Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have talked to the Minister of Agriculture about the issue. He is reconsidering the lease.
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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, 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, 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—
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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 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…
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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?
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, 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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Madam Speaker, what is important about the bill is that it is not going to end with any results. It is a repeat of the bureaucratic layers that we already have. The Auditor General is already doing exactly what the Liberals plan to spend $4 million on. We need to start actually doing the work. Our relationship with these communities, throughout Canada and B.C., is extremely important. We cannot wa…
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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, 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, 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, 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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Mr. Chair, it is difficult to talk about any type of concession or deal when the government is not even in negotiations with the Americans. How many times have I heard that the Liberals have gone across the border, which is very few and not enough, to talk with the Americans and Trump but not even mention softwood lumber? These people are in a desperate situation. They do not deserve to be ignored…
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Mr. Chair, I am sharing my time with my colleague for Miramichi—Grand Lake. I rise today to address an issue of profound urgency, an issue that strikes at the heart of countless communities across B.C., our nation and my riding: the crisis facing Canada's forestry sector. For more than a decade, this vital industry has been neglected by the government. Now, we find our ourselves on the brink of di…
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Mr. Chair, it is a very difficult question. What I would like to know right now is who in the government is in the United States tonight negotiating for the people who cannot put food on their table, are waiting in lines at the food bank and do not want a handout. They want their jobs. Who is there right now? Who is there tonight? Who will be there tomorrow? I want every single Liberal sitting her…
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Mr. Chair, I have travelled through B.C. to many pulp mills and sawmills and have spoken to owners and CEOs about the situation they are in. They told me that they do not need a bailout in the form of more loans. They do not need further debt. They have been getting deeper and deeper into debt for the past decade because of the inactions of the government in helping this sector. They would like to…
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Mr. Speaker, I recall that a year ago, there was chaos in this House when it was announced that there would be a $40-billion deficit in an upcoming budget, and now the Liberals plan on doubling that. Does this concern the member of the Liberals?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to be here tonight to talk about this wonderful bill. I thank my colleague for Edmonton Manning for sharing his story and his passion. Before beginning my remarks on Bill C-234, I want to offer this House a brief update on our former colleague, well known to many here. My predecessor, Richard Cannings, recently underwent major surgery. I am really pleased to share that h…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin with the words of one of my constituents. His name is David, and he is from Oliver, British Columbia. He says that pensioners on a low income are struggling with prices rising, especially food, which increases continually each month. There is only one increase a year for pensioners. David is right. Food costs are unaffordable and getting worse month after month. …
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Mr. Speaker, what I do not understand is this. I appreciate the answer from the member across the way, but what I do not appreciate is the fact that if it costs me more as a farmer to do business, if it costs me more for steel and aluminum, why would I not raise my prices to cover those costs? That is the basis of running a business. One has to cover one's costs. If the cost of groceries is under …
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Mr. Speaker, the current Liberal government is the most expensive government in Canadian history. Every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians, driving up the cost of everything. Food prices have risen nearly 40% faster in Canada than in the U.S. What is the Liberals' answer? It is to increase the industrial carbon tax. The Okanagan Valley is the fruit basket of Can…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to spend less but have introduced the largest budget deficit in history outside of COVID. This is at a time when one in five Canadians say they skipped paying a bill to afford groceries this past year. The Liberals had a chance to lower food prices. Instead, they increased the industrial carbon tax on our farms, driving up the cost of fertilizer and farm equipmen…
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Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Liberal government spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians in the form of higher taxes and inflation. The Prime Minister told young Canadians they need to sacrifice. While more families than ever are lining up at food banks, the Liberal government is using Canadian tax dollars to fund a whopping $25 billion a year on outside consultants. Instead of trying to caus…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that everyone in the House agrees, or should agree, that there is a deepening youth unemployment crisis. Since September, it climbed from 14.5% to 14.7%, the highest since 2010. Conservatives have been sounding the alarm for years now and the Liberals have ignored the warnings. Can the member explain again what he believes is the root cause of this youth unemployment crisis?
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Mr. Speaker, while I appreciate my colleague across the floor's responding, I think she might have mentioned the word “forestry” two or three times. I am not sure she understood that I was talking about the forestry industry. The Liberals have no idea what a mill closure does to a small community, or they would try harder to get a deal. We are talking about the forestry industry. I do not know whe…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's forestry and softwood lumber sectors are pillars of our economy. They should sustain thousands of jobs, fuel communities and generate billions in exports, yet under the Liberal government, these industries have been left behind. Canada's softwood lumber production generates 20 billion board feet per year that is ready for sale. Roughly 90% of that goes directly to the United …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on behalf of the people of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay on the issue of health care, specifically Bill C-239, an act to amend the Canada Health Act with respect to accountability. I would like to thank the member for Surrey Newton for bringing forward the legislation. It is a privilege for any member to bring forward their own legislation to be debated in t…
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Mr. Speaker, it has been an exhausting 10 years for communities across Canada. People of all ages cannot even go into a grocery store without wondering whether they are going to be approached by a criminal or be a witness to shoplifting. What are they supposed to do? They do not feel safe in their own neighbourhood. RCMP officers are being overworked and are becoming exhausted. They are doing ever…
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Mr. Speaker, judges are obviously missing multiple tools. In the city I live in, there are people who commit a crime, go to jail, walk out of jail the next day and then throw a brick into a car window. They are sent back to jail, spend the night, get back out and throw a brick through a window again. It happens continually, and a lot of the time, judges, who are completely exhausted, are blamed, b…
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Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my speech, the bill is an attempt by the Liberals to fix the bail laws they took 10 years to break. Of course we are going to work on the bill. Of course we are going to do everything we can to make Canadians safer. I just wish this had been brought forward sooner, and that is what my constituents are saying. It is not fair that for the past 10 years they have been m…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the good people of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay to speak to the legislation before us, Bill C-14, an act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act. Today, the House debates the very urgent and serious subject of Canada's broken bail laws. The member opposite just spoke about Bill C-14 alleviating problems. L…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, lumber jobs remain under threat by the unjustified U.S. tariffs, but workers are not hearing from the Liberals that they are making this a priority in negotiations. The Canadian Lumber Trade Alliance said, “We're deeply disappointed” by the Prime Minister not even mentioning lumber jobs in D.C. Silence will not help the mill workers I met in Grand Forks last week. They told me they do…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise again on behalf of the people of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay to speak to Bill C-12, , an act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system. This bill is of critical importance to my constituents, especially those living in border communities along the B.C.-Washington State line. We have…
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Mr. Speaker, I represent the Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay riding and we have one of the longest borders along the United States and, also, the most mountainous terrain. We are having difficulty, right now, getting enough RCMP officers and meeting the quota that we have right now. We are not able to meet the quota because not enough people are applying at Depot. We all know that they ar…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised a deal with the Americans by July 21. There is still no deal. In fact, softwood tariffs have doubled. A decade of Liberal failure has lost thousands of lumber jobs. Yesterday, the mayor of Grand Forks announced the indefinite closure of the Interfor mill because of these tariffs. That is 150 jobs lost in a small town. On behalf of these workers, why have th…
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Mr. Speaker, between 2013 and 2023, federal employment surged by 36%. By contrast, the private sector grew by 13%. How big is this new bureaucracy, this new office, going to be? How many new public sector employees does the government plan to hire?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Mayor of Grand Forks announced that the Interfor mill is closing indefinitely because of unjustified U.S. tariffs. To the people of Grand Forks and Boundary, this is devastating. The mill is an important employer; there are 150 jobs being lost in one small town. I say to the families affected by the mill closure that I will continue to call on the Liberal government to g…
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Mr. Speaker, I could clearly hear you say the question.
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Mr. Speaker, I was here for the question.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister promised to be elbows up. Instead, he is elbows down. The Liberal statistics show that EI use among women aged 25 to 54 is up 12% in one month. Women are calling me and asking where to find a job that will cover rent or groceries. Liberal economic mismanagement is putting women out of work. When will people in the B.C. interior see more job openings, not few…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' latest idea for housing is a fourth bureaucracy. The Liberal Prime Minister promised Canadians that he would double homebuilding and build 500,000 homes a year, yet his new housing bureaucracy is only committing to 4,000 new homes. Too many people in my riding are teetering on the verge of homelessness. Our housing crisis is most evident in my hometown of Penticton, wher…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Brandon—Souris for his eloquent words. There is something missing, a lot missing, in Bill C-2, and I would like to know what he thinks of this. I want to ask about the member for Surrey Newton, who spoke previously. A very important thing that is missing in this bill is what the Liberals are going to do about the decriminalization of drugs in B.C. The…
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With regard to the lease agreement between the government and the Penticton Shooting Sports Association: (a) what is the legal property designation subject to the lease agreement; (b) on what date did the government decide to end the lease agreement; (c) on what grounds was the decision to end the lease agreement taken; (d) what consultation was done on the decision to end the lease agreement betw…
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With regard to equipment to fight forest fires and wildfires purchased by the government since January 1, 2024: (a) what are the details of all purchases, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount or value, (iv) quantity, (v) description of the equipment; and (b) for each item of the equipment purchased in (a), against which fires have they been used to date?
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With regard to lease agreements between the government and third parties: what are the details of all lease agreements cancelled between January 1, 2023 and June 13, 2025, including, for each, the (i) date of the original agreement, (ii) date of the cancellation, (iii) location, (iv) party whom the lease was with, (v) reason for the cancellation?
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Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to extend my deepest thanks to the people of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay. Over the summer, I had the honour of connecting with so many of my constituents. I want to thank them in person, over the phone, through social media and by email. I represent one of the most beautiful places in Canada. From Castlegar to Princeton, Grand Forks to Oliver, Midwa…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that actually solidifies what I am talking about, in that what the member just said is so complicated. Does she deserve citizenship? She could, but I am going to have to write that down on paper and make sure. Does her grandchild's grandchild deserve citizenship? I would like to ask the member that, because this is so complicated and has not been debated properly in committee.…
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Mr. Speaker, we need to help the lost Canadians, and we need to make sure that the wrongs done in the past are corrected, but does somebody's grandchild's grandchild's grandchild deserve to be a citizen if they have never lived in Canada and have never had anything to do with Canada? We are going to have to make sure that for those immigrants who became citizens in the past, who worked so hard to …
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