Parliamentary Speeches

Mr. Speaker, harvest is here and families in London and across rural Middlesex are being squeezed. Diesel is nearly double what it was last year. Combines use hundreds of litres a day. Farmers say the year looks bleak. One in three households in Middlesex—London is food-insecure. Grocery prices keep climbing because fuel, fertilizer and trucking costs get passed down the line. After years of Liberal taxes, carbon taxes and anti-development laws, work pays less and life costs more. Manufacturers, truckers and farm families pay first. Conservatives would scrap the industrial carbon tax on fertilizer and fuel, repeal the laws that block Canadian energy and housing, and deliver the fastest permits and lowest taxes, so that we can grow food, build homes and create jobs here at home. Conservatives would save Canadians money. Our economic action plan would put paycheques and affordability first. Canadians in London and rural Canada deserve a country where they can actually afford to live.

Mr. Speaker, I am excited to welcome everyone to Middlesex—London this summer for the Canadian Plowing Championships in Strathroy. As the member of Parliament for this area, I am proud to extend a warm southwestern Ontario welcome to all of the competitors, families and visitors who have come from across Canada to take part in this national event. This championship is a wonderful celebration of the skill, precision and innovation of Canadian farmers. Whether someone is a returning competitor or attending for the first time, they will enjoy exciting plowing competitions, hands-on exhibits and demonstrations of the latest agriculture techniques, all in the spirit of our rural community and hospitality. I want to thank the volunteers, organizers and board members whose dedication makes this event possible. Welcome to Strathroy. I hope everyone has a fantastic time at the Canadian Plowing Championships this summer.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is the only G7 leader and Canada is the only G20 country that is currently in a recession. Full-time workers are living in RVs because they cannot afford homes. Families are spending over 120% of their income on food and rent, and two in five Canadians are struggling to put food on their tables, all while a record 2.2 million Canadians are having to rely on food banks. The recession is not global forces; it is Liberal choices. Will the Prime Minister reverse his costly policies so Canadians can afford to live?

Mr. Speaker, Liberal claims of success are completely detached from reality. Canadians are crowdfunding their way through this cost of living crisis, and the Prime Minister has blown nearly $1 million on luxury inflight catering on just 14 flights, including $175,000 on one single flight. That bill could feed a family in Middlesex—London for 55 years. Canadians cannot afford groceries, so will the Prime Minister stop his outrageous luxury lifestyle, on the taxpayer's dime, and reverse his policy so Canadians can afford to live again?

Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank my colleague. I am one of the rare people in this chamber who had an opportunity to work with her as a staff member. Actually, I was a volunteer afterwards, when I left the Hill and being a staffer. She was chair of the National Prayer Breakfast for four years. I just want to thank her for her service on that as well. She really brought a lot of meaning to that role as chair, and I admire her faith, her conviction and how she is not afraid to share that with everybody else. I thank her for being such a great example to me and other staffers on the Hill as well. We will miss seeing her here. Congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, every other G20 nation is facing the same global headwinds as Canada is, yet under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 nation facing a recession. In the last few days, we have learned even more about the dire state of our economy under his watch. The economy has shrunk in three of the last four quarters, per capita GDP is stagnating, and our productivity has hit a seven-year low. Will the Prime Minister admit that his failed policies have caused this recession, or will he keep denying the reality lived by millions of Canadians who are suffering under his watch?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot trust the half-truths or honeyed words coming off the lips of any of the Liberals right now. The Parliamentary Budget Officer gives a less than 1% chance that the Liberal government will meet its own fiscal anchor. Banks forecast growth of 0.5% in 2026. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for delivering Canada's last-place economy, or will he keep borrowing and keep spending so he can take credit for our economic collapse?

Mr. Speaker, in March 1974, a 16-year-old girl from a Polish immigrant family went on a school trip to Greece. She was an adventurer with no fear. On that trip, she met a 19-year-old Dutch boy, also from an immigrant family. Back home, he asked her out on their first date and took her to the boys' athletic club, of which he was the president. Even though he taught her how to drive a motorcycle, her parents approved of the nice Dutch boy. She graduated high school in June 1976 and two weeks later, on July 10, they were married. From starting out farming Dutch sets together and losing their entire crop to later farming with her family, they built a produce farm that became the first farm in Canada to market many potatoes. They raised three children on their own and then welcomed a fourth when he was 14. They volunteer in churches and are an example of putting faith first in all they do. This incredible couple, Diane and Theo Rood, are celebrating 50 years of marriage on July 10. It is a milestone we seldom see. I am incredibly proud to call them Mom and Dad. I thank them for their support and for always being an example of faith, family and love. Jeremy, Anna and I love them. Congratulations, and happy 50th anniversary, Mom and Dad.

Mr. Speaker, StatsCan confirmed another $17-billion exodus for the start of the year. That is more money leaving Canada than is coming in. Over $1 trillion has left since 2015. The Prime Minister is pitching Canada as an investment hub, all while his policies are the most restrictive in the G7 for foreign capital. It is almost like he does not know what he is doing. Let us start with the basics. Do the Liberals believe that Canada should be a country that is a magnet for jobs and capital, or do they think that Canada should be a country where ambitions go to die?

Mr. Speaker, let me make this simple for my colleague, who just totally missed the point. The Prime Minister, his boss, holds 91% of his personal investments in the United States. Deep down, it feels like the Liberals know that they have purposely built a failing economy that is driving jobs, capital and opportunity straight out of Canada, straight to the United States, where the Prime Minister keeps his money. Let me ask this: Are they doing this to help him cash in and get rich quick, while the rest of us take the hit?

Mr. Speaker, hard-working Canadian families are being financially crushed by the government, and it is no accident. A mountain of reckless inflationary spending and wasteful Liberal policies are what is weighing them down. The government blew $300 million on the failed PrescribeIT app that never worked and $200 million on a Nova Scotia spaceport that is no more than a concrete pad. It spent over $1 billion a year propping up the CBC productions that, quite frankly, nobody watches or wants to watch. Billions get wasted on foreign aid that promotes ideological agendas, props up corrupt foreign officials or gets diverted to terrorist groups like Hamas. It spent $19 billion on insider consultants and nearly $1 billion on deluxe health benefits for fake refugees. This reckless spending is driving up grocery bills and mortgages. Conservatives demand an end to this behaviour. Let us cut the waste, balance the budget, keep our tax dollars in Canada and deliver real results for Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the hard-working small business owners, farmers and families in my riding of Middlesex—London, I say enough is enough. Bill C-30, the Liberal government's spring economic update implementation bill, does little to improve the quality of life for Canadians but does saddle them with lost investment opportunities and more generational debt. After months of the Prime Minister promising real change, Canadians are receiving more of the same temporary band-aids and half measures that fail to address the root causes of the affordability crisis, which is making life more expensive for every family across the country. Let me be perfectly clear from the outset: This is not a serious economic policy but a collection of short-term, worthless political gestures designed to create headlines while the Liberals avoid making the hard decisions that Canada needs to get our economy back on track. What does Bill C-30 actually deliver? It provides a temporary suspension of the federal excise tax on gasoline and diesel, but only until September 7. That is just four and a half months of partial relief. After that, the taxes snap right back, so families will be struggling at the pumps, small businesses will still face high operating costs and farmers will still have to pay more to bring food to our tables. For those in Middlesex—London, where our rural roads stretch for kilometres and agriculture is the backbone of our local economy, this bill provides no relief at all. Farmers rely on diesel to run tractors, combines and transport trucks. Truckers haul our produce to market. Families drive long distances just to get to the city to buy groceries, go to a medical appointment or go to the grocery store. What the Liberal government is offering is not meaningful support. The bill gives it the opportunity for photo ops, plain and simple. It is a short-term gimmick to distract from the real pain that Canadians are facing every single day. Conservatives have been crystal clear. We want the permanent removal of all federal taxes on fuel for the remainder of 2026 and beyond. That would deliver real, tangible results and savings of roughly 25¢ per litre at the pumps for families, truckers and farmers right across the country. That is about $1,200 a year for an average family. That is real help for the producers who keep our grocery store shelves stocked. Instead, the Liberals are offering this fleeting discount and calling it leadership. I call it what it is, which is insufficient and insulting to people who are struggling. This pattern of temporary fixes repeats throughout the bill. There are minor tweaks to tax deductions for tradespeople, short extensions to EI benefits, small adjustments to the Canada pension plan and a few technical changes, such as an enhanced capital cost allowance. These may sound good in Liberal press releases and offer some temporary minor relief to some Canadians, but they do nothing to solve the real root causes of the problems, which are reckless Liberal spending, exploding Liberal deficits and a government that refuses to live within its means. The so-called hero banker PM has run the federal deficit nearly double in less than a year, and there is nothing to show for it. We are now looking at the largest deficit, outside of the pandemic, in our history. The national debt exceeds $1.3 trillion. Interest payments alone now cost taxpayers more than $59 billion annually, more than we spend on health transfers to the provinces. Every Canadian family is effectively paying over $3,400 a year just to service this debt. That is money that could go toward schools and hospitals, or back into the pockets of hard-working Canadians, the ones who earned it. While families in Middlesex—London are being forced to choose between filling their gas tank or their grocery cart and between paying the hydro bill or the mortgage, the Liberals are busy creating new funds and new ways to spend the money we do not have. They call it an “investment in the future”, but Canadians, especially rural Canadians, call that more debt being passed on to our children and grandchildren. As someone who comes from a farming background, I hear every week from constituents that high fuel costs, with carbon taxes layered on top, and red tape are threatening the family farms that have been in operation for generations. These are the people who work from dawn to dusk to produce the food we all depend on, yet the government continues to punish them with policies that drive up their input costs while grocery prices keep climbing for everyone else. The bill captures the Liberal approach perfectly: It manages the crisis instead of solves it and offers temporary relief instead of structural reform. The Liberals spend more, tax more and regulate more, and then hope no one notices when the bill is due. If I were not a responsible, functioning adult, I might think that was a good idea. The Conservatives offer a fundamentally different vision, one grounded in common sense and fiscal responsibility. We believe that the government should live within its means, just as families and farmers across Middlesex—London do every single day. That starts with permanently axing the carbon tax, not just the consumer portion but the entire carbon tax, including the industrial backstop that is driving up the cost of fuel, fertilizers and natural gas for drying grain and heating barns. The Conservatives would cut wasteful bureaucracy and the billions of dollars that are being squandered to consultants. We would repeal antidevelopment laws, such as Bill C-69, that block pipelines, energy projects and resource development. We would get serious about building homes by slashing red tape, speeding up approvals, incentivizing municipalities to build faster and removing the barriers that have made home ownership a distant dream for young families in our communities. Only the Conservatives would unleash our natural resources responsibly so that Canada could be a leader in affordable, reliable energy, not just for ourselves but also for our allies around the world. By developing our oil and gas and critical minerals responsibly, we could create good jobs in ridings like mine that are rich in nearby manufacturing and development. We could also lower energy prices at home, strengthen our economic sovereignty and ensure that Canada is no longer held hostage by foreign supply chains. I reject the idea that Canadians must keep paying higher taxes so that Ottawa can keep spending recklessly. I believe hard-working families deserve to keep more of their own money. I believe farmers and small businesses should not be punished for producing the foods and goods that keep this country running. I believe that the best way to help people is not through more government programs and subsidies, but through lower taxes, less red tape and real economic growth that creates opportunities for everyone. Bill C-30 would fail the test on every level. It is another chapter in the long, Liberal story of big promises and small results. It is more illusions of affordability, more illusions of fiscal irresponsibility and more credit card budgeting that would leave future generations to pay the price. I am fed up. Canadians are fed up. They are tired of seeing their grocery and gas bills and their receipts go up, while their paycheques stay the same and their purchasing power shrinks. They are tired of broken promises from a government that talks about hope but purposely does nothing in its power to keep people from feeling hopeless. Canadians are tired of being told to just wait, while cynical Liberal politicians in Ottawa play games with their hard-earned money and their children's futures. In Middlesex—London, the stories are the same. There are young couples unable to afford their first home, small business owners going bust because people cannot afford to go out anymore and seniors stretching fixed incomes to cover rising utilities. The people of Canada deserve better. They deserve a government that puts families first, respects taxpayers and focuses on the real priorities. They deserve affordable homes, lower costs at the pump and the grocery store, safer communities, and a strong, self-reliant Canada that stands on its own two feet. That is exactly what Conservatives would deliver. We would bring common sense back to Ottawa. We would make life more affordable for every Canadian family. We would cut taxes, build homes that Canadians need, fix the budget and unleash the energy and resources that power our prosperity. We would rebuild Canada, where the next generation could actually get ahead and not just get by. The choice before the House and before Canadians is clear. They can accept temporary gimmicks or demand a permanent solution. They can accept more debt or demand real relief. They can accept illusions or demand results. The Conservatives have chosen common sense. Will the Liberals listen to us?

Mr. Speaker, the member's question fails to address something I can speak to, as I am someone who works in the agriculture industry and works daily with people in the agriculture industry. I can say that, since the carbon tax was implemented in Canada, our costs have gone up exponentially. Every single input cost in this country has gone up, and that started long before any conflict started around the globe. I hear this from farmers every single day. Fuel costs are through the roof and fertilizer costs are through the roof. The government continues to pile on red tape and more bureaucracy that tie the hands of our producers, the ones who feed us. We should all be doing all we can to make sure it is easier to produce food in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her very thoughtful question. Recently I have had the opportunity to sit down in London with homebuilders, developers and people who actually want to buy a home. I am hearing the same thing across my riding and across the country. We need to cut bureaucracy and red tape to make homes more affordable. Builders cannot build if they have to pay too many taxes. If the cost of a home now has hundreds of thousands of dollars in development charges, young families cannot afford to buy their first home. We need to work together with municipal governments to find a way to cut red tape, cut taxes and incentivize builders to build homes that Canadians can afford.

Mr. Speaker, I hear from constituents every day. Tony from Denfield wrote to me and said, “The Prime Minister says that Canadians need to suffer for a little while. Why can't the Liberals take half reduction in income so that they can feel the effects?” John from Newbury said, “Cost of living is too high. People cannot afford groceries, let alone housing. What happened to fiscal responsibility? Tired of being forgotten.” Ted from Putnam says, “Please keep fighting for the everyday taxpayer, and never forget who pays the bills. It seems like the other parties have forgotten where the buck stops.” Well, I could not agree more with that. Conservatives will continue fighting every day to make sure that Canadians are not forgotten and that we hold this Liberal government to account.

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply honoured today to table petition e-7025. This petition, initiated by a concerned Canadian from Glencoe in my riding of Middlesex—London, calls on Parliament to amend the Parliament of Canada Act. It asks that any member of Parliament who crosses the floor to join another party must vacate their seat and trigger a by-election in their riding. This is important because Canadians elect MPs under a specific party banner to represent their values and priorities. Unrestricted or unintentionally sought-out floor crossings erode voter trust and undermine the democratic will of the constituency each MP represents. I am proud to stand for greater accountability alongside the 111,158 Canadians from across the country who signed in support of this important call to strengthen our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to blame global factors for skyrocketing gas and grocery prices while offering Canadians only a partial, temporary tax cut. They have been playing with matches for years, printing money and hiking the carbon tax and the fuel standard tax. Now they act surprised that their house is on fire. Canadians see through their excuses in repeated speeches offering more illusions. When will they stop the blame game, take responsibility and give families real relief by removing all federal taxes on gas and diesel for the rest of the year?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister warned Canadians about making hard sacrifices, but now he is refusing to show up at the bargaining table with our largest trading partner. Liberal taxes make Canadians pay 20% more for gas. His fearmongering is making relations worse and hurting our economy. He is deliberately pitting Canadians against the United States, all while the Liberals cozy up to the CCP. We could be expanding our resource industry and building our nation as a global leader. Instead, we get state-sponsored propaganda to cover up all the Liberal failures. When will the Prime Minister stop making excuses and take responsibility?

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply troubled by the profound tragedy that occurred Sunday at Sarnia's Lambton College campus. My heart goes out to his family and all who knew 20-year-old Dane Nisbet, a promising young former junior hockey player who was taken far too soon, and also to the two others who were injured. This senseless and unnecessary act of violence has shaken the community. We all know it could have been prevented. The primary suspect was already under a court order prohibiting him from possessing firearms and has a rap sheet a mile long. He was arrested in March for assault with a weapon and failure to comply. Last May, he was arrested on two counts of assault with a weapon and a breach of order, and he was previously charged with assaulting an elderly man. This guy should never have been on the streets. It is absolutely insane how he was not in jail. Who bears the responsibility for this? It is the Liberal catch-and-release bail policies that continue to place dangerous offenders back on our streets instead of keeping them behind bars. We must fix these failed policies now to protect innocent lives. Canadians deserve safer—

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, when asked about rising gas prices, the Prime Minister said that he is still looking at how to help cushion the blow for Canadians. Let me help him out. The reality is that the federal government will collect more royalties than it would cost to eliminate all of the federal fuel taxes for the rest of the year. Conservatives have proposed cutting these taxes to save 25¢ a litre at the pump for Canadians. Will the Liberals help Canadians, adopt our Conservative plan and just cut the taxes?

Mr. Speaker, that is still more rhetoric and no results from the Liberals. Canadians have been pinching their pennies for long enough. The Liberals have the ability to use $5 billion of their $9 billion windfall to suspend the excise tax, the GST on gas and diesel, and permanently eliminate the clean fuel taxes and the carbon taxes. That would deliver over $1,200 in savings this year for a family of four. Will the Liberals stop lining their own pockets for once, do the right thing and cut the gas taxes for Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, affordability of goods and services in Canada is the number one concern for Canadians. We cannot control what happens abroad, but the Liberals control the policies that are making life more expensive here at home. We have the worst food price inflation in the G7 and the only shrinking economy. The Prime Minister is ramming through his newly renamed carbon tax, the clean fuel standard, harming farmers, fishermen and every family buying food. Add on the industrial carbon tax on steel, aluminum, plastic and farm equipment. These costs are made here in Canada, not abroad. As Tom from London told me, the price of a pack of eight burgers jumped from $15 to $18.50. That is 23% in weeks. Delores from Strathroy said it plainly: “The Prime Minister has no clue how the average Canadian lives.” Bill from Fallowfield warned, “We're heading for a country-wide recession.” When will the Liberals accept responsibility and remove the policies that are crushing Canadian families?

Mr. Speaker, I keep hearing from farmers and producers that Liberal red tape and taxes are choking the life out of them and threatening our food sovereignty. Nearly 90% of food businesses believe that the future of Canadian agriculture is at risk. Liberal red tape means punishing regulations, and the industrial carbon and fuel taxes are driving up the cost of production across the entire food supply chain. How high will grocery prices have to skyrocket before the Liberals stop strangling Canadian farmers with taxes and red tape?

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that 10 years of bad Liberal policies and hidden taxes have driven Canadian food inflation to 7.3%, which is the highest in the G7 and far more than double the rate in the U.S. This is a Liberal-led, made-in-Canada problem that is driving up food prices and driving Canadian producers right out of business. With 70% of all food produced domestically, including 80% of our processed foods, when will the Liberals actually take this seriously and start cutting taxes and red tape for our farmers?

Madam Speaker, auto workers in Ontario are getting pink slips; thousands of jobs are gone at CAMI, Stellantis, GM Oshawa and others. Now the Prime Minister is forcing taxpayers to subsidize over two billion dollars' worth of foreign EVs. Canadians deserve better than to be sold out to the Americans. Instead of handing billions of dollars in subsidies to American-made EVs and killing Canadian jobs, will the Liberals co-operate with Conservatives and adopt our plan to remove the tax from Canadian-made cars?

Madam Speaker, let me clarify this and put it clearly for Canadians: Canadian auto workers are losing thousands of jobs, and our domestic production is collapsing, while the Liberals are forcing Canadian taxpayers to subsidize foreign-made electric vehicles. This includes the Jeep Compass EV, which should have brought jobs right here to Ontario. When will the Liberals stop their betrayal and adopt our plan to remove the tax on Canadian-made cars to save jobs here at home?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from London for his very thoughtful intervention. The member mentioned manufacturing in London. What I am hearing from constituents in my riding that manufacture metal components for automobiles, or different implements that go into making some of our military equipment, is that they have really been hit hard with the industrial carbon tax in their manufacturing processes. When we talk about making things more affordable and wanting to keep domestic production here in Canada, it is the Liberal government's policies that have been driving innovation and production out of this country. In fact, recently we saw another 1,200 auto manufacturing jobs leaving the country. Could the member opposite comment on why the government will not remove the industrial carbon tax to make it more affordable for our Canadian companies to produce goods here in Canada?

Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague mentioned something that I had previously mentioned in the House: the root cause. I think Yukoners can agree that food prices have gone through the roof. One thing about Yukon Territory is that it can get its groceries by truck instead of needing to have them delivered by plane. One of the reasons groceries can be so expensive for all Canadians is that there is still an industrial carbon tax on all the trucks that have to truck the groceries, whether it is to the Yukon or to southwestern Ontario. From farm to fridge, we are still paying the industrial carbon tax. The root cause of all the food price increases in Canada is directly related to government policies. I am wondering if the member opposite would agree that the Liberals need to address the root cause of the food price increases, which is their policies, and to change their policies to bring food costs down so farmers can afford to produce food at a good price.

Mr. Speaker, food inflation is up 6.2%, the highest in the G7, and grocery prices are rising twice as fast since the Prime Minister took office. Families will pay over $1,000 more this year just to eat. Farmers, truckers and food processors have been clear: The Liberals' industrial carbon tax and their new fuel standards tax are driving up costs from field to fridge. Conservatives are ready to act, so will the Liberal government work with us to scrap these taxes, boost grocery competition and cut red tape for our farmers?

Mr. Speaker, here is the cold, hard truth: If two parents work full time and they make over $14.87 an hour, their families get nothing. That is right. Members heard me. Most families will not even qualify for this rebate. Once again, the Liberals gaslight Canadians while we see 2.2 million visits to food banks every single month. Liberal taxes and policies are what are driving up the cost of food. Recycling their broken policies does nothing to lower it. When will the government stop pretending that rebates will fix inflation and, instead, deal with the root cause?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he should be judged by prices at the grocery store. Well, Canadians have judged, and they are angry. When the Liberals came into office in 2015, the Canadian grocery bill was $159 a week. After 10 years, it has more than doubled, to $338. Greg from Komoka wrote to me to say he is sick of the “rules for you and not for me” attitude. Families cannot afford meat, and they are lining up at food banks while the Liberals continue to feast at the public's expense. Why does the Prime Minister think he deserves luxury when Canadians cannot afford lunch?

Mr. Speaker, people are starving, and this member is making fun of things. I say that the Liberals should all be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Bad Liberal policies are what is driving up the cost of food by $1,000 next year. Katelyn from Thames Centre says that the government is driving us into systemic destruction as the cost of food, fuel and groceries soar. Alber from Strathroy asks why the Prime Minister promised cheaper groceries, safer streets and more homes, but after seven months, all he has delivered is higher prices, higher crime and less for hard-working Canadians. Do the Liberals even care that there are over 2.2 million visits to food banks, or are they just here to help Brookfield line the Prime Minister's pocket?

Mr. Speaker, food banks are seeing record demand, while the Prime Minister keeps shovelling taxpayer dollars at multinationals with zero job guarantees. At CAMI, pink slips are hitting kitchen tables, and it is just weeks before Christmas. Families across Middlesex—London are losing their paycheques and cannot afford to buy groceries. The minister said that she would get an update from GM, but it has been 40 days and she has nothing: no plan, no transparency and no jobs. Why does the Prime Minister keep making Canadians pay the price for his financial incompetence?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague what he thinks of all of the job losses we are seeing in Ontario right now. We are weeks before Christmas. We have CAMI handing pink slips to people in southwestern Ontario. We have other job losses in the auto sector across southwestern Ontario. I know Middlesex—London, and all of southwestern Ontario, is being hit hard by these job losses. I would like to ask my colleague what we would do, what he would do, as Conservatives, to help with these job losses, and why he thinks the Liberal government does not seem to care about our workers in Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, across Middlesex—London, I have heard from families that affordability is top of mind right now. Parents are worried that their kids cannot afford to move out of their house. Even though they are well into their late twenties and have good educations and good-paying jobs, they just cannot afford to move out on their own because of the economy we are in right now. They cannot afford to pay for their groceries. The parents are afraid of losing their jobs right now as we see pink slips going out across Ontario in our auto sector, so I am wondering if the member can comment on what he is hearing in London—Fanshawe from his constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague is from Oshawa, and I am hearing from my constituents that they are afraid of losing their jobs. We just heard this week that CAMI is laying off workers, and it is right before Christmas. I know she represents a community that also has a lot of auto workers, so I am just wondering if she would like to comment on what she is hearing from her constituents back home in terms of job losses and what they are fearful of.

Mr. Speaker, Christmas is the season of hope, a light that breaks through even the darkest of days. During this time, we remember the true meaning of this holy day: the birth of Jesus Christ, the light of the world. As scripture reminds us in John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” That promise is as real in Middlesex—London as it was in Bethlehem. This is the season to carry the light into our communities through kindness, generosity and cheerful giving. I thank everyone who brings warmth to our towns and villages: parade organizers, church choirs, first responders, volunteers and neighbours who show up quietly and faithfully. They make this season glow. Let us keep the support going strong. Shop local to lift up our small businesses and, if able, pick up an extra item for our community food bank so that no one is left out in the cold. Every act of compassion, large or small, is an example of Christ. I wish a merry Christmas from my family to all families. May the peace of Jesus Christ guard their hearts and homes, and may God bless them in the year ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to the secretary of state's speech. In my community of Middlesex—London, I am hearing from parents all over, I am hearing from seniors and I am hearing from all kinds of people who say they cannot afford food. The reason they are having a hard time paying the bills, paying for heat and buying food is that the Liberal government's policies over the last 10 years have put them in this financial situation. People are struggling because of the policies of the Liberal government. Parents would not need to use and rely on a school food program if it were not for the fact that the government has put them in the position of having to choose between heating and food. Can the member opposite comment on whether she and her government would like to change policies to actually put money back in the pockets of Canadians so that parents can afford to feed their kids?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians asked for relief, but with this Liberal budget, all they got was spin. Families asked for stable prices, safer streets and a clear plan to grow paycheques and bring investment back. Instead, they got the largest deficit in Canadian history outside of COVID, more debt and more creative accounting from a government that keeps saying, “Trust us”, while going out of its way to make life harder and less affordable. The public reaction has been telling. Business groups called it directionless. Economists flagged the risks. Community leaders asked where the affordability plan actually is. Even more telling is that the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed what Canadians suspected: The government's numbers do not add up in a way that builds confidence or credibility. With $365 million in this budget for advertising, Canadians are literally left paying for Liberal talking points. Conservatives seek to give them results. I do not expect people to just take my word for this, so here is what our country's top expert has to say on these matters. The Parliamentary Budget Officer told the parliamentary committee that he does not know if the government currently has fiscal anchors, calling that “a considerable degree of concern”. He further cautioned that the government's shifting definitions between capital and operating spending make it “impossible” to assess whether any target will be hit and that “the deficit will absolutely be higher.” He also warned that playing accounting games risks higher borrowing costs for Canadians. I say, when the referee says the scoreboard can no longer be trusted, the game is in trouble. Markets hear that. Rating agencies hear that. Families living paycheque to paycheque will end up paying the price in higher interest, weaker growth and fewer opportunities. This budget takes a bad habit and makes it worse, labelling routine spending as investment, backloading costs and burying off-cycle decisions in footnotes. It is typical of the Liberals' playbook to shift the definitions, claim victory and hope that no one reads the fine print. Unlike them, I know Canadians are smarter than that and will not be fooled. They are the ones who are left reading the receipt at the grocery checkout counter, and they see through it. If the plan is so strong, why the constant need to redefine the terms? Why the sudden innovative accounting to make numbers look less bad? When the government changes the ruler, its measurements become meaningless. The Prime Minister likes to wave around his résumé, but even a first-year student has learned that the rampant spending is not strategy. In a period when inflation has eaten household savings and interest rates remain elevated, this budget piles on new borrowing with no credible path to balance. This is not compassionate assistance to those in need; it is intergenerational transfer, stealing the futures of people's kids and grandkids to fill today's political promises. Every extra billion dollars borrowed today is a future tax hike or a program cut. Interest on the debt is crowding out the very things Canadians care about: health care capacity, community safety, national defence and infrastructure that actually gets built. We are already spending more just to service the public debt than we are on critical priorities. This budget accelerates that trend. Investment goes where it is welcome and stays where it is well treated, but this budget doubles down on uncertainty with ever-changing rules, surprise levies and vague megaproject announcements with no shovels in sight. I look at how our dollar is crashing right now. We are witnessing capital choosing clarity elsewhere. Energy, mining and manufacturing projects and payrolls are drifting to jurisdictions with predictable timelines and real competitiveness plans. We cannot build national prosperity on catchphrase-filled press releases. We build it on a stable, bankable framework that gets things approved and built, like pipelines, power lines, LNG terminals, critical mineral processing and housing at scale. Conservatives have been saying this for years. We have actually invited the Liberal government to steal our ideas. The offer is still open, because clearly they still do not know what they are doing. The Prime Minister said Canadians would judge him at the grocery checkout. In Middlesex—London they have, and the verdict is not good. By the end of summer, headline inflation was 1.9%, but food inflation was 3.5%, year over year, still outpacing the overall basket. Meat rose by 7.2% and beef was up 12.7%, compared to last year. We cannot view food inflation as a graph. It is supper, and the portions are getting smaller. This is after years of compounded increases. Let us put this in family dollar terms. In 2025, a typical family of four is expected to spend about $16,800 and change on food, which is up roughly $802 from last year. Over the past several years, the cumulative climb is now in the thousands of dollars. Many families describe it as hundreds more each year, with the steepest jump happening right now. In Ontario, staples keep getting higher. Sirloin is up 33%; canned soup is up 26%, coffee 22% and sugar 20% in recent months. A rebate cheque is not a food policy. A school meal press release does not reduce the price of groceries for a two-income family just trying to keep the lights on and gas in the car. When government policy drives up costs then offers taxpayers their own money back, that is not help; it is a headline. If the Liberals let people keep more of their own money, they would not have to play saviour and feed their kids for them. They created the problem, and now they want us to pat them on the back and say “good job” for refusing to fix it. I want to share some of the many voices from Middlesex—London, anonymized because Conservatives believe people deserve privacy from their government, but their words deserve the House's attention. I quote: “We're choosing between groceries and gas this month. If something breaks, we're sunk.” I quote: “Both of us work full-time. We've never used a food bank before. Now we do twice a month.” I quote: “I don't want a one-time cheque. I want my weekly grocery bill under control.” Food bank use is up sharply across this country. Major urban centres are reporting record visits. Local food banks are stretched thin and are often forced to reduce what goes into each hamper. That should not be the normal in a country blessed with farmland, energy and ingenuity. It is the consequence of Liberal political and policy failures on competition, supply chains, energy and taxes that pile on costs every step of the way. However, the Liberal government thinks it can trick people. The budget inserts the word “affordability” into more programs and more announcements, but the structure is the same: centralize, spend, label it investment and hope prices somehow come down. Here is a news flash: They will not, not while we constrain energy, choke approvals, fail trade negotiations and add costs at each link in the supply chain from farm to fork. Families need less government in the checkout lane and more common sense in policy. Conservatives do this. We keep policy simple, demanding that the government scrap hidden and cascading taxes that inflate the cost of producing and transporting food, fast-track logistics and processing capacity so harvests move more efficiently and cold storage is available, increase real competition in grocery retail and wholesaling by ending the supply chain bullying that feeds higher prices and green-light energy and critical infrastructure to reduce embedded costs in every product on the shelf. That is what a real plan looks like. Canadians want a plan that measures success by lower prices, more paycheques and safer communities, not by how many failed programs were renamed. A Conservative plan means we will bring home lower costs and cut wasteful spending; unleash homegrown energy and industry; approve and build energy infrastructure, pipelines, power lines, LNG, nuclear and mining; streamline permits with firm timelines and a “one project, one review” rule; restore competition and fairness in the food supply chain; remove expensive hidden taxes on food such as the industrial carbon tax, front-of-pack labelling and the plastics registry; maintain safe streets, secure borders and get serious about justice. We will end catch-and-release for violent repeat offenders; enforce at the border to stop the smuggling that fuels organized crime and drives up costs through theft and insurance; focus police resources on criminals and not on law-abiding citizens; have a credible fiscal anchor; publish a clear and independently verifiable path to balance; stop shifting definitions to game the ledger; and invite the PBO to audit the government's capital and operating methodology so that Canadians and markets can trust the numbers once again. In Middlesex—London, farmers, processors, truckers, shopkeepers and families are not asking for utopia. They are asking for the government to stop getting in the way: predictable rules, faster approvals, real competition and honest books. They are asking to bring discipline to government so families can bring dinner to the table. They want to make more here at home, such as food, energy and materials, and build homes and industry so we are not at the mercy of foreign supply chains and foreign governments. That is real resilience. That is the Canadian way. This budget is a glossy brochure for a product that keeps breaking, and Canadians have tried it for 10 years. The Liberal lemon costs more, delivers less and leaves future generations with the bill. Enough is enough. To the families in Middlesex—London, we—

Mr. Speaker, when a government expands faster than the economy and it borrows more without discipline, the result is baked-in pressure, prices and interest rates. This keeps mortgages unaffordable. Mortgage payments have doubled. Rent has doubled. Businesses are having a hard time. If we add energy uncertainty, slow approvals and trade, we will get a higher embedded cost in absolutely everything, especially food.

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the third-largest oil reserves in the world. If we tapped into our oil and gas sector and put Canadians to work in good-paying jobs, this country would be amazing. We would be making money and taxpayers would be paying taxes, but we need to put people to work and we need to get the oil out of the ground. We need to get the economy going, because the Liberal government keeps overspending, and we need to find ways to bring down that deficit and create jobs in this country for our own people.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for visiting Middlesex—London a couple of weeks ago. I am going to read something. I have constituents who write in quite often. Carrie, from Middlesex—London, says things are so bad right now that she actually asked if someone could apply for MAID just because they can no longer afford to live in Ontario. No one should be driven to that point in a country like Canada, but that is what 10 years of Liberal policies have done. Chris, from London, wrote he's terrified by what he is reading about rising violent crime and extortion across the country. He used to feel safe in my own neighbourhood, but now he worries every day, and it seems like the Liberal government is more interested in excuses than fixing the laws. Gerry, from Middlesex—London, thanked us for standing up and bringing forward Conservative bills. They are exactly what Canada needs to restore peace and prosperity after years of Liberal mismanagement. He agrees with the direction we and our leader are taking and believes these are common-sense solutions that will finally start to turn this country around. Hope is out there. I want to tell the folks in Middlesex—London to keep the faith and keep up hope, because Conservatives are going to keep fighting for them here every day.

Mr. Speaker, we continue to hear from the Liberals that this is a generational investment, but my constituents in Middlesex—London say they see it as generational debt. I would ask the member opposite what she would like to say to those young people out there, the university students, the college students, the apprentices, those who are still in training, who cannot afford to pay rent, who are still stuck in their parents' basement, as well as to the parents whose 28- and 26-year-olds are still living at home. Could the member look them in the eye and tell them why it is okay to have generational debt? What is she going to do to give them hope for a better future in this country?

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague talked a lot about housing. What I am hearing from the residents of Middlesex—London is that housing has become completely unaffordable. The Liberals talk about taking GST off for first-time homebuyers. The Conservatives' plan was to take the GST off all new home builds, because the reality is that it is very difficult to find homes under a million dollars now. A lot of people have purchased a home at some point in their life, and now they are looking at expanding their family and trying to purchase a larger home, perhaps, to house their family. I am just wondering if the member would comment on why the budget falls so short and why it does not include all new home builds with regard to the GST exemption.

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of Liberal government, Canadians cannot afford another Prime Minister who cashes in while they line up at food banks. As Brookfield Chair, the Prime Minister helped funnel $6.5 billion through Bermuda and Cayman tax havens, dodging Canadian taxes for his personal benefit. That is not public service; it is self-service. Every dollar hidden offshore is a dollar not building homes, funding health care or supporting veterans and seniors who did everything right and are now falling behind. Canadians see the pattern. The Prime Minister doubled Trudeau's deficits, cooked up the second-most expensive budget in history, fudged the numbers to hide how bad it was, and now, we learn that he helped the biggest tax dodger in Canada shelter billions. While the Prime Minister and his Bay Street buddies hide money at a Bermuda bike shop, he tells young Canadians to tighten their belts. This is unacceptable. Conservatives demand an end to this insider game. We will close the loopholes and put Canadians first by cutting taxes for real growth and hope.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition to the House that comes from firearms owners who are concerned about past legislation and new orders in council in which the government targets law-abiding firearms owners. The petitioners say that Bill C-21 does nothing to tackle firearms violence, but rather adds red tape to law-abiding Canadians. They also describe how the bill does little to tackle the true source of firearms violence: gangs and organized crime. The petitioners are calling on the government to repeal Bill C-21 and devote greater resources to police so they can combat the sources of illegal firearms.

Mr. Speaker, the current government is the most expensive in Canadian history. The Prime Minister does not seem to understand that the more he spends, the more things cost for regular Canadians. Liberals had a chance to lower food costs by scrapping the industrial carbon tax, but they chose to increase food costs by increasing the industrial carbon tax. That drives up input costs of things like fertilizer and farm equipment. Why is the Prime Minister increasing the industrial carbon tax and making food more expensive for Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, let me spell this out for the Liberals: no farms, no food. The food professor warns, “we're the only country within the G7 which has seen four consecutive months of [rising] food inflation”. The industrial carbon tax is driving up wholesale food prices, full stop. The Liberals have introduced another of the most costly and largest deficit budgets in Canadian history. When Canadians are already struggling to put food on the table, why is the Prime Minister so intent on increasing the industrial carbon tax to make food more expensive?

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of this Liberal government, we have seen nothing but consistent reckless spending. From arrive scam to the green slush fund of the last Parliament, Liberals just cannot seem to stop giving away taxpayer dollars to their friends and allies. We are six months post-election, and nothing has changed. With conflict of interest breaches circling the current Prime Minister, Canadians are in for another season of more Liberals getting rich off their wasted taxes. I say all this as a preamble to the discussion at hand today on Motion No. 14, which is about Canada’s international development assistance. After I read the motion, I reflected. This is from our current Liberal government. Words like “accountability” and “effectiveness” seem distant from the actions of the current and previous Liberal administrations. Under Conservative governments, these were not merely words, but pillars in the Conservative approach to international development. The Prime Minister is looking to “rein in spending”. As our Conservative leader has said, that is a goal worth co-operating on. Under the Liberal government, international development programming has been seen as overly generous, to the point of being wasteful. Programs have not been yielding results and have been ideologically leaning toward woke causes. There have also been reports of abuse and of development funding being misappropriated by terrorist groups or organizations sympathetic to terrorist causes. The words and actions of this government are at odds. As Canadians struggle with high taxes, record food bank usage and an unaffordability crisis, the Secretary of State for International Development recently announced nearly $140 million in overseas funding. Motion No. 14 serves as a request for the oversight the Liberals neglected when they got into power 10 years ago. Canada’s commitment to international assistance is rooted in decades of real-world impact. Conservative governments in particular have often pioneered focused, high-impact initiatives. By examining a few historical case studies, we can draw lessons on what works and what a Conservative-led development policy should champion. One of the clearest examples of focused Canadian aid delivering results was Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s maternal, newborn and child health initiative, launched at the G8 Muskoka summit in 2010. In the face of high mortality rates among mothers and young children in developing countries, Canada rallied global partners to take decisive action. The Harper government committed a total of $2.85 billion over five years to improve maternal and child health, including $1.1 billion in new funding and $1.75 billion in renewed support, establishing this as a long-term Canadian priority. This infusion of resources went to practical interventions like training health workers, funding immunizations and building clinics in some of the world’s poorest regions. Just as important as the money was an emphasis on outcomes. As Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced, “Accountability for results will be an integral part of Canada’s contribution”. He announced this with a rigorous framework to measure progress and ensure aid dollars are used effectively. That accountability paid off. Alongside other donors, Canada’s push helped save countless lives by expanding vaccination programs and maternal care, contributing to a significant drop in the under-five mortality rate globally in the early 2010s. I have seen first-hand the benefits of freshwater well sites and maternal health clinics and the positive impact they have had in the communities in Tanzania. The people are grateful, and they want more of this type of support. Because of a Conservative initiative, their lives have been measurably improved permanently. The Muskoka initiative demonstrated how a Conservative government’s focus on a clear priority, coupled with demand for results, could mobilize the world. Canada once led the way in mobilizing support among G8 and non-G8 leaders, key donors and private foundations to tackle this challenge. This legacy guides our vision. We will target aid to where it makes a measurable difference, in this case the health of mothers and children, while insisting on transparency and effectiveness in every dollar spent. Another example of international development done right was in 2014, after Russia’s first incursion into Ukraine. When Ukraine’s sovereignty came under attack, Prime Minister Harper took swift action, condemning Russian aggression and backing words with aid. In March 2014, Canada announced a package of over $220 million to help Ukraine stabilize its economy and support democratic development. This assistance, delivered as loans and grants, helped the new Ukrainian government pay its bills and implement reforms during a pivotal moment of transition. Canada also deployed hundreds of election observers and provided technical support to bolster Ukraine's fragile democracy. The message was clear: Canadians stand with those fighting for their freedom and self-determination. Canada currently spends over $8 billion annually on foreign aid. At a time when so many Canadians are struggling to make ends meet, this number should be much lower. We should also be transitioning from government handouts to partnerships that benefit Canadian interests and bolster our economy. This is something the motion proposes, but we will have to wait and see if the government can follow through. In the text of the motion, we read that the government will be, “establishing a dedicated Economic Partnerships Window to support projects that align poverty reduction abroad with economic security at home”. Unfortunately, as we have seen in the last 10 years, the Liberal government has a habit of creating more bureaucracy. Consider the newly announced Build Canada Homes, a new government body that plans to build 4,000 factory-built affordable homes at a price tag of $13 billion, or $3.25 million a house. If the government is serious about producing results, it will ensure that the economic partnerships window is not another opportunity to balloon the government. The mission, expectations and outcomes for the economic partnerships window need to be crystal clear. It should also be funded from the current international development budget and not require the taxpayer to shoulder more debt. The required parliamentary report from the Minister of International Development is a welcome addition to this motion. The Liberals put up frequent roadblocks and have maintained a general, pervasive mentality away from transparency that has made it difficult for the official opposition to hold the Liberal government accountable and give Canadians the information that they deserve. Name the scandal or issue, whether it is inflation, the economy, crime or food prices, the Liberals have shown no accountability for anything or remorse for the harm they have caused. If this motion is serious, it will usher a shift in Liberal policy, championing transparency over secrecy and issue avoidance. Canada is a generous nation, but there is room to strengthen our leadership. The motion is in no way innovative; the actions highlighted within should never have been abandoned in the first place. When dealing with taxpayer funds, accountability should be the first consideration, not an afterthought. Global Affairs Canada has rightly earned the reputation for being one of the highest wastefully spending departments. Motion No. 14 could be a signal to the end of that. There is a right and wrong way of stewarding the public purse. Conservatives have a strong record of doing it the right way; the Liberals, not so much. Given the history of Liberal waste, I cautiously give my support for this motion. The economic partnerships window should not cost the taxpayer more. If accountability is the new way forward, the international development budget should cover this initiative. Let us see if this becomes a model for other departments to follow or if this will be another scandal that Conservatives will need to unearth down the line. For now, we are going to give co-operation a chance, and I look forward to working with the member on his motion going forward.