Parliamentary Speeches

Mr. Speaker, I had two or three years as Saskatchewan caucus chair, and we moved our summer meetings around. I remember saying to this member that we were coming to Yorkton—Melville. What a delightful two days we had in Yorkton—Melville because of her. She brought the community together. We had a sensational meeting with the indigenous leaders. We had tours of Yorkton. I also remember one thing about her. As a caucus chair, when I said we were going to come, she was up to the task. It was fabulous. I also remember that community had the best Ukrainian food in this country. I just want to wish the hon. member a happy retirement for her and her husband, Marty. Our caucus is really indebted to her for the 10 and a half years she served.

Madam Speaker, one year in, the member for Oshawa has done a lot of work on the public safety committee. I just want to state again, on our amendment, that we agree with the government on part 1, which would be Bill C-22A. We have also heard from police all over this country that they need the tools. However, the privacy issue is what we are debating here tonight. Bill C-22B would be on the privacy issue. I sit on the heritage committee, and we had the same thing with the government this week when it threw up Bill C-34. That is also a privacy issue we are going to have to deal with when it comes back in the fall. To the hon. member for Oshawa, let us talk about part 2, because that is the hill we are going to die on. We need this amendment tonight for Bill C-22B.

Mr. Speaker, under this Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country in recession. The economy has shrunk three of the last four quarters. The Liberals are already borrowing over their projected $65 billion. The Parliamentary Budget Officer projects borrowing now to climb to $72 billion. Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians if they are in a recession or are they only technically doing worse after a decade of Liberal rule?

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure this afternoon to rise and present a petition signed by Canadians from across my province of Saskatchewan, and actually many from my riding of Saskatoon South, who strongly oppose Bill C-9 for its infringement upon the fundamental right of free speech. Many of the people who signed the petition in Saskatchewan in the last couple of months came to Saskatoon as we held a round table, and many of these people are upset with Bill C-9 and what the current government is doing with the infringement of their rights.

Mr. Speaker, SOS: Save our Snowbirds. The Snowbirds are a proud Canadian institution based in the land of the living skies, Saskatchewan. We now hear that the Liberals are going to cancel the Snowbird program. It is unthinkable that we could see the end of this precision squadron that proudly represents this country at home and abroad. Will the Liberals reverse this mistake and keep our Snowbirds in the sky?

Mr. Speaker, maxing one's credit card only adds to the financial pain. The government has proposed yet another credit card budget. That means more costs, more spending, more taxes and more of the same. Nothing has changed. The Prime Minister is just another costly Liberal who has doubled Trudeau's massive deficit. Will the Prime Minister admit that this is more of the same from the past 10 years, and that, now, Canadians are paying the price at the grocery stores?

Mr. Speaker, there was an instance in our party, in Markham—Unionville. The candidate won in 2015 and again in 2019. Then there was foreign interference in 2021. Months before, he was told by an outside agency that he would not win the election in 2021. This was a concern. I subbed in one day to talk about this situation. I wonder if this bill would help solve all the issues we had in Markham—Unionville in 2021.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House today to speak to Bill S-211, an act respecting a national framework on sports betting advertising. This Senate bill, as we all know, seeks to develop a framework to regulate sports betting advertising in this country and set national standards for the prevention of risk for persons negatively impacted. It also provides for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, better known as the CRTC, to review its regulations and policies to reduce the incidence of harms resulting from sports betting advertising. Let me speak to the heart of the matter. I spoke in the House in November 2020 in support of my private member's bill, Bill C-218, an act to amend the Criminal Code, single game sports betting. In that speech, I addressed the elephant in the room, which was problem gambling and addictions. As it stood at that time, there was absolutely no consumer protection or support built into the illegal sports betting systems for those struggling with gambling addictions resulting from illegal or offshore markets. I want to remind everyone that the bill simply removed the federal restrictions, allowing provinces and territories the right to take over the single sports betting market, stemming the illegal offshore market, and to collect the tax, the profits, to use provincially instead of letting the money go to the offshore conglomerates. In my province of Saskatchewan, I think the province has done a good job. It has shared the money with sports, recreation and culture. Alberta has done the same. Now, they are going to set up a heritage fund. Each province and territory makes its own decisions. The bill provided provinces and territories with the ability to regulate and collect revenue, which could be used to fund mental health programs, research and addiction treatment, and it had widespread support from the provinces and territories. I should add that in the House the day we voted, the vote was 303 to 15. All parties were involved. As members know, the regulation and administration of gambling has fallen directly in the purview of the provinces and territories since the 1985 federal agreement that transferred the rights to gaming to the provinces and territories. However, that does not preclude us from considering a federal framework in the interest of protecting vulnerable Canadians. I am of an age to remember gambling in the shadows. It was the Irish Sweepstakes tickets. They were sold illegally in this country. I remember going into a room and someone would say to me, “Come here, I have these Irish Sweepstakes tickets.” That was back in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, we cannot walk a block without seeing a Lotto 649 or Lotto Max sign lit up in neon. Confectioneries, gas stations, drugstores and grocery stores all have a huge variety of scratch tickets to choose from that are shiny and colourful, right in front of our eyes. If someone wins a free play, they are rewarded with flashing lights and called a winner. Everybody in the store can hear it. Do members remember the five-minute television segments where the lottery numbers were drawn live while millions sat watching with their ticket or tickets in hand? These forms of advertising and promotion have been unchecked for decades. The television commercials, in my opinion, preyed upon vulnerable and desperate people. Anyone can buy a ticket today for a hospital home lottery, potentially winning a home, but what are the odds? The commercials seen today show a beautiful landscape and a lifestyle that most can only imagine. In my estimation, fifty-fifty draws are the new fundraising technique. Young people are now coming door to door selling fifty-fifty tickets. We can scan the code, select how many tickets we want and then pay. We have seen the Toronto Blue Jays, especially this past year with their remarkable playoff run, reaching unheard of payouts with their fifty-fifty. Tens of millions of dollars have been raised. It is the same thing in Western Canada with the Edmonton Oilers. They have a very successful fifty-fifty, as do a lot of teams in this country. I noticed that the Vancouver Canucks had a front page ad for a guaranteed super jackpot of $1 million in this Saturday's Vancouver Sun newspaper. We have all seen the advertising during a live game. It is non-stop, with networks even promoting the sale of tickets several times during a game. Gaming has been around forever. This did not just start with my bill, Bill C-218. Gaming has been present for decades in this country, sometimes disguised as entertainment or as charity. Sports betting advertising, though, took the promotion to an all-time extreme. I feel that some provinces have dealt correctly with advertising, provinces such as B.C., Manitoba and Saskatchewan. I have talked to them about their concerns and about a framework. They all agree they would listen to a framework. Others, like Ontario and Alberta, want to see it wide, wide open. I have also talked to them about what they would like to see if a framework is in the offering. We have seen advertising on NHL jerseys. We have seen professional players doing advertising about responsible gaming. There is no national consensus about how to manage the national advertising on sports. As a former sports broadcaster, I have to admit I was surprised at the barrage of ads that were running during the sporting events since the passage of Bill C-218 in 2020. The networks, which were starved for a new source of advertising revenue, in my opinion, exploited this golden opportunity to flood the airwaves with ads. What was always an accepted practice prior to the passage of Bill C-218 quickly became an avalanche of targeted, even predatory, and excessive advertising. It came at us from all sides, and I think the public was simply blindsided. This has put the spotlight, unfortunately, on sports betting advertising, which we are here today to talk about with Bill S-211. I am supportive of putting a spotlight on addictions. I am very supportive of putting guardrails in place to protect the most vulnerable among us. However, let us not be short-sighted. This issue did not begin with sports betting ads, and it goes way beyond the sports betting ads. If we are going to take an honest look at the harms caused by gambling advertising, we must, I believe, consider all forms, like the lottos, the fifty-fifty, the hospital home lotteries and many more. It has been five years since my bill, Bill C-218, passed, and every province and territorial jurisdiction is renewing their agreements this year with their gaming companies. I have spoken to a number of provincial counterparts about sports betting and their vision going forward. First off, I want to give a shout-out to the many provincial governments that did an exceptional job in writing their legislation for advertising. I have looked over their legislation, and for the most part, I think they got it right. They are dealing with advertising around school zones and dealing with minors, event hosting agreements, etc. It is very thoughtful and insightful legislation. The issue of sports betting advertising lies with the rights holders of the broadcasting companies. It is expensive now when they buy the properties of the NHL, baseball, NFL and so on. It is tough to recoup their investment, so when the gaming companies saw this opportunity to exploit the market to the broadcasting companies, they were in desperate need of revenue. Let us be honest. This is why the Senate has targeted sports betting advertising. We are not the only jurisdiction in the world rethinking new ways to improve safety. It has been 40-plus years since the federal government handed over gaming authority to the provinces. Therefore, it is time that we sit down and have a discussion about the framework.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Colette Bourgonje will be inducted into the Canada Games Hall of Honour as a builder. From 1992 to 2014, Bourgonje attended every winter Paralympic Games and three summer Paralympic Games, winning six medals. She is a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and even has a Saskatoon public school named after her in my riding in Rosewood. Bourgonje has coached many successful Paralympic athletes in Saskatchewan, like Brittany Hudak, who just won a bronze at this year's winter Paralympics, and Krystle Shewchuk, who was recruited by Bourgonje to compete in the 2019 and 2023 winter Canada Games. Colette Bourgonje will be recognized tomorrow in Quebec City for the 2026 class of the Canada Games Hall of Honour.

Mr. Speaker, after one year with the Prime Minister, things have only gotten worse for Canadians. Canada is now the food inflation capital of the G7, with food prices skyrocketing 7.3% and food bank lineups of 2 million visitors per month. At the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre, we serve 23,000 to 24,000 people a month. That is up 6,000 to 7,000 per month since 2019. Unemployment in this country has now hit 6.7%, with 84,000 more Canadians losing their full-time job last month. Youth unemployment is big now, skyrocketing to 14%, the worst level since the great recession. Canadians are increasingly reliant on part-time work to afford their basic necessities day to day. The federal deficit has doubled. Debt-to-GDP is now rising again. Families have to pay $3,300 a year of the interest just to service the national debt. The dream of home ownership has never been more out of reach in this country. CMHC is predicting housing construction to decline 18.1%, well below the 10-year average. The government's own housing agency has said it will add only 5,200 homes this year. It promised 500,000 new homes every year. At the same time, Canadians are carrying record household debt, $2.6 trillion, mostly from mortgages just to keep a roof over their head. The Prime Minister promised to build at a scale we had not seen in generations. He promised this less than a year ago, yet one year later, Canadians are now finding it even harder to make ends meet. Food inflation is now rising twice as fast as it was before the Prime Minister took office a year ago. Food prices, as I mentioned, have skyrocketed 7.3% year over year, leading to Canada having the worst food price increases in the G7. Canadian families are projected to pay nearly $1,000 more in food costs alone this year. Meanwhile, the cost of food purchase for restaurants alone was up 12.3% in the same period, and for takeout and fast food it was up 14%. That means it is no surprise that nearly half the restaurants are operating at a loss or are barely breaking even. With 7,000 closing last year, about 4,000 are projected to close this year. Canada, by the way, is the only country in the G7 with a shrinking economy, contracting 0.2% in the last quarter alone of 2025. That has a real impact on jobs, with over 100,000 full-time jobs lost in February alone, the largest single-month decline since the great recession, outside the pandemic. Canadians are really struggling, and all we hear from the government is how great we have it. It will be interesting to hear the response of the government with these dismal numbers we have received in the last 12 months.

Mr. Speaker, when Canadians thrive, they do not need to rely on government handouts. Our province is like that. It does not enjoy the fact that the government is handing out billions of dollars throughout the country just to help Canadians. I know what people in my province want. They want jobs, and unfortunately, this country lost 100,000 jobs in the first two months of 2026. Let us think about the 100,000 jobs that have been lost in the last 60 days. Canada has the only shrinking economy, the second-highest unemployment, the highest household debt and the highest food inflation in the entire G7. Let those numbers sink in. The Liberal Prime Minister cannot just blame global factors when the other members of the G7 are in fact dealing with the same issues. Canadians cannot afford this failure any longer.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the University of Saskatchewan's Huskies women's basketball team. Just last Sunday, at the U Sports championship, the Huskies captured their second straight title with a 77-68 win over the University of New Brunswick Reds. Coming off the bench was Logan Reider. She scored a team-high 19 points and was named the player of the game. Ella Murphy Wiebe, who is in her fifth and final year, was named the tournament's most valuable player. The Huskies will now graduate five players, so winning the bronze baby for the second year in a row was certainly special. The Huskies reeled off 51 straight wins over two seasons, which I think is a tribute to their coaching staff, led by Lisa Thomaidis. The program has now won four championships since 2016. I congratulate all Huskies.

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the worst food inflation and the only shrinking economy in the G7, and rising unemployment rates now. Canadians are facing a serious cost of living crisis. Grocery prices are skyrocketing. Paycheques are spread so thin right now that they do not cover the cost of basic necessities. Canadians deserve an economy where hard work pays off. When will the Liberals take responsibility for their punishing taxes and their policies?

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague brought up a number of good points. Right now, in northwest Ontario, the mining companies desperately need people. Bill C-20 seems to be another bureaucracy by the Liberal Party and the government, and it is just going to hold that whole northwest part of Ontario back. How can we hire people when we do not have housing? I want to ask the hon. member about that. I have a similar situation in Saskatchewan. They have these big plans but no housing. When we do not have housing, we do not have companies willing to build.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to this private members' bill presented by my colleague, the member for Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, Bill C-221, an act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act regarding the disclosure of information to victims. The bill seeks to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to ensure that victims receive clear explanations about how an offender's eligibility and review dates for temporary absences, release and parole are determined. Every Canadian has the right to feel safe in their community, and I am proud to be a member of a party that values a justice system that serves victims of crime. It follows that if an offender is being released, victims deserve to have an understanding of the decisions leading to the release of the offender and a transparent and accountable explanation of how the decision was reached. This amendment to the law would ensure that victims would know when offenders could be released, and would then be provided the reasons for why officials determined those eligibility dates. The contents of this bill are not new. Conservatives have proposed this amendment dating back to the 42nd Parliament. It is such a sensible amendment that it has received widespread support from all sides of this chamber. Every one of us knows someone who has been a crime victim, unfortunately. The impacts are felt far beyond the individual, to a family, loved ones and eventually, to every community. Respect for victims should be the standard, not the exception. In order to truly support victims, our legislation has prioritized their rights and well-being. This means giving victims a chance to prepare themselves and understand the rationale that led to the release of the criminal who abused or harmed them or one of their loved ones. This transparency has absolutely no downside at all. We have witnessed an alarming trend with the current government that all too often, the rights of victims are overshadowed by the rights of offenders. That has to change in this country. I will give a statistic. In my city of Saskatoon, crime rates, unfortunately, are climbing. From January 2025 to January 2026, violent crime in my city, unfortunately, is up by 13%, and property crimes in the city of Saskatoon are up year to year by 16.5%. Over 10 years, the Liberal government has paid little or even no attention to victims in this country. I have gone on numerous ride-alongs with police and paramedics in my city. Each ride-along brings new experiences. There are so many repeat offenders that police know the criminals by name. They pick them up on a Monday afternoon, and they are released later in the day. Two weeks ago, the release of a Saskatoon man with 70 prior convictions of voyeurism, indecent acts and trespassing at night sent shockwaves through a city of over 300,000. Kyle Hameluck was rearrested just hours after being released and was found to be breaching the conditions of his release. I have received emails from constituents with grave concerns. In fact, I even had one who was victimized in my riding by Hameluck. It is understandable that she is horrified that this man was allowed out after an incredible 70 prior convictions. Victims should not have to relive their nightmares. He had 70 convictions, yet he was released, only to be found breaching the conditions of his release less than 24 hours later. A known offender was set free to terrorize a community all over again, and it did not take him long to find new victims. Thankfully he is again behind bars, and I sincerely hope that when he is sentenced, his victims will one day be given the courtesy of knowing how his release was decided. A truly just system protects its own citizens. Many victims are left in the dark when it comes to parole decisions. They deserve an explanation of how parole dates are determined. The amendment would benefit victims of crime by making the justice system in this country more transparent. Bill C-221 would stand up for the rights of victims to understand exactly how parole dates and eligibility are set for offenders. I am proud to support the bill. This has been in the House previously. In fact, this is the fourth time the bill has been introduced in this place. It was introduced in the 42nd, 43rd and 44th parliaments, and now the Liberals are rumbling that they are going to include this in Bill C-16. It is time to get this bill over the line to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to ensure that victims receive clear explanation about how an offender's eligibility and review dates are determined. The bill is just one small yet very consequential change which would demonstrate a measure of respect that victims deserve from our justice system in this country. Therefore it is my pleasure to lend my total support to my colleague and his private member's bill, Bill C-221.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Saskatchewan have shown the country what generosity truly looks like through the incredible tradition of the Kinsmen TeleMiracle telethon. TeleMiracle brings communities together to raise funds for life-changing medical equipment, mobility supports and specialized care in my province. Saskatchewan residents have helped to raise over $171 million since 1977. Starting tomorrow, the 22-hour telethon kicks off, marking half a century of entertainment and fundraising. Congratulations, TeleMiracle, on 50 years as a true Saskatchewan treasure. Where are we going? Higher. Saskatchewan, get ready to ring those phones.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Parkland for mentioning Jordan's principle. Half of our school divisions in the province of Saskatchewan are well behind in funding from the federal government, and that has caused a lot of stress around the board tables. In fact, many school divisions have actually had to make cuts in educational assistants because they had planned ahead of time and then all of a sudden the cheque from the federal government did not come to give the support. I just want to thank the member for bringing up Jordan's principle and ask for his thoughts on the school divisions' issues with the federal government.

Mr. Speaker, my province of Saskatchewan has long held the distinction of feeding the world, yet Canada today has the distinction of leading the G7 in food inflation. Food prices in Canada are rising twice as fast as they were when the Prime Minister took office. In Saskatoon, there are over 24,000 visits a month to the food bank. That is a record high, and it is climbing. Rising food prices are a direct result of the industrial carbon tax, which drives up the cost of equipment, fertilizer and food processing. Conservatives are ready to fast-track through Parliament proposals that would reverse the highest food inflation in the G7. Let us start by eliminating the industrial carbon tax and the 17¢-a-litre fuel standard tax, boosting competition in grocery chains, and cutting red tape for all farmers.

Mr. Speaker, that is an interesting comment by the Liberal member from Winnipeg. I had a conversation with the Saskatoon City Council. When we talk about the hundreds of millions of dollars in the City of Saskatoon budget, 25% is going to the Saskatoon police department. Members can let that sink in a little bit. We have about 300,000 or so people in Saskatoon, and 25% of the budget is for the Saskatoon police force. It is because of the action, or no action actually, from the Liberal government in the last 10 years that now 25% of every dollar goes to the Saskatoon police department. I would like the member for Oshawa to comment on that, because I am sure every community is facing that.

Madam Speaker, if we look back into history, how we built this country, I am not sure we can build the country anymore. Billions of dollars have been lost because of Liberal policies, such as Bill C-69 and Bill C-48. In my province, we have uranium mines ready to go, but because of these policies, they are years in the waiting. Will this pipeline ever get built with the current government in place?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he should be judged by prices at the grocery store. I have a better idea: He should come to my food bank. There are 23,000 visits a month at the Saskatoon Food Bank. Better yet, we have a resurgence of scurvy in northern Saskatchewan. “Canada's Food Price Report” confirms that an additional $1,000 will be needed next year to feed a family of four. Is the Prime Minister ready to remove the industrial carbon tax?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister recently told young Canadians that they would need to make more sacrifices while he and his associates at Brookfield shield themselves from paying Canadian taxes. We all know Brookfield is Canada's number one tax-dodger. As chair of Brookfield, the Prime Minister helped the company avoid $6.5 billion in taxes through offshore tax havens. The Prime Minister, we all know, tabled the most expensive budget in Canadian history outside of COVID, ballooning the budget to unprecedented highs. We are left with higher taxes, slower growth and generational debt. Canadians are lining up at the food banks in record numbers, including 23,000 in my city. The Prime Minister needs to come clean. Is he here to serve Canadians, or Brookfield and his friends?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the recent Liberal budget, which actually came down late this year, on November 4, and about Bill C-15, the budget implementation act. The Liberals promised to keep the deficit at roughly $62 billion. They lost a finance minister last December over that number, and now it has escalated to $78 billion. They promised to lower the debt-to-GDP ratio; instead it is up, and inflation is up. They promised to spend less, but they are spending $90 billion more, which is $5,400 more inflationary spending per family in this country. We hear daily from colleagues across the floor about how they are creating programs to help struggling Canadians from coast to coast. Canadians, though, want well-paying jobs and financial security, not higher deficits and more taxes, and certainly not more handouts. Canadian workers and businesses are paying the price for the Liberal government's out-of-control spending. In fact the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the PBO, told us that the Liberals' spending was unsustainable. This was backed up by the PBO's latest report, which found that the government even broke past Trudeau's fiscal guardrails when the deficit increased to $68.5 billion. It is an additional $20 billion or so in spending that has not even been included in the outlook of the Liberal platform. It is unsustainable; there is no question about it. Those of us who manage a family budget know exactly those numbers and what they mean. The government is simply maxing out the credit card for future generations to pay off with interest. This costly credit card budget is gambling away this country's future. It means that Canadians will now be spending more money on servicing the debt than we spend on health care in each province and territory in this country. The debt is so large that it eclipses the spending on major government initiatives. At least 10¢ of every dollar sent to Ottawa is now spent servicing the out-of-control debt by the Liberal government. Interest payments will reach $54 billion, which is 10.8% of total federal revenues. Conservatives have presented amendments to boost take-home pay and deliver affordable homes and food by ending the hidden taxes, to cut wasteful spending, to open our country up to opportunity, and, for heaven's sake, to get rid of the bureaucracy in order to build affordable homes. We call on the Prime Minister to work with us on this side of the House to support a positive, hopeful and affordable future for all Canadians. We know that Canadians are hard-working and very generous. They deserve better than the government has produced. Today is national day of giving in this country. I do not know if members knew this, but it was created in 2012. It is a simple idea: a day that encourages people in this country to do good things in their communities. I remember working at a radio station in Saskatoon when the morning man, Denny Carr, started a program in our city called Secret Santa Campaign. That was way back in 1983. Denny had a vision of ensuring that all Saskatoon children would receive a new toy at Christmas. People stopped by our station with unwrapped toys every week in advance of Christmas. Then Saskatoon City Hall got involved; it had an area set aside dedicated for people to drop off unwrapped toys. Then the Saskatoon Fire Department, whose members are here today in Ottawa, would go around our community singing Christmas carols, just to get people into the spirit. Yesterday, people gathered in my city at the traditional wieners and beans lunch to kick off the Secret Santa Campaign. I have to thank Rachael Steinke and her staff at the Saskatoon Community Foundation for a part of this tradition. I remember Denny starting this in 1983. Yesterday's event marked the 41st year of Secret Santa. Thousands of people in our community have given their time and donations, in memory of Denny Carr, to his Secret Santa Campaign. Today, in my city, over 100,000 children and 55,000 families in need have been assisted with toys, books and food hampers. I should add that, in 1999, Denny Carr was honoured with Canada's highest honour, the Order of Canada. Denny's belief was that one person could make a difference. Saskatoon has always punched above its weight when it comes to philanthropy. In 1997, a Saskatoon Progress Club member by the name of Ted Merriman, along with then B'nai Brith president Sid Katzman, started a care and share program to feed inner-city school students. I want to thank executive director Sandi Meldru, who organized this event. They have over 20 schools that they visit in the month of December. They partner with various businesses in Saskatoon, serving up a turkey Christmas meal with all the fixings. Staff members from each of the donating businesses also come out to dish out the food and clean up after the event, so the education staff can also enjoy a sit-down meal with the kids they teach. When I was a member of the board of education in Saskatoon as a trustee, it was always a highlight to volunteer at these schools over the lunch hour. They are supporting Christmas now in my city and others, but supporting Christmas in my city started with Saskatoon's the Star Phoenix newspaper, which gives much-needed funds to the Salvation Army's Christmas hamper program. Every week the Star Phoenix newspaper names people who have donated money. They are recognized in the newspaper. What a wonderful way to remember our loved ones, of whom many have given us enjoyment on our ball diamonds, ice facilities, football fields and other sport facilities. It is just a wonderful idea by Kevin Mitchell and I thank Saskatoon's The Star Phoenix for continuing this tradition. I salute Rawlco Radio, which has a campaign to adopt a family and is also helping out the Salvation Army. That was started in 1988. Through its hamper program, families receive food and grocery gift cards to ensure that no child will go without a Christmas meal. I thank Derek and Angela Kerr from the Salvation Army and their dedicated team. I should mention also the kettle campaign, for which many volunteer in every community in this country. They stand there, ring the bell and hopefully get some donations. The YMCA Saskatoon is raising funds all this month for its summer camps and child care spaces. The YMCA is the largest provider of child care in our city. We thank Tina and Jerry Grandey for matching donations this month of up to $40,000. I should mention our food bank, which has been taking donations at a very busy time, and Laurie O'Connor, the executive director. There have been 23,000 visits now per month in Saskatoon. That is a record demand in a province that is known for feeding the world with our agriculture community. I want to give a shout-out to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association. I joined them two weeks ago on a food bank drive in my riding in Rosewood. We went door to door collecting donations for the food bank. The need is great in our community. Donations for the Friendship Inn are coming in as well. It is open 365 days a year and serves over 500,000 meals. The campaign is called, “Hunger is happening. Fill the Plate”. The Blades will hold a teddy bear toss night. Fans are asked to bring a plush toy and throw it onto the ice when the team scores. Those teddies will then be collected and brought to the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital. Canadians are generous. The government needs to back off and let Canadians do the work.

Mr. Speaker, it is Giving Tuesday. Let us think about this from coast to coast. Those who have access to extra money give back to each and every community. That is what makes our communities. I know better what is happening in my community than the government does. Each of us, when we go back home, has a pretty good idea of what is happening because we go to events and listen to people. This is a way to get government out of the way. Once government and its bureaucracy are out of the way, then we can make a real difference in our communities.

Mr. Speaker, it is not only that $150 million. How about the $150 million the government is giving to the public CBC network for no reason whatsoever? Private institutions in this country are struggling, yet $1.4 billion is going to the CBC. It is part of Google now and gets a portion of that, and the Prime Minister decided during the campaign that was not enough and that the government was going to give another $150 million to the CBC. It is better spent in our communities. Canadians are standing up today, because it is Giving Tuesday, to make the decisions in their communities that they know are best.

Mr. Speaker, the member for Regina—Lewvan and I love the depot in Regina. The government has talked about moving that depot out of Saskatchewan to Quebec. There is enough nonsense about this. We have worked hard for the RCMP museum to get responsible funding so it can combine the indigenous story along with the story of the RCMP. In our province now, we have started a marshal program because the numbers are down on members of the RCMP. The Liberals have not done any recruiting whatsoever. They talk a good game, saying they are going to this or that and have border security, but where are the numbers? The number of members are down at the RCMP depot and at border security. The government talks a good game, but it does little.

Mr. Speaker, I have been looking forward to this debate all day on Bill C-14, an act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act. For the last 10 years in this country, crime has been going one way, and that is straight up. In fact, even in my home province of Saskatchewan and my city of Saskatoon, in the last decade under the Liberals, there have been pathetic soft-on-crime policies, and serious crime has gone up everywhere. I just looked at the Saskatoon Police Service website, and the crime stats are amazing. I am going to share some of them with members here today. If we compare today's crime stats to those of 10 years ago, assaults in my city are up 35%, kidnapping and hostage-taking are up 33%, sexual violations are up a massive 66%, and stalking and break and enters with firearms are both up 300%. That is over the last 10 years. My riding has the highest concentration of seniors in this country. In reading these numbers, I was reminded of an incident that took place in my riding of Saskatoon South this summer. I have to share it with everyone. A 75-year-old senior woman was taking her dog for a walk, as she normally does every day in the morning. They were walking by one of the beautiful community gardens we have in the riding, and as she was walking by, she noticed someone in the garden moving around from plot to plot. The senior then asked this lady if she actually had a plot in this garden and what she was doing. She said that if the person did not have a plot, she should leave, as some had spent hours with their garden. That was all it took for this 27-year-old to attack the 75-year-old senior walking her dog. The victim was grabbed by the hair, thrown to the ground and then attacked, believe it or not, with a gardening tool. We are grateful that this did not end as badly as it could have, but the victim lost a chunk of hair. There were no broken bones, but just think of the trauma this 75-year-old had while walking her dog and then getting into an incident with a 27-year-old. The attacker was apprehended thanks to the Saskatoon city police a short time after. The police found her hiding in a nearby bush and took her into custody. Guess what. She was charged with aggravated assault, assaulting a peace officer, breach of undertaking and breach of probation. Police say the woman punched a female special constable in the face while she was being booked into custody. No one is surprised that she was wanted elsewhere in the province. She ended up in Saskatoon South, and because of this gardening incident, she was finally caught. After hearing about this attack, I sent a sympathy card to this senior, and after receiving it, she showed up at my constituency office. She laid out the whole story in front of us about what happened that day: leaving her place with her dog, going through this community garden and finding this 27-year-old rummaging row by row. Then, of course, she talked about the crime that is happening in our city. Crime is, in fact, out of control after a decade of Liberal soft-on-crime policies. These are real stories. A 75-year-old woman, who normally feels safe in my city and my constituency, was attacked for no reason whatsoever. I will give a few more examples, if I can. Earlier this month, there was a big drug bust in my riding; it was in Stonebridge. According to the Saskatoon Police Service, on November 6, police seized over $22,000 in cash, 750 grams of fentanyl, over half a kilogram of meth, 362 grams of cocaine, multiple mobile phones and assorted paraphernalia consistent with the illegal drug industry. During the election, I specifically remember door knocking on that block. It is unnerving to think that I most likely knocked on that door in Stonebridge, completely unaware of what was happening on the other side. I wonder how many of us in the House have been in similar circumstances in their communities, when there have been incidents reported and later convictions. Members may have kind of wondered and said, “Oh yeah, I did door knock that area.” I wish I could tell members that was an isolated incident in my city, but the truth is I cannot. Just last year, police concluded a nine-month investigation that saw the arrests of five high-level drug dealers, three of whom were operating in my riding. The total amount of everything seized was as follows: 4.2 kilograms of cocaine, almost three kilograms of meth, $16,000 in cash, a nine-millimetre carbine rifle, a prohibited handgun, ammunition, cell phones, various other equipment, and multiple vehicles. In May, police arrested two men in Saskatoon for more drug trafficking. They conducted search warrants in a few locations in and around the city. They again seized a number of drugs, drug paraphernalia and over $400,000 in cash. During the summer, my colleague, the member for Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, and I met with the Saskatoon chief of police, Cam McBride. In fact, we met for over an hour. We discussed how soft-on-crime bail laws have allowed our cities to be taken over by violent repeat offenders. It was a fascinating conversation in my office. During this meeting, Cam McBride, the city police chief, said that officers who are on the streets arrest the same people so often that the officers know them by name, saying they catch them on Monday, they are released, back on the street, and then they catch them again on Tuesday night. This is a result of disastrous catch-and-release policies and lax liberal laws, such as Bill C-5 and Bill C-75. Earlier this year, I sent out a questionnaire to constituents asking what their views are on crime in our city. Overwhelmingly, the response was that the justice system needs to change in this country. The Liberals need to scrap their useless justice policies and adopt Conservative policies that actually are tough on crime. I have gone to many ride-alongs in my city with paramedics and police. The first thing I noticed is that they know people by name. Repeat offenders are picked up early in the day and, unfortunately, released in the afternoon or night. Last week in our city, the city police held a news conference to talk about a couple of issues. There are two hurdles that need to be navigated in my city for a full complement of officers to be realized: number one is recruitment and number two is the backlog. The provincial government is trying to help out. It has offered $8 million to pay for dozens of officers, but the public will unfortunately not see the impact any time soon. The city police in my city have asked for an increase of $158 million in the city budget. That will be debated next week in Saskatoon. Every community is under pressure for new hires. It is a growing challenge, with fewer people today interested in a career of policing. That is disappointing. I look at the RCMP in our province. We have had some major incidents, unfortunately, in our province over the last number of years. Hundreds more RCMP, if not thousands, are needed in our municipalities and cities to have the full complement of RCMP officers, which the government has promised. We are well short of that. In Saskatchewan right now, where we have the home of the RCMP Depot Division in Regina, we are short more than 100 RCMP officers in our communities. I just wanted to say, in wrapping up, that this is an important bill. We know that there are lots of shortfalls. We look forward to further debate on Bill C-14.

Mr. Speaker, it is ironic that the member is from the city of Victoria, as there have been many encampments and lots of crime over the last number of years in Victoria. As we have noticed, many people from Saskatchewan are not travelling to the United States of America these days, for one reason or another. We would like to be hosted in B.C., but the crime in his city of Victoria is as bad as anywhere else in the country. We are saying what the public wants to see right now, and we have been talking about this for three or four years. The Liberals have had 10 years to fix this, and now they are coming in with a band-aid approach to Bill C-75.

Mr. Speaker, no, of course we are not confident. I mean, over the last 10 years, this has been a disaster. The Liberals have finally woken up and realized that Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 were a joke. We on this side of the House have been talking about it for years. We need tougher action on bail and release. We need to get criminals behind bars. In downtown Calgary, 75 people were charged for most of the assaults and what is going on in the city. A small number of people in Calgary are causing the biggest headache for the police service in that city.

Mr. Speaker, the problem right now is being soft on crime. It is just wicked in this country. I give credit to my leader, who went coast to coast hearing from individuals across the country about extortion, which is why we wanted the emergency debate. The incidents are happening in Calgary, in Edmonton, in Vernon, in Surrey and in Ontario. There is a 330% increase in extortion, and nobody in the House, other than our leader and our Conservative Party of Canada members, are talking about it.

Madam Speaker, the budget is a major disappointment for my home province of Saskatchewan. There is nothing for canola, nothing for pulse, nothing for beef and nothing for the cities. I am very disappointed in yesterday's announcement. There is $260 million for the entire province. There is a bit for the RCMP museum. We do not know how much, but it was mentioned. There is a line in the budget. Then for La Ronge, and nothing else. There is nothing to help our farmers and nothing to help our producers. Yes, the Liberals are putting a lot of money into foreign mining, but that is it. I want the member to talk about why there is no support for the food producers of this country.

Mr. Speaker, the cost of groceries has become a daily burden on Canadians, and the Liberal government's policies are the main culprit. Years of heavy Liberal spending have fuelled inflation, making it more expensive for families just trying to get by. Farmers and shippers face higher costs, which then get passed to the consumer. The result is that food insecurity is rising, grocery bills are soaring and too many households in this country are simply one price shock away from overdraft. Over two million Canadians a month are visiting a food bank. Canadians want to be able to support their family and not have to rely on charity. It is time for the Liberals to hear the alarm bells and stop telling Canadians they have never had it so good. Canadians have sacrificed enough.

Mr. Speaker, every single dollar that the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians in the form of higher Liberal taxes and inflation. The Prime Minister said he would be judged by prices Canadians pay at the grocery store. A visit to the supermarket confirms that sugar is up 19%, strawberries are up 18% and even salad dressing is up 13%. This week, the Liberals voted against our motion to stop taxing food and remove their hidden food taxes. Why?

Mr. Speaker, I seconded the motion here today. All we are saying is that when the Prime Minister came in, he said to judge him by food costs. That is why the motion is what it is. I had the opportunity all summer to go to various food outlets in my city, Saskatoon. All one has to do is sit around the meat freezer. People come, and they have sticker shock. Families cannot afford to eat, and they are making choices, not good ones, at the grocery store. I can say that because I have hung around them in my city. I want the hon. member from New Brunswick to talk about that. Families are now making some drastic decisions at the food store, because of cost, that may not be healthy for their entire family.

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford. I was pleased to second this Conservative opposition day motion, because six months ago, the Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by the costs at the grocery store. In the last six months, Canadians have looked at the price of grocery store items. We will go through that in just a moment. I rise to speak out today on behalf of all the Canadians we represent. They are experiencing extreme hardship as a result of the failed Liberal policies of the last 10 years. The Liberals say they are a new government, but they are not. It is the same government that came in in 2015. The Liberal government is not hearing the general public. The Liberals are telling Canadians, as we have heard all day, that they have never had it so good. Poverty and food insecurity in this country have risen almost 40% in the last two years. The reality is very grim. If members have ever had the opportunity to visit a local grocery store to put food on the table for their family, it is a road show. I watch families when I am there. They stop, and the first thing they look for is specials, the second thing they look for is 50%-off items and the third thing they look for is expired items because they have been reduced. I sit and watch people in our grocery stores in Saskatoon, where I am from. It is amazing to watch them. I am really worried, and I fear for parents. Do they have enough money at the end of the month to put a decent meal on the table? Food inflation, as we all know, is 70% above the Bank of Canada's target. Food prices are up 40% since the Liberals took office 10 years ago. The Prime Minister told Canadians that they could measure his performance by the prices at the grocery store. That is why we have this opposition day motion. The horror show at the grocery store is the meat department. When people go through the meat department, they stop and ask whether they can afford a roast. They open the freezer and then shut the freezer. Why? It is because they cannot afford the price of beef. It is up 33%. I have seen it in grocery stores from coast to coast. We have heard the numbers, but just let them sink in. If someone puts a stew in their crockpot today, they will have to pay between 11% and 33% more just for the ingredients in that crockpot. Normally, it would be a lesser grade of beef going into the crockpot, but that still makes it 11% to 33% more. I have watched shoppers all over at our grocery stores. I just mentioned the meat, and they obviously cannot afford it. The items we put in our cart at the grocery store are up across the board, from 9% to 33%. Saskatchewan, the province I am honoured to call home, has long been called the world's food basket. Saskatchewan feeds not only this country but the world. I am going to give a shout-out. The harvest in my province is 68% complete right now, so many families are still in the fields. We wish them a very safe and prosperous harvest season. We still have over 30% to be put into the bin. We wish them all the best. Farmers are struggling more than ever just to produce the food we need not only in this country but around the world. The total net farm income decreased by $5.2 billion in 2024. That is over 40% from the year before. In Saskatchewan, it is down 36.1%. How can we expect farmers to survive and then thrive with a third of their income gone in the last two years? Stats Canada reports that the realized net income for Canadian farmers fell by $3.3 billion, or 25%, to $9.4 billion just in 2024. There are many reasons for that, and we will get into them. My wife, Ann, and I were honoured this August when we were asked to come to a Hutterite colony in Saskatchewan. I will not name it, but it was in southern Saskatchewan. I have many friends in the Hutterite community, and I see them a lot in Saskatoon, but this is the first time I have ever stepped foot in a Hutterite colony. We went for a long period, for a whole day. It was really interesting, and we enjoyed the experience. I certainly learned a lot. Farming is changing. It is undergoing huge changes. The colony has to diversify now. It raises chicks and exports them to Lilydale in Wynyard, Saskatchewan. Every 37 days, the chickens are exported to Wynyard, the barns are cleaned and then this process starts all over again. I should add that everything in that facility is automated, from the water to the feed. By the way, the colony in Saskatchewan even produces its own feed because it is a lot cheaper. It is a great way to farm and produce food for all those in Saskatchewan. Also, Costco takes all the colony's chickens in western Canada. However, the colony has had to diversify. It is now into steel because the prices of grain and canola have come down. When I sat to eat with the colony members, they told me that they felt farming is simply too risky today. There is the price of land and rent prices, as well as the weather and insurance costs. Right now, the colony is renting nine combines, which are changed out every two years. They cannot afford to buy the nine combines, but they can afford the lease every two years. Liberal policies have had a major effect on this colony in Saskatchewan. I thought I would mention that, because we often drive by these colonies in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. They look big and nice and are this and that, but they too are under pressure because of the Liberal policies. Let us now talk about the food bank in Saskatoon, which is the city I live in. I just told the House that my province is world-leading when it comes to food production, yet we saw a staggering 25% usage in 2024. We feed the world, yet the food bank in Saskatoon saw a staggering 25% increase because of these policies, with 43% of the people relying on the food bank being children. This reflects Saskatoon's high child poverty rate. The executive director, Laurie O'Connor, said that they are seeing 23,000 visits to the food bank monthly in Saskatoon, for about 8,000 hampers. More middle-class-income families are making their way to the food bank in Saskatoon, which is causing more demand. It is also being used by seniors and students. Students are back at the university, at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and they too are making their way to the food bank now. They simply cannot afford everyday living costs. Almost all grocery stores in our province have a bin at the door for food donations, which are given back to each community's food bank. The 23,000 visitors per month is an all-time high. I have volunteered for the food bank in the city I live in, and I never would have expected in my life for 23,000 people to come through the door of the Saskatoon food bank. I hope that the Prime Minister is listening to this today. Michael Kincade is the Food Banks of Saskatchewan executive director. He summed things up beautifully when he said, “By the time somebody goes to use a food bank [in my province], they've already starved.” We should think about that.

Madam Speaker, is that not disgusting? The gentleman comes from Hamilton, the home of steel in this country. Unemployment is running rampant in his community. I mentioned in the first line of my speech that I was rising today to talk about the extreme hardship in this country. The member bowled ahead and asked a question about my leader's running in Alberta. That does not matter. He has been elected. He represents the Conservative Party in Canada. He is the Leader of the Opposition. He makes many speeches in the House of Commons. The member should be ashamed tonight with respect to the people of Hamilton, because many of them have been laid off in the last month. We ask him and the Liberal Party what they have done for the steel industry.

Madam Speaker, the hon. member from the Bloc brought up a very good point. On this side of the House, we have already talked about temporary foreign workers. We have excluded them from agriculture. We know that food is valuable in this country. We need workers. We have only 68% of the harvest in the bin in my province. Let me say one thing, though. An MP from Ontario came to Saskatchewan this summer. He peeked out the window as the plane was landing in Saskatchewan, and he asked, “What's all that yellow thing over there? All the fields are yellow.” Can members guess what it was? It was canola. Who invented canola? Who researched canola? It was the province of Saskatchewan, and we will even drag Manitoba in as well. Today, when the tariffs are high and the price is going down, we have had little or no support from the Liberal government over the tariffs caused by China and the EVs in this country.

Madam Speaker, that is interesting. I was a school board trustee for 10 years in Saskatchewan, as well as a member of the Saskatchewan School Boards Association. In our city we have a program called CHEP, which feeds inner-city kids. It has been going for decades. Then the federal government came along and said it wanted to start a national food program. Can members guess what has happened? Bureaucracy comes first. When we started the food program, it was because there was a need in the inner city. As a result of the government's programs and bad policies over the last 10 years, now the food program has to come to the suburban city of Saskatoon because nobody can afford to eat.

Mr. Speaker, there are issues in every city in this country. I will give a few statistics from the police in my city of Saskatoon: Violent crime this year is up 12.5%, assaults are up 20% and criminal harassment is up 150%. This is why we feel, on this side of the House, that the Liberals have been obstructing every police force in the country with Bill C-5 and Bill C-75. I do not have to tell members about the gruesome killings in my province a couple of years ago at James Smith reserve. Myles Sanderson killed 11 people and hurt 16 others. He had 59 convictions, yet he was out on bail. This is why we are bringing forward the motion today. I want the hon. member to comment on Myles Sanderson's killing 11—

Mr. Speaker, we have all gone on ride-alongs. When someone goes on a police ride-along, the police officer might say, “There's Jerry. I picked him up on Monday. This is Wednesday and we're going to pick him up again.” The Liberal government has caused this through obstruction, with Bill C-5 and Bill C-75. We have had two horrific incidents in Saskatchewan. A fatal shooting of a 44-year-old woman on a highway near Weyburn left people in that area scared. She was just driving along on the weekend and was shot and killed in her car. Two men have also been charged after a targeted shooting in Regina, with 23 bullets shot in the Eastview community. An 11-year-old girl was injured. I want the hon. member to comment on those incidents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a dissenting report, in both official languages, on behalf of the Conservative members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, on the House-ordered study undertaken by the committee on the recent job cuts announced at the CBC. The CBC cut hundreds of jobs while awarding lavish bonuses. This disgraceful abuse of taxpayer dollars when Canadians are struggling for financial survival has contributed to the growing movement to defund the CBC. Conservatives therefore recommend that the following actions be taken: Reject the bonuses, fire the Prime Minister and defund the CBC. It is my honour to table the dissenting opinion on behalf of the members of the Conservative Party.

Madam Speaker, I am going to get back to the green slush fund. It is interesting, because SDTC was started in 2001. It was actually a pretty good government agency for a long time until the Liberals filled the board with appointments in 2018, and then we had this $400-million slush fund. Canadians want to know where the money is coming from. I would ask for the member's thoughts on this. With green technology and innovation, it was good in 2001, but the Liberals destroyed it now with their partisan appointments in 2018.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a dissenting report, in both official languages, on harms caused to children, women and men by the ease of access to, and online viewing of, illegal sexually explicit material. It was a Conservative motion that led to this important study to bring understanding to the real harm experienced by many Canadians within virtual spaces. Conservative members of this committee believe that the report fell short in a number of areas, notably that women are overwhelmingly the primary targets of online harms. Current legislation fails to include deepfakes. Existing legislation must be amended to address the criminal nature of online harms. A victim-centric approach and more effort are needed to prevent uploading of illegal sexually explicit material. There is a growing need to protect Canadians from the threat of online harms, and the Liberal government's online harms legislation, Bill C-63, will not satisfy the need for protection and will only limit the freedoms of Canadians. It is my honour to table this dissenting opinion on behalf of members of the Conservative Party.

Madam Speaker, first I want to acknowledge all the veterans across this great country. As members of Parliament, we will all be heading back to our constituencies and will take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies. I was happy to attend the Poppy Campaign launch in Saskatoon just a couple of weeks ago, and this Saturday I will be selling poppies in support of all our veterans and legions in my community. Reg Harrison was in attendance at the Poppy Campaign launch in Saskatoon. Reg was a World War II hero, in my estimation. He survived numerous crashes and close calls. There is a book about him, Tales of a Bomber Pilot Who Defied Death, authored by Deana Driver. What is amazing is that Reg "Crash" Harrison was signing the books last year at the Nutana Legion in Saskatoon. He was 101 years old, and now he is 102 years old. He was named an honorary Snowbird with the renowned Canadian Forces aerobatics display team, which flies under the same squadron number as the one Reg served in for England. We were in Moose Jaw just a few years ago and saw “Reg ‘Crash’ Harrison” printed on one of the planes. That is a bit of history as we head into Remembrance Day weekend. I would like to give a shout-out to all the veterans and a reminder that Monday in Saskatoon we will host, yet again, the largest indoor Remembrance Day service in this country. Over 8,000 people attend at SaskTel Centre to remember our veterans. We must thank and remember our veterans for the freedom we all enjoy today. I just wanted to say that up front because my community of Saskatoon is very proud of the veterans. This weekend we will be selling poppies, and then Monday we are going to celebrate and be involved in the Remembrance Day ceremony in Saskatoon. It is my pleasure to rise on behalf of the constituents of Saskatoon—Grasswood to once again speak about the corruption of the Liberals. They are refusing to obey an order of the House that states they simply have to hand over the documents regarding another scandal of the Liberal Party, not anyone else's scandal. Another scandal has come out of the government, and I am sure that by now Canadians are getting used to the scandals, unfortunately, since the Prime Minister took office in 2015. This one, though, believe me, is far more significant than the others. We are talking about close to $400 million, $390 million to be exact. The Liberals are going to tremendous lengths, weeks upon weeks here in the House, not wanting to simply lay down the unredacted documents we have requested. In fact you, Madam Speaker, were part of the ruling earlier. Parliament has ground to a halt for weeks because of the Liberals' unwillingness to hand over these documents to the public. It is not us, as opposition members; we are trying to make the government accountable. It simply is not accountable, as it has been in the past, which is why we have been at this for five or six weeks in the House. The $400 million of mismanaged taxpayer money shows once again how the government treats the hard-earned money of all Canadians. Furthermore, since we are talking about taxpayer dollars, I will say that Canadians have a right to know what the government is doing with their money. Although we already know where it went, the government refuses to admit it. Indeed we know, since the Auditor General has indicated that the money went to Liberal friends whom cabinet had appointed to the board of Sustainable Development Technology Canada, better known as SDTC. We are calling it the green slush fund. It is green for a very good reason, and that is the money that was going into the pockets of the Liberals' friends. It is interesting, as we continue with this debate, that we could be here for months. It is important to note that the government was directly in charge of appointing the board members of this fund. This company was actually a pretty good company. It was formed in 2001, and it was very good. A lot of start-ups went to this company, got some help and proceeded on. All of a sudden, the government took over in 2015, and it made changes to the board in 2016 and 2017. Those Liberal insiders worked their way onto the board, and they were at the trough for close to $400 million, or 186 conflicts of interest, I should say. Those are 186 instances where taxpayer money could have gone to help families struggling with the cost of living and businesses trying to stay afloat. Instead, the money was funnelled to companies with ties to senior Liberal officials. Even worse is that $58 million of that money went to companies that should not even have been considered by SDTC. Canadians are asking questions. They want to see all governments be accountable. They want to see all governments be responsible. Both are lacking, obviously, with the Liberal federal government. We saw this with Sustainable Development Technology Canada, SDTC, once a proud government agency. Many companies used it, as I mentioned, to promote new technologies. In fact, on their website it says, “from seed to success”. It was success from 2001 to 2015. The website today says there are three funding streams. Number one is a “one-time non-repayable contribution of $50,000 to $100,000 to validate an idea.” Number two was to “be nominated by one of SDTC’s 90+ accelerator partners.” Number three was to “have raised $100,000 to $200,000 from accredited investors.” One, two, three, it is simple. This is frustrating, and Canadians have noted a pattern with the government. There is simply no respect for the average taxpayer. I sit on the heritage committee. Would members like for me to start on the CBC bonuses that were handed out by the government earlier in the year? It was $18 million, with $3.3 million going to the CBC executives, averaging over $70,000 per executive, handed over by either the Minister of Heritage or the Privy Council. They have now said they know their KPIs, they just have to keep going. KPIs, by the way, are key performance indicators. They have never met them. There are 14; CBC met three. What did they do? They lowered the KPIs so they could all get the bonuses, and that is what happened. The trust is down. Ad revenue is down. Viewership is down. It is surprising that the minister and the Privy Council signed off on these massive bonuses to the executives. The Liberal government then wonders why Canadians coast to coast to coast are upset. The finance minister said that the budget deficit would then not go over $40 billion. I remember the hon. member standing in the House talking about how they will not have a deficit over $40 billion. However, the Parliamentary Budget Officer said the other day that we are headed to a deficit of nearly $47 billion. That is $7 billion over, nearly 20% over the original $40 billion that the finance minister said she would never go over. Are we surprised with any of this? The government then decided, because it needs money as it continues to print money and give bonuses and spread to its friends, to go after the capital gains. People who spent decades planning for their retirement are now being targeted by the government. In the Prime Minister's Canada, so many are forced to line up today at food banks, which is a shame. What could we feed this country with $400 million? I have been to the Salvation Army in Saskatoon, which has a wonderful summer program that feeds kids at parks. It said today that one in four parents in this country had cut back on their own food consumption to ensure their children have enough to eat in the past year. In the past year alone, 58% of those who accessed the organization's food banks did so for the very first time. It was startling to hear that today. It is unbelievable what is going on in this country. I have talked before about the fact that I come from a province that not only feeds Canada but feeds the world. It is the food basket of the world, and yet today there are more people in my province of Saskatchewan going to the food bank for the first time. I am very nervous. The holiday season is coming up. People in our communities, and everywhere in the country, are nervous about where they are going to get the extra cash needed for Christmas, but also for food. We are concerned about this. The Auditor General was very clear in the report that the fault falls clearly back on the government's industry minister, who, in the words of the Auditor General, “did not sufficiently monitor” the contracts given out to Liberal insiders. To give Canadians an idea of the Liberal corruption, I note there were 186 conflicts of interest. We have next week off and there is going to be a cabinet shuffle. I wonder if the Minister of Industry will be one of those people shuffled out, because this is a disaster that Canadians are starting to take notice of. I notice the hon. member for Winnipeg North cites The Hill Times. I keep citing Canada's national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. Three weeks ago, the editorial said that Conservatives are right to ask for the unredacted papers. That is The Globe and Mail's editorial board. It is not The Hill Times, it is the editorial board of Canada's most successful newspaper. It is Canada's national newspaper. Even the board of The Globe and Mail agrees with the Conservatives, the opposition, that we are within our right asking for the unredacted documents. The parliamentary secretary keeps talking about The Hill Times, which most Canadians do not read, or do not even know what it is, but Canadians do know that The Globe and Mail stands for integrity. We are concerned because there was a board member appointed by the green slush fund way back in 2016, just a year after Liberals took office, who runs a venture capital called, as we all have heard from day to day, Cycle Capital. Her company received a total of $250 million from this green slush fund. Some of that came before she was a board member, so that is fine, but $114 million came to the company she had invested in while she was on the board. When someone takes governance training, and I would think this company, SDTC, had governance training, they are told that as a member of the board, they must recuse themselves when the board is talking about their company. They must leave the room. We heard that several of these board members just stood in the back, waited for the vote and just nodded their head. Their company was up to receive money and they were watching to see what the board was going to do. This is governance 1.8. It is unreal that members of the board of governors would be allowed to stay in the boardroom as other members were talking about millions of dollars going to their companies. This is inexcusable at the lowest level of the Liberal government. How can the board members stay on the board when they are talking about giving millions of dollars to their company and they know first-hand that they should have left the room? They also know that it is not good that their company is getting money from SDTC, yet it has come about. We have seen all the allegations, almost $400 million. That is ridiculous. Right now, Canadians from coast to coast are paying over 50% income tax in a lot of cases. They are upset over many things that our party has brought out over the last number of weeks in the House. They are upset with the carbon tax because they have now seen the playing field in this country shift dramatically with the election in the United States. There, they do not have a carbon tax. Our energy companies in my province of Saskatchewan and in Alberta are going to be under siege. They have been under siege since 2015, when the government took over. There is an environment minister who is completely against energy in this country. He would rather go to Venezuela. He would rather go to Russia and other diplomatic countries that we should not be dealing with on energy, rather then deal with the clean energy that we produce in the prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. We are concerned about that. We are going to see, and we have already seen, companies move their money down to Texas en masse. We have been concerned for a number of years, but now that Trump will be taking over, we are going to see a massive amount of money leave this country. One of the reasons is the carbon tax. The carbon tax has hurt this country. We will axe the tax. We will build the homes. I know that a lot of Liberals laugh at us on this side of the House because they say the member for Carleton has a plan that makes no sense. Stu Niebergall is the executive director of the Regina and Region Home Builders' Association. Today, he said that the federal Conservative leader's promise to cut the general sales tax, better known as the GST, on new home construction is a brilliant idea that will save families hundreds of dollars a month. They estimate at least $250 a month on mortgage payments. The member for Carleton's proposal would apply to new homes worth up to $800,000. I can tell members that they can get a pretty good home in Saskatchewan for $800,000. They probably cannot in the Toronto area, the GTA, or Vancouver, but in our province of Saskatchewan, they could get a pretty good home for $800,000. That is from Regina, talking about the member for Carleton coming through, cutting the GST. It would save young families trying to get into the housing market $250 a month. In terms of stopping the crime and fixing the budget, I do not have to tell members about fixing the budget. I have talked for 18 minutes about the corruption of the Liberals, who have spent millions and millions of dollars. I could go through their corruption since I got elected in 2015, but we would be here all night. I am only going to talk about the green slush fund, which we know was worth $400 million. The sponsorship scandal was $42 million, and it took down the Chrétien government. We could not give enough golf tees and golf balls away back then. That was $42 million. This is 10 times the amount. It is no wonder that they do not want to give the RCMP the unredacted documents. That would be historic for the Liberal Party. The green slush fund, as we all know in this country, is corrupt; it needs to be overhauled. It will take a Conservative government to overhaul it because the current government, since it came into power in 2015, has done nothing but destroy the green slush fund, which was SDTC to everybody who used it before 2015.

Madam Speaker, I think Canadians are astonished. We had a new board chair of SDTC, and the answers the public want to know deal with governance. The hon. member has a successful farm. He was successful in education too, and with education, of course, comes governance. We saw a lack of responsibility and accountability, with 186 conflicts of interest from the board since 2017. That is the issue. SDTC was a pretty good company until about late 2016 to 2017. What does the minister think about the governance issues or lack thereof?

Madam Speaker, it is obvious why we are having this debate. We brought this forward in June and, five months later, the government has still not brought the documents out. I will tell members why the government does not want to have the unredacted documents. It does not have an agenda. Its members are happy to sit, day after day, talking about this. They have no political agenda and have simply run out of ideas. When they run out of ideas, they sit and waste time. We, the opposition, brought this up, as members well know, in June. Five months later, we are still talking about it. The Liberals are happy to go on for another five months because they have no political agenda. They are wiped out for ideas with respect to this country.