Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, there is no rhetoric or bluster here, as the minister does his fancy dance over there. The price of used cars has more than doubled over the last several years as a result of the government's inflationary policies. Taxing a vehicle twice is wrong. We on this side believe that cars are not a luxury, and for many people, they are a lifeline. On this side of the House, we would zero-rate…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Bill S‑210 to designate September as Ukrainian heritage month in Canada, not merely as a matter of multicultural courtesy but an act of moral clarity, historical justice and national affirmation. This bill is not symbolic in the diminishing sense of the word. It is substantively symbolic, the kind of recognition that tells a community we see them, we …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice will remember that several times in the House I have raised the issue of a three-year-old little toddler in my riding who was brutally raped and beaten and left for dead. About a week and a half ago, survivors of sexual assault from early age to adulthood came to Ottawa to talk to members of the House about their stories of survival. This is not a partisan issu…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Bill C-232, introduced by my friend and colleague the member for Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, yet I do so with a deep sense of frustration because this legislation should not be necessary. Canada should have resolved this issue years ago. In my riding of Niagara South lies Lake Gibson, in the city of Thorold. Every time I cross the bridge over that wat…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is my job to bring a profound conclusion to the debate before us tonight, and I am happy to add my 30 seconds of wisdom. Let me begin by stating something quite clearly, Conservatives believe workers have the right to organize. We believe workers have the right to choose their representation freely and democratically. We believe employer domination of unions has no place in Canad…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, with Canada now the only G7 country in a recession, Canadians cannot understand why the government continues wasting millions of dollars through government programs that fund municipalities to buy hotels for asylum claimants. A hotel does not stop being a hotel because the Liberals rename it a “reception centre”. Canadians are tired of political spin and word games, as families strugg…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last night, the Minister of Immigration tried to dodge a very simple question. When asked whether taxpayer dollars are being used to buy hotels for asylum claimants, she attempted to rebrand them as “reception centres”. Canadians know the facts. Municipalities like Ottawa and Pickering have already used millions of dollars in public funds to purchase hotels to house asylum claimants. …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, let me try to rephrase that, because we know that the City of Pickering has purchased hotels through transfers from the federal government. How many hotels is the government funding through transfers to municipalities to house asylum claimants? It is a simple number.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, for 10 years, IRCC has spiralled from backlog to backlog while temporary migration numbers exploded beyond Canada's capacity for housing, health care and infrastructure. Nearly two million visas and permits are now approaching expiry, exposing a system riddled with abuse by questionable colleges that turn immigration into a business model. One of the programs that got caught up in this …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for that thoughtful presentation. She knows full well that when governments pick winners and losers, capital flees. Capital flows to where certainty exists. In this regime, under this proposal, there is no certainty. The CRTC is oblivious to economics, trade or capital flow. Can the hon. member tell me how she thinks the decision can negatively impact inve…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, let us talk about results. Right now, the minister's website says the approval time for start-up visa program applications is in excess of 10 years. People can get approval in France in one to two months. In the United States, it is 15 days. In Germany, it is four to six months. In the U.K., it is two to four months. In Canada, it is 10 excruciatingly painful years. Is the minister okay…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, it is not that I want to correct the minister by her trying to correct what she had already said, that the program had been rife with corruption, but the IRCC's own evaluations identified problematic applications, weak oversight and pay-to-incubate schemes involving designated organizations. Why did your government fail to act before the backlog exploded past 43,000 applications? Why di…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, when I asked the minister at committee about the purchase of real estate for asylum housing, she had a bit of a confused look on her face and provided a rather bizarre answer. She said that the population was staying in these hotels. How many former hotels, motels or hospitality properties are currently being funded through federal transfers to house failed or asylum claimants?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, that is interesting, because my next question was going to be about the corruption in the program. The minister has just verified and validated that there has been corruption in her department in the program. It cannot handle the backlog of applications, so it shut it down because it was corrupted. I wonder if the minister can tell me, did the department ever audit NACO when it was subc…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, there is a twist: “reception centres” is catchphrase for allowing municipalities to purchase hotels to put asylum claimants in them. Let me go back to another question I asked the minister in committee. There are contribution agreements that are signed between IRCC and municipalities. What is the language in the contribution agreement that allows the municipalities to purchase real esta…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, we are now calling them “reception centres”. Is the minister suggesting that municipalities have not been buying real estate with the funds that have been transferred by her department for the purpose of housing asylum claimants?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Once again, Mr. Chair, there is a contribution agreement between IRCC and municipalities that receive federal funding. What is the language in the contribution agreement that gives the authority for municipalities to purchase real estate for asylum claimants? It is a very simple question. Does the minister know the answer?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I am not sure we are going to be able to get to the bottom of this. How many hotels have been purchased with taxpayer money, through contribution agreements between IRCC and municipalities? It is a very simple question.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I am not going to get a straight answer, for whatever reason. It does not seem like a difficult question. In these contribution agreements, she will not verify that there is language that allows municipalities to purchase real estate, but we know that they have purchased real estate because it has been all over the news, including the fact that the City of Ottawa spent over $40 million …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader says there is hypocrisy on this side of the House because we vote against funding programs to fund programs to fix problems that the Liberals created in the first place. That is the definition of insanity, in my view. I would like to ask my hon. friend something. He is talking about the temporary relief from fuel taxes in Cana…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, despite the illusions with the Liberal Prime Minister, it is more cost, more carbon taxes and more of the same. Liberals blame $100 per barrel of oil for high gas prices, but in 2014, oil was also $100, and gas was $1.38 a litre. Today, it is $1.83. That is 45¢ more for the same global price. What has changed? Liberal policy has changed. Higher taxes, carbon taxes and GST on top of th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the media panels have given up on this immigration minister. Bob Fife, the bureau chief of The Globe and Mail, called her performance “pathetic” and her “incompetent” twice in the same panel. Even CBC's David Cochrane said, “when they fall back on privacy, process and the passive voice, it's usually a sign of some trouble.” Immigration is a serious issue and the Prime Minister is ulti…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is capitulating on U.S. tariffs. Tariffs on steel have doubled. Lumber tariffs have tripled, and new barriers continue to hit our manufacturers. Nowhere is this failure felt more than in my region of Niagara, where cross-border trade is the lifeblood of local jobs, supply chains and our communities. While he blames tariffs on the shrinking economy, he fails to show …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I was entertained by the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader's speech. Every time I have risen in the House before to speak to legislation, the parliamentary secretary has accused us of filibustering and not allowing legislation to go to committee quickly enough. Now that the Liberals want to assert their majority to get a majority on committees, will he undertake a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am going to bring the temperature down just a touch, get a little decorum and speak a little more calmly, but I am happy to participate in this debate today on the auto sector. I am also happy to let the House know that I will be splitting my time with my friend and colleague, the great member for Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake. As my friend from Niagara Falls knows all too well,…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I do not know where the hon. member is getting her information, because this side of the House has been meeting with auto workers and unions for several years. They understand our plan and support our plan. I do not know what the plan of the government is. I wish the Liberals would explain it beyond just criticizing our plan, which is based on a historic and successful tradition of tr…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I really enjoy the banter back and forth with the hon. member. Every time I make a speech in the House, he has something interesting to say. It is not always on point or relevant, but it is generally good for comedy. In all seriousness, we have had a lot of members stand up today to talk about the auto industry in their riding. I am probably the only one in the House who has two EV pl…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the heart of our policy is to recognize that with respect to the cars that we manufacture in Canada and that are going to be purchased by Canadians, there is a two-way street with the United States. We need to be able to ensure that with the cars that are built here, that are purchased by Canadians and that have access to the American market, it is done the same way. We would not enga…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canada's auto exports fell to their lowest level in years this January. More than 5,000 auto workers have already lost their jobs. In Niagara alone, there are two EV plants that have either not opened or been delayed because of a declining EV market, yet the Liberals are subsidizing foreign-made electric vehicles. It makes no sense at all. Will the Liberals finally adopt our strategy …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration system is broken, and the Liberal immigration minister is treating this critical file like a game of hide-and-seek. She is not very good at hiding, but the Liberals are very good at deflecting. Even her own Liberal colleagues have called out her abject incompetence. As the minister tries to hide, Canadians are left witnessing a youth unemployment crisis and three …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I had a lot of ground to cover today on the immigration question, but I think I am going to focus on a couple of health care issues that I need to get on the record with respect to my riding. Canada's health care system is under some serious pressure. The wait times are long, access to primary care is in crisis and hospital systems are in debt. In my riding of Niagara South, we are in…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded vote.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, too many people in Niagara cannot find a family doctor. Right now, taxpayers are being charged up to five times the provincial rates to provide health care to rejected asylum claimants. Families have waited long enough and our failed asylum system is making them wait even longer. Conservatives have proposed common-sense solutions to address this horrible situation. It is time for the …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, American protectionism is hammering our auto sector, yet the Liberal government has announced a $2.3-billion EV subsidy for vehicles built in the United States. That is not leadership; it is economic capitulation. Donald Trump has been clear: He wants every Canadian auto job moved south. Under the Liberals, 5,000 Canadian auto workers have already lost their jobs. Plants are idle, and…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have a strange sense of déjà vu, because the last time I stood up in the House, the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader asked me the same question. He is effectively saying he wants us to just roll over and pass all this legislation without adequate debate. I have a right to stand up in the House and represent the interests of my constituents, and those interests …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I rise today because Canadians are asking simple but deeply troubling questions. They ask why our justice system seems to work harder for criminals than for victims, and why law-abiding Canadians feel increasingly vulnerable while repeat offenders appear increasingly confident. Nowhere is that question more urgent than in the alarming rise of extortion across this country, including i…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Bloomberg reports that Canada's economy is on life support. Canada's GDP growth was zero in November. Productivity continues to fall, and the Bank of Canada expects just 1% growth next year, with business investments being postponed. How bad is it? Homebuilders in Niagara have laid off 60% of their framers due to stalled residential construction. The Prime Minister promised the fastes…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of Canadians who are concerned about the contents of Bill C-9 and its assault on religious freedom. Their fear is that Christians and other religious individuals who believe in the Bible will be told they are engaging in criminal activity. On behalf of these citizens, I urge the government to withdraw Bill C-9 and protect religious freedom …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, tell that to the little girl's family, that when Daniel Senecal was released after serving one year for raping a 12-year-old boy, that one-year sentence was adequate. Tell that to the community that is hurting. We have to have mandatory minimums for serious repeat offenders. There is just no question about it. I do not care what the stats say. When we get down to repeat child sex offe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to participate in the debate on Bill C-16 today. It is timely for me and relevant to my constituency, which has recently been hit with more than our share of sexual assaults and child sexual assaults. I meet regularly with survivors of these crimes, and their stories are heartbreaking. They have informed me, educated me and inspired me. They have shared not just thei…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I could have anticipated that question before I stood up. We are not filibustering anything. I am a new member of Parliament. I have a right to stand in this House. I am not on the justice committee, which this bill would be referred to. We are only putting up four speakers today on this bill. As a new member of Parliament, and with these crimes committed in my riding, I have a right …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague raises an interesting point, but I would again point out that one of the issues in this legislation, the wiggle room in Bill C-16 with respect to judicial discretion on changing sentences on mandatory minimums, creates a greater imbalance. Someone can have a very talented lawyer who knows the system better than others but may be less fortunate and not able to have adequat…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the government is saying we are filibustering and not co-operating.
Read full speech →Government Orders
That is ridiculous. Mr. Speaker, splitting a bill so that we can get important pieces of a bill through, so it becomes law, is not an unreasonable suggestion. We have already done it in this session. We are not filibustering or delaying. We are here to co-operate on good pieces of legislation. As my colleague said, there are good parts of this legislation, but I am hoping the committee will bring …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, if the government is really serious about building faster, it should start with opportunities already in front of it. I have one that is truly shovel-ready: restoring wharves 17 and 18 on the Welland Canal in Port Colborne. For more than 20 years this critical infrastructure has sat broken. During that time the City of Port Colborne, shipping companies, port authorities and private in…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise to present a petition about Bill C-9. Canadians are concerned about the erosion of religious freedoms, as contained in the legislation. They are also concerned that governments are intruding on faith. These petitioners are calling for the withdrawal of Bill C-9, and I am pleased to present these views on behalf of the many proud Canadians who signed.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have come to know my colleague from Windsor West over the last several months, and I want to thank him for his years of service as a police officer, protecting Canadians and our borders. I appreciate his service to our country. My riding is at the opposite end of Lake Erie, and we share similar border issues. We just learned, for example, that the CBSA has eliminated 40% of its capa…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, a few minutes ago, one of the members opposite asked my colleague here if he had mentioned to the auto workers who have lost their jobs that the government has set aside some money for them and if he had mentioned to them that the government has extended EI in response to the 3,000 lost jobs. It seems to me that the Liberal government's response to everything is to spend more money, thr…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, once again, I am listening to a member opposite rifle through all the Liberal talking points. We are here to talk about the auto sector, not about other issues to deflect from the main topic. My region of Niagara, in the 20th century, was the hub for manufacturing. In 1969, 47% of all jobs in the Niagara area were in the auto sector. In 2008, there were 4,000 direct jobs. In 2014, that …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, after billions of taxpayer dollars and countless promises, 3,000 jobs at Stellantis were lost, leaving workers out of work. The Prime Minister said he was the man with the plan. I wonder if my hon. colleague would comment on what he thinks that plan actually might be.
Read full speech →