Vincent Ho

Madam Speaker, it is Thanksgiving, and this morning's latest job numbers are devastating. Almost 70,000 jobs were lost in September, bringing that to a staggering 110,000 jobs lost in just two months. Unemployment has skyrocketed to 6.5%, which is the second highest in the G7. Recently I spoke with Jordan, a father in Richmond Hill who is worried about losing his job while struggling to keep up with the Liberal affordability crisis. While hard-working Canadians worry about their next paycheque, the out-of-touch Liberal government keeps delivering more talk but no results. How many more Canadians have to lose their jobs before the Liberal Prime Minister puts down the $500 buttercups and admits that he is failing to do his?

Madam Speaker, we Conservatives have a serious plan to save Canadian jobs and save Canadians' money. Let us talk about Emily, who is a young graduate from Richmond Hill who did everything right. She studied hard and earned her degree, but is still left jobless after almost two years and is living in her parents' basement. Young Canadians like Emily are watching their opportunities disappear after 11 years of the Liberal government. She is not alone. Nearly 67,000 youth jobs vanished in just two months. Meanwhile, wages have grown at just 2.3%, below the latest inflation rate of 3%. Worse, 35% of young adults under 35 still live with their parents. Is this how the Liberal Prime Minister wants to bring together families on Thanksgiving?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister promised to “build, baby, build”, but the Liberal insider he appointed to chair the new housing bureaucracy supposedly tasked with fixing the Liberal housing crisis called the dream of home ownership a “regressive” idea and told Canadians to stop glorifying it. The latest numbers are out: 47% of Canadians would move an hour away from their community just to afford a home, and 56% of Canadian non-homeowners say they may never own a home. Why does the Liberal government think the dream of home ownership is regressive, and how much longer do young Canadians have to keep sacrificing before its talk turns into results?

Mr. Speaker, for thousands of years, families of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese heritage, and others, have gathered beneath the autumn moon to celebrate family, gratitude and harvest, but this tradition is not new to Canada. Chinese communities have been living on the land we now call Canada since even before Confederation. Chinese artisans first arrived on Vancouver Island as early as 1788, and tens of thousands more arrived in British Columbia in the decades that followed. They brought their traditions and languages with them, but they left their conflicts behind. They did not come looking for a handout. They came looking for opportunity. They worked and raised families. They served in the armed forces. They built businesses, new towns and a railway that connected Canada. Despite barriers and enormous hardship, they persevered and helped build this country from the ground up. Generations later, their descendants enjoy the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship that earlier generations fought so hard to attain. This Mid-Autumn Festival, we celebrate not only an ancient tradition but one that is deeply rooted in the Canadian story: people coming here for freedom and opportunity, working hard, contributing to their communities and proudly calling Canada home. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. [Member spoke in Chinese] [English]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this month in Richmond Hill, multiple armed suspects forced their way into a family home, assaulted the residents and opened fire in the house with a gun. Families in my community should not have to wake up wondering whether violent armed criminals will be kicking down their door next. After years of Liberal soft-on-crime policies, it is arrest by day and bail by night. All Canadians are hearing is plenty of Liberal talk, but no results. When will the Liberals keep Canadians safe and repeal weak Liberal bail, house arrest and catch-and-release to lock up extortionists, human traffickers, car thieves, burglars and violent criminals?