Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as Canada prepares to celebrate its 159th birthday, we have every reason to be proud of the country we call home. In Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, that story is written into our landscape. The Rideau Canal helped build a young nation. The Thousand Islands became one of Canada's great treasures. Our farmers have fed Canadians for generations. In every major conflict si…
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Mr. Speaker, in celebration of Seniors Month, I was pleased to join with MPP Steve Clark to host our first annual Seniors Expo. This week at New Hope Church in Brockville, in partnership with Senior Support Services Lanark, Leeds & Grenville, we welcomed more than 160 seniors and dozens of exhibitors. We heard from great presenters, including the Leeds Grenville Paramedic Service, the Brockville G…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to share my time with the hon. member, who so well articulated why this is an opposed item for His Majesty's loyal opposition. I would like to start my remarks with a quote from the installation speech of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, the 31st Governor General of Canada. This is a quote from the speech she gave in the other place this morning to …
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member just came in, and he was not paying attention. He misses the entire point. He is the kind of person who comes in here and starts screaming about people being disloyal for doing their job of holding the Liberals accountable for $20 million. We love Canada. That is not something that they hold a licence on. We love this country. The hon. member, who put on a uniform for …
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Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to have woken up the parliamentary secretary from his nap, but he missed the part of my speech where I said, “Canada should be able to launch Canadian payloads from Canadian soil.” That is a legitimate objective. He completely missed the entirety of the point of what we are doing here. The guy has been here a long time and does not seem to understand what we are supposed to…
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Mr. Speaker, it is the question that my hon. colleague has raised. This is what we have asked the government to demonstrate, and we are opposing the $20 million for this year's use because it has failed to do that. It is not about the aspiration. It is about the execution. What is the value for money that taxpayers are getting here? We are in lockstep with Canada's continued reach for the stars, b…
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Mr. Speaker, what we are looking to reconcile, of course, is how the government prioritizes its expenditures and how we could support sectors like our forestry sector if the government was not spending money on what it cannot demonstrate to us is not the rewarding of well-connected insiders, which is a pattern that we have seen with the Liberals. We want the receipts. We want them to support Canad…
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Madam Speaker, we request that it be passed on division.
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Madam Speaker, when it comes to the Liberal government's response to the housing crisis in our country, I believe that Canadians are looking to see steps that the government can take to immediately address this acute housing challenge without creating additional bureaucracies. Within the current remit of existing agencies, what additional powers do they hope to glean, at great additional expense t…
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Madam Speaker, I wonder if my colleague could share her thoughts on what it tells us that, for the last 11 years, we have had the same Liberal government but the housing situation has not improved. In fact it has worsened, and the evidence of that is clear in my community and the communities of all members of this place. Why is another housing bureaucracy not the answer to getting homes built and …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, a husband wakes up in the night to find that his wife of 50 years has left the house. A daughter goes to visit her father in his apartment but sees that he is gone. Immediately, police, volunteers and neighbours begin searching woodlots and side roads and checking behind buildings. Every minute counts. Canadians know that when a child goes missing, every minute counts. The lives of …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑282, An Act to amend the Veterans Well-being Act. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be introducing the service dogs for veterans act to help ensure that service dogs are available to every veteran who needs one, regardless of where they live in Canada. This bill would make it so that service dogs are an eligible form of rehabilitation support under the Veterans Well-be…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, in a September letter to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance said that he would be in a conflict of interest if he participated in discussions, decisions, debates or votes related to Alto. We now know he went on to do those things anyway. What we have learned this week is that the minister's department hired an executive from Alto to write his budget speech and budget presenta…
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Mr. Speaker, as a surprise to no one, the government House leader is lowering the decorum in the House at the same time that he is also unleashing devastation on communities across Ontario and Quebec, as well as the expropriation of farms, homes, businesses and the destruction of environmentally sensitive land like the Frontenac Arch Biosphere, with a program that will cost more than $90 billion, …
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Mr. Chair, on September 10, 2025, the minister wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, saying that if he were involved in any decisions, discussions or debates related to the Alto project, he would be in a conflict of interest. Is that correct?
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Mr. Chair, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna. The question is about the letter the minister wrote in September 2025. Will the minister table that letter in the House, and at the ethics committee when he appears on June 11?
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Mr. Chair, this evening the minister has the opportunity to inform Canadians and the House about the conflict of interest he said he would be in if he participated in votes, decisions, discussions or debates on Alto. This is why the minister put in place a conflict of interest screen. Is that not correct?
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Mr. Chair, it was the minister who said there would be a conflict of interest. The letter the minister provided to the Prime Minister should be furnished. Because we know it was shared with media, it should certainly be shared with parliamentarians. Why did the ethics screen the minister put in place not prevent him from participating in discussions, decisions, debates or votes related to Alto?
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Mr. Chair, It was the minister who said there would be a conflict of interest. Those were his words. Did that screen prevent the minister from participating in discussions about Alto in cabinet?
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Mr. Chair, did the screen apply to Bill C-15?
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Mr. Chair, it has been more than an hour that the minister has been here, and he has said an awful lot of things but has not answered our questions, and that trend continues. Did the screen that the minister said was necessary to avoid a conflict of interest apply to clause 191 of Bill C-15?
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Mr. Chair, we take all hon. members at their word in this place, and it was the hon. minister who said there would be a conflict of interest if he were involved in discussions, debates or decisions. Clause 191 contained the High-Speed Rail Network Act. That was Alto-related legislation. Is that true?
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Mr. Chair, on February 25, 2026, the minister voted on Motion No. 44, which would have deleted clause 191 from Bill C-15. Is that correct?
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Mr. Chair, it is unbelievable that the minister will not even confirm how he voted on the bill. He will not provide the letter that he wrote in which he said there would be a conflict. We just want to provide transparency for Canadians. If he has nothing to hide, he certainly should be able to provide to members of the House of Commons the letter that he shared with Toronto Star. Why will he not s…
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Mr. Chair, the minister told Canadians that he had a conflict of interest screen because he believed there would be one if he participated in debates, discussions, decisions or votes related to Alto, but the minister's department then hired an outside contractor for the budget who appears to have been connected to Alto. Did a conflict of interest screen apply to that contractor?
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Mr. Chair, I have made no allegation. I have only repeated what the minister has said. Regarding what we have asked, and indeed one of the minister's hon. colleagues asked me to repeat it outside the House, I am asking questions, and the questions are repeating exactly what the minister has said. Therefore, did Finance Canada hire an outside contractor to assist with the 2025 budget speech and pre…
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Mr. Chair, this is a different question. The question is about a contractor who worked on the budget speech. My understanding is that this is separate from your letter in September. It was a contract worth $12,168. I would encourage you to use your officials who are here in the chamber with you. The contract identified a vendor. The vendor's last name is Émond, and I am wondering if the minister c…
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Mr. Chair, the contractor worked for Alto and then worked on the budget presentation that included details about Alto, and money and implementation legislation for Alto. Does the minister recognize that this is a conflict of interest, and were measures taken to prevent that? Was the Ethics Commissioner informed that this contractor was also concurrently employed by Alto?
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of our community, I ask all parliamentarians to join me in honouring the memory of LouWanda, Mackayla and Nikita Elliott, whose lives were taken in a horrific act of intimate partner violence in Brockville on May 7, 2026. We will remember LouWanda as a beloved mother, wife and sister, and Mackayla and Nikita as sisters, daughters and friends. They are deeply loved and missed…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government spent $300 million on the failed PrescribeIT program that had less than 5% uptake. Now that it is being scrapped, we have learned that the CEO responsible for this failed scandal-plagued program was being paid $900,000 per year. When Conservatives looked to have the minister testify at committee, Liberals blocked it. Will the minister stand today and explain to …
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Mr. Speaker, let me clarify some of the problems for the minister. The Liberals spent $300 million on a program that did not work and was not used. They oversaw the CEO being paid $900,000. They do not seem to want to agree to have the Auditor General review this scandal-plagued program and the minister does not seem to want to come to committee to face questions about it. Will the minister stand …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from Kildonan—St. Paul for her leadership on what truly could make a difference across this country and not just in her home community, where she has personally been acquainted with the realities of tragedies that can befall families and communities when seniors go missing and we do not have a way to alert the broader community. I think it is re…
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Mr. Speaker, across Canada, Canadians are working hard, but too many are falling behind and far too many know about the devastating experience of trying to fill a grocery cart for their family each week. For Canadians who are just trying to fill the gas tank to get to the office or the job site, the pain at the pump is not only too much to bear, but also more than they can afford. The Libera-ls ha…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister's costly budget is going to add another $37 billion in new debt this year, continuing his Liberal predecessor's tradition of borrowing and spending. What is worse is that interest alone on the national debt will be an additional $59 billion this year, which is $3,400 for every Canadian, who is already struggling with the rising prices of gas, groceries and h…
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Mr. Speaker, the reality is that with the Liberal Prime Minister, just like his Liberal predecessor, Canadians are struggling now more than ever. Groceries, gas and homes have never been more expensive. Members do not have to take my word for it. The Globe and Mail said, in a scathing review, “Canada's New Government is no more interested in arresting our economic decline than Canada's Old Governm…
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Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate National Volunteer Week, I want to thank the remarkable people who are the heart of Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes: our volunteers. These are people like Chief Fire Prevention Officer Brent Norton, with 45 years of service, and Captain John Houston, with 30 years of service, both as firefighters with the Prescott Fire Department; North Grenville's volunt…
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Mr. Speaker, the ethics committee issued its report to make Canada's conflict of interest laws stronger, and we know that Canada needs this because Canadians deserve accountability but have a Prime Minister who is guaranteed future bonus payments from Brookfield, the company he used to run. The Prime Minister should sell his assets so Canadians know that his decisions are in the public interest, n…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to table a document detailing the cuts Conservatives would make.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it was the Liberal finance minister who said that he may be in a conflict of interest if he cast a vote or was involved in any discussions or decisions around the $90-billion Alto project, because of his relationship. He has a partner who is a vice president at Alto. However, we have since seen that the minister has done those very things. He did vote on and participate in discussions…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the transport minister said that anyone who speaks out against the land expropriation, environmental devastation or sham consultation in its $90-billion Alto project should be ashamed. I will tell this House that I am proud to stand with people like Dave Brown, his wife Carole, the Brown's Marina and the people of Chaffey's Lock, Rideau Lakes and Eastern Ontario who are rig…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister said, “We're going to...move that train as fast as we can”, and he said the quiet part out loud. The Liberal government is going to breeze right past the very real concerns of families, farmers, small businesses and people who just want to live the way that they thought they could in eastern Ontario, but instead we are seeing a project that is going to devastate the envir…
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Mr. Speaker, when we have the opportunity to discuss, debate and advance legislation that is going to address the real challenges facing Canadians, it is important that we do so in a fulsome way. This system that we have, our Westminster parliamentary democracy, gives us all specific roles to play. The government advances government legislation and the official opposition has a duty to test what t…
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Mr. Speaker, I hope the minister would take a minute to reflect on what I said and consider the role he played in bringing forward the failed legislation in Bill C-2 before this House. If it were not for Conservatives, who sharpened their pencils and actually turned the pages, we would be facing laws that infringed on the rights of Canadians, and he would be the author of that. If the minister wan…
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians would like is for the Liberals to get out of the way of accountability that Canadians expect to be brought to bear against a government, against a minister who said he would be in a conflict of interest because his partner is a vice-president at Alto if he voted on this project, if he debated it, if he discussed it, if he decided on it in cabinet. This is why we are ask…
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Mr. Speaker, the law is clear that ministers must not use their position to further the personal interests of their family members, but the finance minister is championing the multi-billion-dollar Alto project where his partner is a vice-president. It was the finance minister who told the Prime Minister that he was concerned about a conflict of interest because of that relationship and said that h…
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Mr. Speaker, the problem for the Liberals is that even their Liberal candidates in the area know this is so unpopular that they are speaking out against this boondoggle. Canadians want accountability from the Liberals. It is $90 billion. The minister is refusing to come to committee, and there is this Liberal filibuster that persists. My question is to the chair of the Standing Committee on Access…
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Mr. Speaker, at least 90 billion taxpayer dollars are at stake in the Alto high-speed rail project, and Canadians deserve to know that personal relationships are not influencing government decisions. The finance minister recognized the risk of a conflict of interest with his partner serving as a vice-president at Alto. The law says that he cannot be part of decisions, discussions, debates or votes…
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Mr. Speaker, the government House leader is disagreeing with his finance minister here, and this is the confusion that is created for Canadians. The finance minister said that he needed to recuse himself from the discussions. He said he needed to put in place a conflict of interest screen, but then went ahead and participated in discussions and debates, and even said at a Senate committee that he …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition from Canadians and residents of eastern Ontario who are concerned about the LaSalle Causeway's Bascule Bridge. This bridge was damaged during work in the spring of 2024, and a modular bridge was installed to allow vehicles and pedestrians to cross. There is now a schedule in place for when the bridge is added and then is removed, at a great cost to taxpayers…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is in a housing crisis. This does not come as a surprise to anyone in this place, and it certainly does not come as a surprise to Canadians who are looking for a home or a place to live, be it a first-time home purchase or simply shelter. We can agree that there is a crisis, but how do we solve it? The government has made some proposals and has some ideas on how best to address…
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