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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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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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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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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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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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 …
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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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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 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…
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, 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 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…
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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…
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, 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 …
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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…
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,…
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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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, 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 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, 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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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?
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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.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
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 →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are shocked by their grocery bills. That is because Canada is seeing the worst food inflation in the G7. Paycheques cannot keep up with the prices, yet the Liberals are burdening our farms with fuel taxes and red tape. We need affordability from farm to table. Conservatives are ready to fast-track any bill that would reverse the highest inflation in the G7. Will the Liberals…
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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Mr. Speaker, that is a really good question. If she has visited my riding and the area where I live, that is wonderful. I wonder how she got there. If she flew into Kelowna, she would have had trouble getting down to the South Okanagan, to Similkameen, because of the roads and the landslides, fires and floods. Infrastructure has not been kept up by the government. We have had an infrastructure ban…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-15, the budget implementation act. Sadly, this is not the right budget for Canada. It spends too much in the wrong areas, taxes families that are struggling to get by and, ultimately, leaves an enormous debt to our generation and, most likely, the next. Ultimately, that is why I voted against the Liberals' budget. It was not because I opposed every line in a …
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Mr. Speaker, it just makes me so sad when we hear of another mill closing or another business closing. This has a domino effect. In these communities, when these mills close, when these businesses close or go down to one shift, for example, it leads to widespread issues throughout the community, with grocery stores closing and garages closing. It is just devastating communities, and we do not have…
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Mr. Speaker, I have talked to the Minister of Agriculture about the issue. He is reconsidering the lease.
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Mr. Speaker, the Penticton shooting range was going to lose its lease in the next couple of months, and I brought this to the safety committee. The committee unanimously agreed that the Penticton shooting range should not lose its lease. I have spoken to Minister MacDonald about this, and he will—
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize one of Canada's brightest young athletes, Victoria Mboko. At just 19 years old, she has won major tennis tournaments, winning two WTA singles titles, including the Canadian Open. She achieved a singles ranking of number 18 in the world on November 3. Earlier, she posted a stretch of 22 straight match wins without dropping a set on the ITF circuit, and she represent…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, let us be clear on what was signed yesterday. It was a memorandum that will hike the industrial carbon tax and, in exchange, the Liberals will allow a pipeline proposal to be further studied for the next two years. There are no timelines for approval, and many Liberals are demanding that the timelines be never. The Liberal caucus is divided. Will the Prime Minister ignore them, forg…
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Madam Speaker, Liberal MPs in B.C. are telling the media that they are “seething,” “anxious” and “angry” about a pipeline that would end Canada's economic dependence on the United States. The Liberal caucus is falling apart over this. The Prime Minister must not give his “keep it in the ground” caucus or Premier Eby a veto. Only he has the constitutional and legislative power to approve a pipeline…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague's speech was really interesting. I just want him to say again quickly why this particular bill is not the right bill to actually get things done, seeing as how there has been so much more bureaucracy already added in the Liberal government. Why would the bill not work?
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Madam Speaker, I just want to say that I want it to really happen. Conservatives want this to really happen, and we feel that another layer of bureaucracy will not allow that.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague is definitely an expert in this field. I want to tell her that I actually want work to happen. I want this to move forward. As she knows, the more bureaucracy and the more money that is thrown into a repetitive process, the less real work is going to be done. We need these treaties to actually happen. When there are no treaties, there are only delays and broken promises…
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Madam Speaker, we do not need more bureaucracy, as the member mentioned. Relationships with first nations are extremely important, but when we set up more bureaucracy, it only makes things worse. There is more finger pointing and confusion. It sets communities against communities, and it sets us all up for bad faith and friction. We need to help the relationships and work on the relationships betw…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak strongly against Bill C-10, the proposed modern treaty implementation act. Although the government frames this legislation as a step towards reconciliation and improved accountability, it is neither. Instead, it expands bureaucracy, repeats mechanisms that are already in place and diverts energy away from the real work in reaching agreements with the nations. C…
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