Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there is the notion that Stellantis's failure is partly to be blamed on the government and its failed EV policies. Again, Stellantis has written off $27 billion because of this fallacy of an EV mandate that the Liberals have put in place instead of recognizing that the market should determine what the sales levels in autos should be. Why not go back? We met with Unifor today, and the …
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Mr. Speaker, what we do not support is the Liberals' failed EV policy, which they are implementing. They fail to realize that 90% of the autos that are produced in this country are shipped to the United States. The success of the auto industry in Canada was based on the regulatory harmony that existed with our largest trading partner and customer for Canadian-made autos, the United States. The fan…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise in my place today to participate in the debate on our opposition motion, which calls on the federal government to support the Conservative plan to double automotive production through a tariff-free auto pact. This bold new policy offers a fresh take on a similar policy, embodied by the old auto pact rules that resulted in Canada's auto manufacturing grow…
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Mr. Speaker, through our policy on this Canadian auto pact, we are talking about a policy to buy Canadian, sell here and build here. It only makes sense. We want to encourage those who want to produce, such as the big three automakers. General Motors has been in my community since 1929. They have invested and grown with this community. They have been in this community for almost 100 years. I want …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, rejected asylum claimants should not be receiving better health care than Canadians who have paid into a system their entire lives. It makes common sense. At a time when six million Canadians cannot afford a family doctor and are waiting for care, it is unacceptable that bogus asylum seekers are receiving better health care than Canadians. When over 13,000 residents in Niagara Falls a…
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Mr. Speaker, I recently met with the Niagara Home Builders' Association, and its members indicated to us that bureaucracy will not build homes. One builder has laid off 60% of their staff. They used to build 300 homes but are now building only 30. Their one solution to the housing crisis, and they told us this, was to adopt the Conservative plan of removing the GST on all new homes, not just for f…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about the regulatory harmony that existed between Canada and the United States, which led to the growth of the North American auto sector. With this shift in the EV mandate, the government has moved over to a rebate system. With the regulatory environmental standards that the Liberals are now putting in place, would the member not agree that this will do more harm …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the government's new EV strategy fails to put Canadian workers and automakers first. How is allowing 49,000 Chinese-made EVs into Canada and subsidizing the purchase of American-made EVs going to help the workers who were laid off from GM in St. Catharines? They are worried about the future of their engine plant. GM has been in St. Catharines since 1929. Will the Liberals support our …
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Mr. Speaker, that member is not talking to the Unifor members in St. Catharines, who had an EV battery engine plant, but GM moved it out because there were no sales. The Government of Canada should not be subsidizing American-made EVs using Canadian taxpayers' money, especially when U.S. actions have already cost 5,000 Canadian auto worker jobs. Will the Liberals simply join us, finally put Canadi…
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Today, Mr. Speaker, just in media monitoring clips, there is a story from CTV News: “A new province-wide survey suggests more than half of British Columbians don’t feel safe in their communities, with respondents citing ongoing concerns about crime and violence.” CityNews Vancouver says, “Abbotsford Police calling for justice system changes amid growing extortion”. Those are just stories that are …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the government's decision to scrap its EV mandate confirms what Conservatives have said all along, which is that a forced 100% EV sales target was unrealistic and only created uncertainty. Bringing back EV rebates now offers little to Canada's auto workers, including those in St. Catharines, when up to $2.3 billion in taxpayer incentives will be subsidizing U.S. auto production and wh…
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Mr. Chair, I would like to welcome my colleague to the House. He has just come here, and he will probably work with his Liberal colleagues to build on that 10-year record of failure. That is why we voted against these budgets. For 10 years, we have voted against budgets that let the price of housing double. The price of mortgages has doubled and the price of rent has doubled, all during their peri…
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Mr. Chair, Canada has a proud history of being an auto manufacturing nation. In fact, Canada's auto industry contributes $14 billion to our nation's GDP. In Niagara, General Motors has been in St. Catharines since 1929, nearly 100 years. However, whether GM will be open for business in St. Catharines to celebrate its century milestone has been cast in a nervous uncertainty, thanks to President Tru…
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Mr. Chair, my colleague's comments build on the weekend comments that he made. He has become a social media star, I would suggest, and it is great that he is doing that. They were great comments with regard to your concerns about this government's actions going from elbows up to, “Who cares?” Your notions about providing—
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Mr. Chair, the member indicated in his remarks that $220 million had gone to Stellantis and $400 million had gone to Algoma, and no guardrails were put in place for those dollars to flow. What does the member think are their main concerns? Why has the government been unable to get an agreement with the United States? It has been 10 years with regard to softwood lumber. Why is the government failin…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, my colleague said it best earlier: It is 10 years of failed Liberal policies. We have the tariff issue to contend with, but the success of the auto sector in this country was based on the regulatory harmony that existed between Canada and the United States since the implementation of the auto pact in the 1960s. What has happened since the tariffs have been put in place? Well, guess what…
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Mr. Chair, would the hon. member not agree that there could possibly be other policies implemented by the government that have caused crises in the auto sector, for example, the lack of an industrial carbon tax in the United States and the lack of an EV mandate in the United States? The sector is telling all politicians here in the House that no one is going to be able to meet those EV targets and…
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Mr. Chair, there is a sense of pride among auto workers in the quality of the products that they produce. In fact, in St. Catharines we do make the V8 engines that go into the Silverado in Oshawa. There is a reason the auto workers call themselves brothers and sisters as members of locals there. I have local 199 in St. Catharines. That is being put at risk by the policies of the government not to …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, after eight months, the Prime Minister has gone from elbows up to “Who cares?” when it comes to trade issues with the United States. These comments spark concern in my community, particularly with the thousands of current and former GM workers in St. Catharines who worry about the future of their auto plant. GM has been in St. Catharines since 1929. I can say that Conservatives care, …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this week, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada is hosting its annual Tourism Congress in Gatineau. This year's theme is “Tourism Builds Canada”. Tourism definitely powers my communities of Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. In fact, Niagara is home to more than 40,000 tourism workers. Across Canada, one in 10 Canadian jobs is in tourism, an industry that generates $130 bill…
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Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of Liberal government, Canada has the fastest-shrinking economy of any G7 country. Since the Prime Minister's visit to Washington, the U.S. commerce secretary stated that car assembly is going to be in America and there is nothing Canada can do about it. The Liberal Prime Minister recently promised the President that $1 trillion of new investment will flow into the Unit…
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Mr. Speaker, the member should talk to the residents in his riding who lost their jobs when GM cut the third shift in Oshawa. This summer, GM announced plans to invest $4 billion in three auto plants. That does not include the $800 million in Tonawanda, New York, just across the border from us, and it is not St. Catharines. As billions of dollars flee Canada for the U.S., Canadian auto workers are…
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Mr. Speaker, General Motors has had a presence in St. Catharines since 1929, nearly 100 years. If the Liberal government does not act, it might not reach the century mark. As billions of dollars flee Canada for the U.S., Canadian auto workers are watching in dismay as their Prime Minister offers up their jobs to the Trump administration, and for what, a free lunch? When will the Liberal Prime Mini…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has the fastest-shrinking economy in the G7 and the second-highest unemployment levels. If we listen to the U.S. commerce secretary, it is only going to get worse for auto workers, including those at the local GM plant in St. Catharines. In May, GM announced its largest investment ever in an engine plant just across the border from us in Tonawanda, New York. Meanwhile, it was c…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Liberals spend comes out of the pockets of Canadians and inflates the price of everything, including food. The Prime Minister told Canadians when he was sworn in that they should judge him by the cost at the grocery store. Well, the results are in after six months in office. Food Banks Canada has given the Prime Minister and his Liberal government a D on poverty and f…
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Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of passing catch-and-release laws that turn criminals loose on our streets, the Liberals are obstructing the passage of common-sense jail-not-bail proposals. Violent crime is up 55%. In Niagara, residents were horrified when they heard the news of Daniel Senecal breaking into a Welland home and sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl while her family slept. On Monday,…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-232, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders). Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. After 10 years of Liberal soft-on-crime policies and reforms, Canadians are now looking to us to restore common sense to our criminal justice system in Canada. My private member's bill would help do exactly that, and it is a response to c…
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Mr. Speaker, the cities of Welland, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls have all indicated that our justice system fails Canadians when repeat violent offenders are allowed back onto our streets. That is why common-sense Conservatives have proposed a jail-not-bail law, a “three strikes and you're out” bill and more. Today, I will introduce a bill that proposes to keep monsters like Paul Bernardo lock…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to asylum claimants who qualified under the four exception categories to the Safe Third Country Agreement, from 2019 to 2025: (a) how many claimants qualified under each of the following exception categories, broken down by year, including 2025 to date, (i) family member exceptions, (ii) unaccompanied minors, (iii) document holders (valid visa, work permit, study permit, etc.), (iv) pu…
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With regard to the federal Tourism Growth Fund that was announced by the Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec on November 20, 2023: (a) how much of the $108 million from the Tourism Growth Fund has been spent as of June 1, 2025; (b) what is the spending breakdown for each of the seven regional development agencies, inc…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise in this chamber as the first vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Science and Research, representing the Conservatives. Witnesses, committee analysts and parliamentarians from all parties contributed their valuable time and effort into producing this report in the previous Parliament, and I am pleased to see this report being tabled today. His Majesty's opposition did submit…
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With regard to asylum claimants who qualified under the over-14-day exemption to the Safe Third Country Agreement, from 2019 to 2025: (a) how many claimants qualified under the over-14-day exemption, in each of the past five calendar years, broken down by year; (b) how many claims from (a), were processed in each province or territory, broken down by year; (c) how many claims from (a), were from e…
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With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada transferring refugees to Niagara Falls, Ontario, between January 1, 2024 and June 1, 2025: (a) how many have been transferred to Niagara Falls in total; (b) what is the monthly breakdown of the number of refugees transferred to Niagara Falls; (c) which hotels is the government using to lodge refugees in Niagara Falls; (d) how many hotel r…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, in May, GM announced a record-setting $888-million investment in one of our local V8 engine plants. The problem is that it is investing it in Tonawanda, New York, just miles away from our very own V8 engine plant in St. Catharines. Workers in Niagara are worried about their future, and now a new report says that the unjustified U.S. tariffs could kill over 50,000 auto sector jobs in C…
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome the hon. member to this place. The Auditor General indicated that emergency measures' being put in place does not mean that the government cannot still follow the rules, and it should ensure that it does follow the procurement rules. In this case, it failed to do so, and that was to the detriment of Canadians, not only taxpayers but also the tourism sector in particular, whi…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the Bloc for its support for the motion and the upcoming vote on the motion. What is important is that we have put a timeline on it. What we are asking is for the government to act and to act with a sense of urgency. What I mentioned in my remarks is that this is $64 million we could actually recover. With respect to the damage the government did through its ArriveCAN app to t…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Windsor West. One of our primary duties as members of His Majesty's loyal opposition is to hold the federal government to account. Although the new Prime Minister wishes to reset the clock as if this were a new Liberal government, the reality is the team around him is made up of the same old scandal-plagued, tired Liberals, who are carry-o…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's comments are absolutely correct. The hard-working people of Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake sit around their kitchen table and plan a budget. They plan for the hardships they have been undertaking because of the government. We are in an affordability crisis. People are pinching their pennies, and yet they see a government that wastefully spent $64 billion. On top o…
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Mr. Speaker, in a simple word, I do not trust the government. Where is the budget? Again, we get back to the issue of $9 billion. Where is that money, where is the revenue and how is it to be spent?
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Canada is in a housing crisis. After 10 years of Liberal policy failures, home prices have doubled, down payments have doubled and rent has doubled. According to Teranet, which is Ontario's land registry office, the average age of a first-time homebuyer in Ontario last year was 40, up from 34 a decade earlier. Keep in mind that this is the average age. That means there are people buyi…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are justifiably frustrated when it comes to the housing file after 10 years of the Liberal government being in power. When the government was first elected, it proposed an $80-billion plus national housing strategy. The results were that housing costs doubled, rents doubled and mortgage payments doubled. To compound this failure, the Liberals then pledged an over $4-billion …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, it is a tremendous honour for me to rise in the House of Commons today to give my opening remarks in the 45th Parliament as the elected representative for the beautiful and iconic riding of Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake. I want to sincerely thank the residents of Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake for once again placing their trust and confidence in me to represent them and the…
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Mr. Speaker, the Ontario land registry office, Teranet, reports that the average age of a first-time homebuyer in Ontario last year was 40 years old, up from 34 a decade earlier. New data also shows that GTA home sales are the worst since the market crash of the 1990s. At home, the Niagara Home Builders' Association has said housing starts in Niagara are at a 10-year low. This is the Liberal gover…
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Mr. Speaker, on day one of his new job, the Prime Minister's housing minister told Canadians that home prices do not need to come down. After 10 years, the Liberals have doubled housing prices, down payments, mortgage payments and rent. Now the housing minister is doubling down to keep home costs high. Can the Minister of Housing tell Canadians how many more families must fall behind before the go…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable. The Prime Minister has real difficulty when it comes to people who want to speak truth to power. When that truth is spoken, they are then subjected to having to resign from cabinet. The finance minister said it best herself in her resignation letter, when she said, “Inevitably, our time in government will come to an end.” Better words could not have been spoken. It…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, we are nine days away from Christmas, and the debate about the $400-million green slush fund scandal continues on in this place, despite the crisis in confidence we are witnessing in this Liberal caucus today and in this failed Prime Minister. Yet, this NDP-Liberal government continues to ignore your order, Mr. Speaker, and this self-imposed deadline and the mess that they have create…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, we go back to June 10 on the issue, when the original motion was put forward. We are still waiting for documents to be produced. Why is that? The situation could end tomorrow. We could be speaking about issues, such as, for example, border control. We could purchase a lot of border control with $400 million. We are building a new infrastructure, a $400-million waste treatment facility…
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Mr. Speaker, what we are trying to do is just get the documents. I cannot understand why we are continuing the debate. It has been 189 days now. What is the government trying to hide? The documents would go to the law clerk and then they would be presented to the RCMP. We are not telling the RCMP what to do with them; we are asking that they be presented to it. What is the government trying to hid…
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Mr. Speaker, go Bills. My colleague is absolutely right. In my community, for example, there are four international border crossings. Two of the four bridges in my community alone are two of the four busiest commercial bridge crossings into the United States for commerce and for tourism, for example. In our community, there was $2.4 billion in tourism receipts alone in 2019, prior to COVID. The ma…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely right. The former finance minister said exactly that. I would like to take this opportunity to read from her resignation letter. She says, “Our country today faces a grave challenge.” She goes on to say, “That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.” Here we …
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