Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, from August 11 to August 15, the city of Medicine Hat is thrilled to host the 2026 Special Olympics Canada summer games, welcoming 1,700 participants from across the country. These games will showcase the incredible talents and inspiring stories of athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities through competition, camaraderie, personal bests and unforgettable memories. Ath…
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Madam Speaker, the Liberals tell us that the judicial safety valve is necessary to ensure flexibility. However, the criminal justice system already has safety valves in it. Police officers exercise discretion and lay charges, and the prosecutor has discretion on how they are going to handle a case and what that will look like for them. To me, the judicial safety valve would create an additional la…
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Mr. Speaker, despite the Liberal rhetoric, we know that the property values in the area impacted by this decision are having a significant impact on the homeowners. I am curious. Can our friend across the way answer how this decision is impacting his house-flipping business?
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Mr. Speaker, I have sat here and heard for weeks now, since the decision was made, about how the Conservatives are spreading misinformation, yet we know government lawyers do not act on their own. They get direction, and that direction came directly from the cabinet to the government lawyers on principle 14 in this particular decision. Could the minister please clarify for Canadians the misinforma…
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Mr. Speaker, no matter how much lipstick they put on this budget, a pig is still a pig. Liberals' costly credit—
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' costly credit card budget is more of the same: more debt, more spending, more taxes and higher inflation. The Prime Minister has doubled previous annual deficits. He had still added $54 billion in new spending, costing Canadians now $59 billion in debt interest charges to cover it. His $25-billion sovereign debt fund is just another deception. When will the Prime Ministe…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of questions. I know that law enforcement has been asking for this for quite some time, and I know they are generally pleased with the start of this. I am wondering whether my colleague has heard any feedback from law enforcement that is encouraging Parliament to go further with this legislation, some specific things they are asking for that are not yet in this bill.
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Mr. Speaker, I am wondering whether my colleague would share the concerns that some Canadians have already expressed with respect to ministerial orders, requiring only the approval of the intelligence commissioner, rather than maybe adding the Privacy Commissioner or even judicial oversight onto those ministerial orders. I wonder if he shares the concerns of people who have raised that issue.
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Mr. Speaker, if the government is going to have a robust lawful access regime in this country, it needs to have the necessary resources, not only in law enforcement and the national security apparatus, but also in prosecutions, to make sure we can follow through and hold accountable those who would do us harm as a country, like those who prey on the vulnerable, and organized crime individuals. Law…
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Mr. Speaker, the difference here for the House and my colleagues to understand is that the courts found that during the “freedom convoy”, the government and the Governor in Council acted illegally. They circumvented the law. They basically broke the law, in my opinion and the opinion of the courts. The difference here is that there is legislation that allows for this to occur. This gives me pause …
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that Bill C-2 had a number of things that distracted Canadians and gave us pause as legislators. It tried to lump everything together. It was suggested to the government that if we are going to deal with a subject as critical as this to law enforcement and the protection of our national security, and to CSIS and other national security investigators, we nee…
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Mr. Speaker, I left policing in 2015, and I can say that in the decade and a half or more before that, there were serious restrictions and limitations on the ability of law enforcement, and certainly our national security apparatus, to lawfully gather information and then be able to use it in court. I can say that the chiefs of police, as I indicated in my remarks, said as early as 2001 that one o…
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Mr. Speaker, I was getting wound up on my last question. I will answer my colleague from the Bloc first. I do not think the threshold, to be honest, would be any lower. Law enforcement would still require reasonable, probable grounds to believe an offence has been or is about to be committed in order for the threshold to be met to obtain a warrant. The only thing that would be adjusted is that a s…
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Mr. Speaker, I will continue on with the lawful access speech I was providing. Basically, the growing global nature of crime increases vulnerability as terrorist networks, organized criminal groups and human traffickers all use modern technology to perpetrate crimes and avoid detection. Many criminal organizations are using communication technologies that cannot be easily or lawfully accessed by C…
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Mr. Speaker, I am always honoured to rise in this place to represent the amazing people of Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner. Today's debate on Bill C-22, an act respecting lawful access, is important and timely, as Parliament again aims to modernize Canada's lawful access framework. I am hopeful this time that our efforts on the issue will have some measure of success. In Canada, “lawful access” refer…
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Mr. Speaker, rising oil prices should be an enormous opportunity for Canada's economy, but Liberal anti-energy ideology blocks this sector. Despite grand speeches and meaningless MOUs, the Liberals have failed to approve any pipeline to tidewater, and their Major Projects Office has done nothing and approved nothing. Canadian energy should stabilize global markets, support our allies and strengthe…
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Mr. Speaker, today, words travel farther and faster than ever, allowing them to outlive the moment. What comes out of a person's mouth has immediate impact, and those words are not harmless, but we all have said something we regret. Our words create momentum for good or destruction. We think strength is proven by being blunt, direct or unfiltered. Proverbs 18 tells us, “The tongue has the power of…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are moving forward with their gun confiscation scheme, while at the same time the Public Safety Minister admits that he cannot explain the logic of his own policy. More than $700 million will be wasted, and he acknowledges that law-abiding gun owners are not the problem; criminals using illegal guns are. The Trudeau Liberals promised fair compensation, but now the program…
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today on behalf of Canadians who are expressing great concern with the recent amendments from the Bloc and the Liberal government in regard to Bill C-9. The petitioners are concerned about criminalization of the reading of passages from the Bible and other sacred texts. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in this country, and the petitioners are calling …
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Madam Speaker, part 1 of the bill would: [amend] the Customs Act to provide [CBSA] with facilities free of charge for carrying out any purpose related to the administration or enforcement of that Act and other Acts of Parliament and to provide officers of that Agency with access at certain locations to goods destined for export. It also includes transitional provisions. This would force operators …
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's Brookfield conflicts of interest continue to grow with his keeping his shares, options and performance pay, which are worth millions of dollars. Every major decision the PM says he is making for Canada, such as nuclear deals, AI, EU space agencies and many more, has the potential to make him wealthier. While Canadians suffer, business for Brookfield has never been…
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Mr. Speaker, absolutely. It is interesting when the government rolls out these socialist programs to people who want to have a job, keep their job and be able to afford to feed their own children. They want to be able to afford to keep their house and have a job and a future for their children. This is not what has been happening over these last 10 years with the government. Yes, people want to lo…
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Mr. Speaker, I was going to say in French that my colleague is absolutely correct. I thank him for the information. I thank him for the realization that the government fails to recognize, which is that it can use all the accounting tricks it wants, but the reality is that we have a debt problem in this country. We have a debt problem for consumers, for governments and for businesses, which are str…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always interesting to hear my colleague from across the way. I am concerned about his health, as excited as he gets all the time with his questions. The part that troubles me is that we can have all this rhetoric from the other side, from the government, about what is happening with the economy and how well we are doing in comparison to other countries. However, I listen to the …
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House to speak on behalf of the good people of Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner. Today it is to discuss budget 2025. This fall, before the budget was tabled, my office sent out a survey across my riding to hear directly from constituents about their priorities and expectations for the 2025 budget. An overwhelming 76% of respondents listed the cost of living …
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Mr. Speaker, this fall, my office surveyed southern Alberta residents about their priorities and expectations for the federal budget. An overwhelming 76% of respondents indicated the cost of living is their top concern, and 80% of business owners said the rising costs were hurting their operations. Interestingly, 88% did not believe Canada's economic situation would improve in the next year. Sadly…
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Mr. Speaker, I am curious to know my colleague's perspective on what Canada should expect to receive by letting the U.K. in on this trade deal.
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Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to rise in this House on behalf of the good people of Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner. Today, I am going to be discussing Bill C-12. This is the Liberals' second attempt at addressing our broken border and immigration system. It was introduced in the House recently, thanks to my Conservative colleagues' work and my work in forcing the Liberals to back down on their…
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Mr. Speaker, I have many good friends and former colleagues who were or are members of the RCMP. Even now, I ask people from the force whom I meet in different communities about how things are going. They tell me very clearly that there is a disconnect between upper management and them. There are operational issues that are not being addressed by the RCMP leadership. That disappoints me. The RCMP …
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Mr. Speaker, what has happened in this country over the last 10 years is that the public trust in our entire justice system has waned. Examples like this, where judges make decisions that might be considered inappropriate, or where the laws of the government have undermined the great work of law enforcement across this country, certainly cause people to ask, “What is the use?” and to say that we n…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a great question, and I have similar questions. I am puzzled by the government's bringing the bill forward and not putting up any speakers to defend it nor to speak about how they want to improve the bill or how they want to work with the opposition to improve the bill. My Bloc colleague asked a question that I cannot answer. The government would have to answer why it is not p…
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Mr. Speaker, let us get back on track to the topic at hand. In Bill C-2, there was a failure to group the different topics that were in it. Bill C-12 is a step in the right direction; however, serious amendments are required to the bill. Can you just highlight, in your opinion, some of the more poignant issues that Bill C-12 needs amendments for? We are hopeful that the government will listen to t…
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Mr. Speaker, the world desperately needs more people who do not fold under pressure, but who are guided by grace and use their influence not for personal gain, but for justice, those who are willing to stand in the gap for others, to boldly speak the truth, to protect the vulnerable, to fight against injustice and to take risks to do what is right. I believe these are the kinds of people we are al…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' oil and gas emissions cap will continue to devastate jobs in the energy sector and make life more expensive for Canadians. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that the emissions cap will cut our GDP by about $20.5 billion annually and eliminate 54,000 more jobs by 2032. The Prime Minister promised he would be different, but those promises have been broken. Will th…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to rise and to represent the great people of Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner. This summer, like many members of the House, I had the privilege of meeting with constituents from all across my riding, hearing directly from them on issues that matter most to them. I want to thank everyone who took the time to connect with me, because their voice matters. Today I would…
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Mr. Speaker, if that is exactly what the bill said, then there is nothing wrong with it, but it does not say that. This is why it is so important that the work of the committee is done in a non-partisan fashion to clear up any ambiguity and provide clarity so that, exactly as my friend across the way suggested, things are done in a lawful, rights-protected manner by law enforcement, not Canada Pos…
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are ready to support provisions in the bill that are in our national interest and secure our borders while proposing amendments by which the bill can be improved and opposing measures that go against the best interest of Canadians. Before I get into the specifics of the bill, it is very important to note that much of the urgency surrounding the legislation is the direct …
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Mr. Speaker, that is a very loaded question that is going to require a lot of time to answer. In its present form, I believe that unless the proper clarity and checks and balances are put in place, the bill would have the potential to reach beyond its initial intent, to reach beyond the ability to keep our nation safe and Canadians safe. It has potential. That is why we need to study it at committ…
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Mr. Speaker, this is an important piece of legislation. It would have a far-reaching impact, both positive and negative, if we get it wrong. We need to ensure that the committee is given as much time as it needs. This is not something that should be brushed over because of the urgency being pushed from the United States. Canadian rights and freedoms need to be protected, but we also need to have t…
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Mr. Speaker, I had the same fright when I saw the government's initial proposal to have Canada Post deal with the confiscation of firearms. It is not appropriate. Canada Post has an obligation. I appreciate the fact that we need to adjust the Canada Post act to even allow for law enforcement to be able to obtain a warrant to gather and seize evidence, but it needs to be law enforcement, not Canada…
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With regard to Elections Canada, for each of the 2019, 2021 and 2025 general elections, in total and broken down by electoral district, for each part of the question: (a) how many applications for vote-by-mail ballots were (i) requested, (ii) denied; (b) how many vote-by-mail ballots were (i) sent out, (ii) received, (iii) counted, (iv) rejected; (c) what is the breakdown of each part of (b) by ba…
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With regard to Elections Canada and the 2025 general election: (a) what is the full breakdown of the processing of special ballots, including how and when they are counted; (b) does Elections Canada record a distinction between special ballots in person and special ballots used to vote by mail; (c) what is the full breakdown of the processing of advance polling and the counting of those ballots, i…
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With regard to Elections Canada and special ballot data, for each of the 2019, 2021 and 2025 general elections, in total and broken down by electoral district, for each part of the question: (a) how many special ballots were issued to electors living (i) in their riding and voting by mail from inside their riding, (ii) in their riding and voting at an Elections Canada office inside their riding, (…
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Mr. Speaker, this bureaucracy that is being set up is just another example of the smoke and mirrors. There is no need for democracy if the corruption was not existing in the Liberal government right from the very beginning. My question is very simple. We can have all the bureaucracies we want. What steps are this parliamentary secretary, the Minister of Public Safety and the government taking, spe…
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Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General just released a scathing audit on arrive scam contractor GC Strategies. Last year, the government awarded 106 contracts to GC Strategies, worth a total of $92 million, with $64 million already paid out. However, 50% of these contracts did not enforce security requirements. Much of the work performed was not monitored. Many contractors did not have the experience or…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague across the way for the introduction of this bill. Much of my time here in Ottawa is spent on the public safety committee, and many of these issues have been brought up for years, as has the need to improve upon the law. In my previous career in law enforcement, we had similar issues that we were bringing forward over and over again. My question is twofold. There h…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the energy minister say there will be no pipelines without a consensus, but buzzwords do not build pipelines. How is consensus realistic when the NDP Premier of B.C. has already ruled out a new pipeline. There is currently no proponent for an eastern pipeline, and the Prime Minister himself called for Canada to be an energy superpower one day, and the next day, …
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With regard to legal costs incurred by the government in relation to litigation against the Information Commissioner since January 1, 2021: what is the total expenditure on outside legal counsel, broken down by legal costs paid out to date and by legal costs scheduled to be paid out, for (i) Attorney General of Canada v. Information Commissioner of Canada (Federal Court file T-1623-22), (ii) Expor…
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With regard to government expenditures related to the Prime Minister's trip to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024: (a) what are the expenditures incurred to date, in total and broken down by type of expense; (b) how many members were part of the Canadian delegation; (c) what are the names and titles of the delegation members; (d) what was the total expenditure…
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Mr. Speaker, this now infamous claim by the former minister, which was made at the committee table, went viral as police officer after police officer and official after official denied it before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and before the Public Order Emergency Commission. Documentary evidence further substantiated just how wrong the former minister's claim was. With all r…
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