's very detailed question and explanation of the situation we are in right now across the country. It seems as if, with all the travels around the world, the Prime Minister has forgotten that there are whole towns all across this country that are shutting their doors. That is what happens in the lumber and forestry industry because the industry encompasses the…
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Bill C-13 comes before the House at a time of concern about global tensions in our trading relationships. Let us be clear that Canada is and always will remain a great trading nation. Trade is the foundation of every strong economy in history, and trade with the United Kingdom is a long and deep part of Canadian history. The Leader of the Opposition spoke about this just recently when speaking to …
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Mr. Speaker, yes, of course we need to continue creating further trade partners, and that is a good thing. What I mentioned in my speech was that there were things we could have brought to the table that were not brought, which is going to affect many people across this country, including in my riding. One that I spoke about was the softwood lumber and lumber industry. Another was the beef industr…
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Mr. Speaker, we should be negotiating with countries around the world that have the same moral compass as Canada. I will give the example of my riding. Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay has one of the longest borders with the United States in the country. I think the member is asking if we should be looking elsewhere. We should, but at the same time, we need to keep this relationship with t…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the legislation before us: Bill C-13, an act to implement the protocol on the accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. That is a long name, but the acronym is the CPTPP. Before I begin my speech, I want to make a small acknowledgement of a big win in my c…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his really informative speech. I think we all agree we need to diversify our markets. Why does my colleague think Canadians are having trouble believing what the government says it is going to do and are questioning whether any of this is actually going to happen?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, when are the Liberals going to realize these programs are not working? I was recently approached by a young mom who told me how hard it has become to feed her children. It was heart-wrenching. I see her face now when I hear that child poverty rose for a third straight year in Canada. Nearly 30,000 more children have fallen below the poverty line. When will the Liberal government end t…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to build at speeds not seen since the Second World War, when returning veterans were in desperate need of housing to start young families. Back then, we provided it in mere months. The Liberals today are proud of the billions they are spending, but the fact is, more young Canadians than ever are delaying, if not abandoning, important life goals like home ownershi…
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Mr. Speaker, after a decade of Liberal promises, housing prices have doubled, down payments have doubled, and now CMHC is projecting that housing starts will decline through 2026, 2027 and 2028. CMHC says we need nearly 500,000 homes per year to end the housing crisis. Instead we are headed toward fewer than half that. The government says 800,000 homes may be permitted over a decade. That is not a…
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Mr. Speaker, there is definitely a lack of confidence in the Liberal government. I wonder if the member could tell us again why he does not trust the government to follow through on its promises, in particular, the high-speed rail project.
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Mr. Speaker, rejected asylum seekers quickly realize they can create near-endless extensions for years with access to specialty medical care they do not have in their home countries. It swiftly adds to the backlog, which in turn adds to the cost. By the end of this fiscal year, the annual cost will be $986 million. By the end of this decade, the annual cost will be $1.5 billion. Those are not my f…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure the member was listening. I know that only half of my speech occurred while he was sitting here, but we are talking about rejected asylum seekers, some of them criminals. I think the worst thing is that the government has no idea actually how many there are. If he wants to learn more about this, he can go to the health committee meeting that is happening right now, or he…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to our Conservative motion regarding serious inefficiencies in the federal health care and immigration systems. For those unaware, let us look at the cold, hard facts that were uncovered by the work of my colleagues and me at the parliamentary health committee last fall regarding the serious effects Canada's dysfunctional immigration system is having on our healt…
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Mr. Speaker, what I resent is members from the Liberal Party downplaying an issue that is very important for every Canadian. Six million Canadians are without doctors. As for my own riding, I could actually, probably, google my riding right now, because there might be another hospital closed suddenly. It happens on a regular basis. Princeton was just closed a couple of days ago. How would anyone l…
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Mr. Speaker, this is a problem across the entire country. This is not focused just on one province. I know that thousands of people in my riding do not have a doctor, and we have this gateway system for health. These issues need to be addressed. As for those rejected asylum seekers and criminals who are avoiding being sent back to their country, and some of them are criminals, this should be addre…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, thousands of people in B.C. cannot see a family doctor, yet the Liberals now provide deluxe health care benefits to rejected asylum claimants at taxpayers' expense. The PBO has shown that the interim federal health program has skyrocketed in costs to almost $1 billion. Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure that rejected asylum claimants do not get better health care than Can…
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Mr. Speaker, what the member did not mention is that Liberals at the health committee are currently filibustering any attempt to even study this program. That does not sound like they are trying to fix anything. They want a cover-up. Conservatives are clear on the solution: no more physio or vision care for rejected asylum claimants. Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure that rejected as…
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Mr. Speaker, the government's own housing agency shows fewer homes being built over the next three years, while home prices will only rise. A third of homebuilders are building less because they are forced to lay off workers. Young men and women in B.C. are seeing the dream of home ownership fading. Years of Liberal homebuilding programs have not delivered. Will the Liberals adopt our plan to remo…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-244, an act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, and the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act. I want to thank sponsor of the bill for bringing forward an issue that coastal, river and lakeside communities across Canada have been raising for years. It is definitely on the right path. This is a huge problem throughout Canada a…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the government members' defence of the industrial carbon tax. They say farmers do not pay it. They say it only applies to large emitters. They say it has almost no impact on households. Let us walk through this in plain terms. When a farmer in my riding buys a new combine or replaces their tractor, that equipment is built with Canadian steel produced under a ca…
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Mr. Speaker, no member of the House is arguing against reducing emissions. The question is whether driving the industrial carbon tax to $170 per tonne, while our competitors in the United States do not face the same burden, is helping the environment or simply pushing production elsewhere. If steel production moves south, emissions do not disappear; jobs disappear, investment disappears and Canadi…
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Madam Speaker, today a family of five needs a car and decides that, because we live in a democracy and they cannot be coerced into what kind of car to buy, they are going to try an electric vehicle. What does the hon. member say to them? They also want to buy Canadian. They want to help Canadians keep their jobs. What does the hon. member say to them, a family of five, when all that is available t…
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Madam Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-230, an act to amend the Financial Administration Act and to make consequential amendments to other acts. Before I begin my speech, I would like to very briefly address a tragedy in my community. I recently met with a grieving mother in Penticton who lost her son when he was swarmed, assaulted and beaten until he died. That horrifying event occurred four an…
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Madam Speaker, the Liberal finance minister failed to stabilize grocery prices as he promised to do three years ago. His new one-off rebate will not reduce the cost of a single item on the shelf, and food bank lines in my region will not shrink, yet the Liberals voted against our motion to reduce transport and packaging costs for farmers. Food inflation must come down. When will the Liberals work …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my colleague's speech was excellent. I learn a lot from him every time he stands up in the House. As a new member, I was not surprised about the virtual voting, as I knew that existed, but I was surprised by how often some members use it; some are not in their seat very often, and they vote from abroad. Does the member think there should be limitations on virtual voting?
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from the Bloc mentioned that there is talk of a distrust in government. I am hearing that a lot too. What happened in Mirabel is terrible. There are issues with private property across the country right now that are not being addressed, even in my province of British Columbia. Why do you think the people of Canada, or residents, have a distrust in the current government?
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the concern. I wonder why it has taken over 10 years. We still do not have an agreement with the United States, through many presidents, so we cannot blame everything on President Trump. Energy workers want to see a pipeline. Forestry workers want to see some kind of deal with the Americans. My particular riding crawls along the United States, so it is important that we…
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the heartfelt comments of my colleague. It is terrible what happened in Mirabel and what is happening now. The subject of private property is coming up a lot lately throughout the country, as well as the right to ownership of land and the security of owning our land and our families continuing to own our land in the future. Why does my colleague think that there is…
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Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to speak on the importance of Canada's bountiful natural resources, specifically the industries vital to my home province of British Columbia. Our forestry industry gainfully employs many men and women across my riding. It has put food on the table and a roof over the heads of Canadians for decades and has the potential to do so for decades more, but Canada's lack of …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay is not just home to the most beautiful rivers, lakes and valleys in all of Canada. It is also home to world-class athletes. First, I want to congratulate my local hockey team, the Penticton Vees. The Vees have a long history of hockey in Penticton. In 1955, they won the world championships; in 2012, they won the national championships; and now,…
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Madam Speaker, the member has been in his seat for many years, and I wonder why it has taken so long to address these very serious issues. Yes, we will work on this in committee.
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Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that Canadians, and Canadian municipalities in particular, have been crying for help from the Liberals for years. They have been burdened with crime and criminals walking the streets. Why does the member think this is suddenly such an important issue for the Liberals? They have finally put it on the agenda, as if it were something brand new they had never heard of before…
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Madam Speaker, yes, I do appreciate that criminalizing deepfakes is in the bill and that there will be things we will work on in committee, things we agree on, but why has it taken this long to address crime when our communities have been crying for help for years? This is a move in the right direction, but why did it take a decade to get here?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am honoured to present this petition from concerned Canadians who are worried about the Bloc and Liberal amendments to Bill C-9. They are urging the government to protect free speech, freedom of expression and freedom of religion.
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Madam Speaker, I will split my time with the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford. I am speaking today on Bill C-16, the government's proposal to address the serious issue of rising violent crime and the growing lack of public safety. Residents in communities across Canada and my riding, including those in Penticton, Oliver, Princeton and Castlegar, tell me things do not feel as safe as they used …
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Madam Speaker, mandatory minimums are extremely important. When a crime is committed, such as the one that was presented to me by a mother whose child, a young person, was beaten in a playground, or extortion or the crimes that have been happening especially of late, they need to have mandatory minimums. That is what we will be pushing for in committee.
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Madam Speaker, without mandatory minimums there is really no way that crime can be specifically addressed in our communities. Right now, municipalities are buckling under the responsibilities and the downloading they have had to take on because of the crime that has hit. It used to be just cities, but now our rural communities are being hit hard. There is no safe place to go, and mandatory minimum…
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Madam Speaker, I am presenting a petition on behalf of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay. Petitioners are saying that they have a right to free speech and a right to religion and freedom of expression. They are concerned that the amendments to Bill C-9 presented by the Liberals and the Bloc would be used to criminalize passages from the Torah, the Quran and the Bible. They are asking the go…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to rise for the first time this year to speak to Bill C-223. Before I begin, I want to extend my warmest wishes for a happy new year to all the residents of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay. Over the holidays, many of them took the time to write, call or speak to me directly. I want them to know how much I value those conversations. Hearing fr…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, for over 40 years, the Penticton Shooting Sports Association has operated a facility that includes multiple ranges on land leased from the federal government, but unless action is taken before December 31, it will be forced to close forever. For decades it has provided a family-friendly atmosphere for hunters and sport shooters in a safe and responsible environment. The range has also…
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