Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I too rise in the House to once again present a petition on behalf of Canadians from coast to coast who are gravely concerned with the passage of Bill C-9 through the House. Their concerns relate, in particular, to the Liberal-Bloc amendment pertaining to Bill C-9, which was passed at the justice committee, that removes the good-faith religious defence clause from the Criminal Code of…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians the strongest economy in the G7, but today we are falling behind. We now have the only shrinking economy in the G7 and among the highest unemployment and the highest household debt. In rural communities, families are being hit really hard. Farmers and producers are facing soaring input costs and blocked resource projects that drive local economies…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today as the chair of the 60th annual National Prayer Breakfast. This is truly a historic event that takes place on the Hill each year, where we gather in the spirit of Christ and pray for our country. This non-partisan Christian event is the highlight for many of us, and I am pleased to say that we had a record attendance. This year's theme is that w…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to once again rise here in the people's House, this time in support of the member for Terra Nova—The Peninsulas's bill, Bill C-237, which brings to the floor of the House a concern that originated in a local community. The rural parts of this country are the often overlooked regions that far too often get neglected when it comes to policy considerations, including th…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are a resilient people who believe that if they work hard, care for their neighbours and contribute to their communities, they should be able to build a good life. Canadians are now feeling overwhelmed and weighed down, wondering how they will afford a home, put food on the table or plan for tomorrow, but hope is not lost. It is found in our foundations as a nation, in the s…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House today and speak to this important motion that our party's leader brought forward. We recognize that the challenges Canadians are facing are serious and very real. Canadians do not have to look at an economics chart or study statistics to realize that the cost of putting food on the table is going up exponentially each and every month and year. In f…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to draw our attention to one of the big challenges we are facing. We have gotten away from our foundation, which is the affordability of food. When we look at the cost of groceries affecting each and every Canadian right now and their households, when we look at the fact that Canada now has the highest food inflation in the G7, that is not bad luck. That is just plain bad polic…
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Mr. Speaker, I am starting to feel a bit comfortable, but I have to wind down because I am going to get interrupted. I will be giving colleagues a high-five and doing all that good stuff here in just a second. If we are going to address the faulty foundation, we have to deal with the four Fs. I will get into them in my second segment. I am just warming up. Let us talk about the cost of food and th…
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Mr. Speaker, I always thank my hon. colleague for his many hours here in the House. He works tirelessly. I must say, though, he is profoundly wrong in this regard. Canadians are not saying to me, at least in my constituency office, that they have never had it so good, that it is so wonderful how well they are doing, that they have never had more money in their pocket. No, it is the exact opposite.…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a bit beyond rich when recipients of transfer payments that come from the oil and gas sector, to the tune of $13 billion to $14 billion a year, then turn around and say to that very sector that it is the cause of food inflation. I say no. If they are so principled against those who produce our oil and gas, they should say no to the transfer payments, and we will redistribute it …
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Mr. Speaker, as I was stating, it is so important at a time like this that we check the foundation. If we just continue to build and build, without making sure that the foundation is right and the thing upon which we are building is sound and secure, many times we are going to have even more problems. Canadians are demanding that we check the foundation to make sure we get it right. The foundation…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, we in New Brunswick, and in my part of the country that I represent, appreciate the hard work of our friends in Alberta and those, in particular, in the oil and gas sector, who help produce the fuel to fill up the trucks, fill up the ships and fuel the trains that transport the food from that part of the country to our part of the country and the energy from one part of the count…
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Mr. Speaker, people in my riding and across this country are tired of the Liberals taking far more money out of their back pockets than they are putting in their front pockets. Food banks now see 2.2 million visits every month. Food prices are rising twice as fast as when the Prime Minister first took office. The Liberals' own reports admit that fuel standard taxes add 7¢ a litre today and are ris…
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Mr. Speaker, food security is national security. Statistics Canada confirms food inflation has hit 6.2%, the highest in the G7. It now costs $17,600 to feed a family of four, $1,000 more than last year, with food prices rising twice as fast as in the U.S. Canadians know why. The industrial carbon fuel and packaging taxes drive up the cost of farm equipment, fertilizer and trucking. Will the govern…
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Madam Speaker, that is a great question. Liberals have totally missed the mark when it comes to delivering results for Canadians. They make promises without being grounded in reality and in tangible, measurable results for Canadians. The Liberals cannot talk down the very sectors that have helped make Canada the greatest country in the world historically. They cannot keep talking down those sector…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Fundy Royal for his great remarks. He brought up so many relevant subjects that need to be considered when we consider the implementation of this budget. In preparation for my remarks today, an old saying came back to me, and I think it bears relevance today. I do not know if fellow members have heard the expression “Don't put the cart before the horse…
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Exactly. They are not second-class citizens, and they should not be treated that way. Madam Speaker, they are first-class, hard-working, wonderful people who feel forgotten by their government. However, I am glad to say that there is an awakening across rural Canada. People are recognizing we need change and are looking for this side of the House to stand up for them, and we will continue to do th…
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Madam Speaker, I find my hon. colleague's question somewhat perplexing. I think many Canadians share in being confounded by that, in that it is a lot like voodoo economics. Spending is spending is spending. We can call it investment, or we can call it this or that, but spending is spending, debt is debt and deficits are deficits. What we need is a government that is going to prioritize the needs o…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Quebec. It is a pleasure for me to speak about the budget again here in the House of Commons. The member raises a very valid point. The priority of Canadians is cost of living, and the last thing they need is another grandiose announcement, a big promise that sets expectations high, with results never to be seen for years, oftentimes even decades. The Liber…
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Mr. Speaker, eight months ago the Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by their experience at the grocery store. Today's food price report confirms that groceries keep getting more expensive. When the Liberals took office in 2015, the weekly grocery bill was $159. Today it has more than doubled to $338, over $17,000 a year, and next year families will pay an additional $1,000, which will be …
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Madam Speaker, do not muzzle the ox is exactly right. We should feed the horse that is hauling the cart, not starve the donkey bearing the burden. We need to make sure we are taking care of our farmers, and they will take care of Canadians. It is time we prioritize these things. The next F I want to talk about in moving Canada on the pathway forward economically and to a future of prosperity is ab…
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Madam Speaker, I would note that the responses tabled today to Order Paper Questions Nos. 461 and 470 were not signed by any minister or parliamentary secretary. They were in fact signed by the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie, who is no longer a member of cabinet nor a parliamentary secretary. Can you confirm, Madam Speaker, that it is not permitted for backbench members who are no longer in cabin…
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Mr. Chair, I want to thank my colleague from Courtenay—Alberni for his very good remarks; they were very thoughtful. It is absolutely important that there is urgency to getting this resolved. What is evident so far is there has been no urgency from the government on softwood lumber. It has been 10 years. Former prime minister Stephen Harper got to a deal in 80 days. We are causing the death of the…
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Mr. Chair, when we are talking about big issues at a national level that are affecting literally thousands upon thousands of people, and when we are talking about macroeconomics and international trade deals, what can often get lost and overlooked is the localized picture and the individual. This is near and dear to my heart, and the forestry sector is near and dear to my heart on a personal level…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once said that he was a master negotiator who could secure a deal with President Trump by July. He failed, and now he shrugs it off, saying, “Who cares?” and that he does not have a burning issue to speak with the President about. I can help the Prime Minister. New Brunswickers care, because 93% of our exports go to the U.S. The longer this issue goes unresolved, th…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Quebec, who delivered a very good speech with a lot of very important messages for Canadians. Our country has a major affordability problem right now. We need to see more being done to address the issues of affordability for everyday Canadians, including our seniors. There was nothing in this budget that addressed the needs of seniors throughout this country.…
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Mr. Speaker, Food Banks Canada reports 2.2 million visits in a single month, double what it was just six years ago. Its CEO says that poverty and hunger have become “the new normal in Canada” and that working Canadians, from construction crews to office staff, “are needing to stop at the food bank on their way home from work”. In rural Canada, where food and fuel already cost more and jobs are oft…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised a deal with President Trump by July 21, and he still has no deal. There have been lots of concessions on Canada's part, but there is still no deal. What about lumber? Mills back home in places like Florenceville and Plaster Rock are contending with the challenges these tariffs bring. When Prime Minister Harper faced this issue, he got it resolved in 80 days…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said Canadians should judge him by grocery prices. Across Canada, rural families are feeling the pain at the checkout, including in New Brunswick, where groceries are up 23%, far outpacing inflation, yet yesterday the Liberals voted against the Conservative motion to make food more affordable. Instead, they doubled down on their hidden taxes, like the industrial…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time. It is an absolutely honour to once again rise in the people's House to address the important opposition motion we put forward today for consideration. It is clear that Canada is in the midst of a crisis. Canadians are struggling to afford food, and the cost of living is quickly rising. Many Canadians are finding it harder and harder to meet their everyday …
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Mr. Speaker, I respect my hon. colleague, but I want to say that it is, again, extremely misleading to the House. There is no way possible a government can double its deficits and continue to spend at the rate it is spending and expect inflation to go down. Inflation is continuing to go up, especially as we look at competitive and comparable nations across various jurisdictions. We talk to the fol…
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Mr. Speaker, one thing that is abundantly clear is that, in all the considerations of the current government, rural Canada is left out. Our agricultural and natural resource sectors are not top-of-mind considerations. What needs to happen is a reprioritization so the perspective of the people who are most affected by the government's policies and have been harmed by them the most, including our ag…
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Mr. Speaker, it is so true; Canadians are facing some really tough choices. They are facing some unbelievably difficult scenarios in their own household as they make decisions pertaining to their budget, and that includes seniors and young people. I see in my own home area of Woodstock, New Brunswick, that the local food bank's usage has doubled since the same time last year, and a worker there sa…
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Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Liberal government, Canadians cannot afford groceries. Back home, the Valley Food Bank in Woodstock reports serving twice as many people this time of year compared to last. These increases span every age group, especially seniors. These are our neighbours. They are not just statistics. They are our family members and they are our friends. Can the Prime Minister t…
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Madam Speaker, it is an absolute honour to rise in the people's House yet again and to have the opportunity to speak to this, our motion on eliminating the caps on oil and gas and energy emissions, which have been to the great detriment of Canada's unbelievable and incredible potential that has yet to be fully realized. Today I could not help, in preparation for these remarks, reflecting upon a fi…
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Madam Speaker, sometimes, it is better to answer a question with a question. As my hon. colleagues feel that oil and gas and energy development are dirty, bad for the planet and not good for the environment, are they willing to turn down all future transfer payments coming from the oil and gas sector and say they do not want dirty oil and gas money anymore? Do they want all of it reallocated? We c…
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Madam Speaker, Canadians are demanding a whole lot less talk and a whole lot more action, and it is time we end the era of Canadian self-sabotage, get out of our way and start to unleash the potential. We have unlimited potential in this country. We just have to—
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Madam Speaker, it is always good to see my hon. colleague. He is a workhorse here in the House, but I must say that I think he has been sorely misled on this matter. The only ideas the Liberals think make successful projects when it comes to oil and gas are ones they stretch out over 10 years, regulate and strangle to death, and pump billions of dollars of taxpayer funds into, without really incor…
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Mr. Speaker, I just have a couple of simple questions. It really is quite perplexing. Who has been in power for the last 10 years? Who passed legislation that shut down pipeline expansion and development? Who put in the no tanker ban? Who brought in all these types of legislation that have constricted our economy, held back our economy and talked down our oil, gas, and natural resource and energy …
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Mr. Speaker, what a complete and totally comprehensive non-answer that was. Earlier this week, the Auditor General released their scathing audit, stating that GC Strategies was paid $64 million for the ArriveCAN app, with little to no evidence of any work having been completed. The Auditor General made note that this is just one example of what is likely a widespread issue. There may be a new prim…
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Mr. Speaker, I have another C for the hon. member across the way, and that is called common sense. Common sense would tell someone that they do not talk down the life-giving sectors of this country, namely energy, oil, gas and natural resources, for 10 years, telling them how bad and how horrible it is, how we have to get off it and it is no good. They have provided transfer payments to the rest o…
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Mr. Speaker, my answer is simple. We need to acknowledge the fact that many of the fires in Canada are considered acts of arson committed by people who acted irresponsibly. It is because people are not taking responsibility. We can blame people and do all this other stuff, but primarily let us get our house in order and do the practical things, like good forest management practice. That is common …
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Mr. Speaker, absolutely, we need to get to the bottom of how much has been collected so far through the countertariff measures and make sure that what has been collected is getting to the businesses and families that have been most impacted by these tariffs. It is time we had accountability, and the best way to get that is to have a budget tabled in this House.
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Mr. Speaker, what has become abundantly clear is that people are tired of the contradictions and they are tired of the verbal gymnastics. One thing is said in conversation and grandiose ideas are put forth, but in the reality of walking it out and taking the steps necessary to release the potential of our country, the Liberals do nothing. They talk a great talk, but let us see what they do when it…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to once again rise in the people's House. I always count it a privilege, and it is the first time I am addressing the House with a speech since being re-elected by the great people of Tobique—Mactaquac. I want to express my appreciation and heartfelt thanks to them and to my family for all their love, support and care. It is truly the honour of my life to serve here in…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank again the great people of Tobique—Mactaquac for the honour of serving them here in the people's House. I also want to express my deep gratitude to my wife Crystal, our family and the dedicated team of staff who do the important work every day so that we can be here. I could not do this without them. In the days ahead, we will continue to champion those who are too ofte…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, it is an absolute joy to welcome my hon. colleague from Terra Nova to the House, and there is no doubt he is going to be a tremendous addition and complement to the people's House. We heard a lot of recent and happy talk from the other side of the House, the government, about oil and gas. However, it is kind of coded. It is shrouded in talk such as “maybe they are going to do it” and …
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Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your role. I want to commend my colleague from Edmonton Riverbend on the amazing, incredible work that he does for men who have been struggling with their mental health and all those who have been battling with their mental health. It is a very commendable field of work and is much-needed in these times. I wonder if the member wants to comment further in regard to t…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, yes, I had the better part. I will agree. I remember that when she was with child, I had no way of totally understanding that or relating to it. Members should picture this and go with me now on this journey. Can they imagine what this couple would have been feeling as they started out and a very pregnant lady is on the back of a donkey going down a bumpy road, very much with child, w…
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Mr. Speaker, it is not smooth on the back of a donkey. It is not comfortable. They are making this journey to a place called Bethlehem. Members can imagine the thoughts they were thinking: “This is not how I imagined it would be, Joseph”; “This is not exactly what I had in mind when we started courting”; and “This is not really what I had hoped for, that I would be stuck on a donkey going to a tow…
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