Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech really got to the heart of the problem with the policy. In my riding of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, a mainly rural riding, a career college is one of the only choices for many fields. For some reason, the Liberals have decided to attack rural Canada. There are many people who will not be able to get an education if they cannot afford their college e…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her really interesting speech that hit home. She mentioned this being an attack on rural Canada. Public universities and colleges are not located in small towns, but the private schools, private colleges and career colleges are filling that gap. We want our young people and older people to be able to work and go to school in their communities. For example, the…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to continue this discussion in the House, a very important discussion for all of Canada, in particular for people living in rural communities. What we are talking about is the Liberal government's changes in budget 2025, which unfairly exclude career college students from federal grants. This obviously undermines affordability and Canada's workforce needs. It also undermines sk…
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate my colleague's discussion on this very important issue. What does she think about the fact that in rural communities like Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay there are hardly any choices for people to further their education? This will further limit the choices that my constituents have.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, this policy creates two classes of students based solely on where they study. In rural ridings like Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, we do not have many choices for education. Why does my colleague think the Liberals are trying to limit education, especially in small communities?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to private member's bill, Bill C-226, which has been brought forward to this House by the member for Fleetwood—Port Kells. Before I begin my speech, I would like to quickly congratulate two of my local hockey teams. The first is the Penticton Vees, which will be advancing to the next round of playoffs in its first year of the WHL. The second is the Princeton Posse, whi…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague across the aisle, who I know cares deeply about this crisis. We all want the same thing. We want to end this crisis or at least make a move towards ending it. Canadians are living the consequences. B.C. is living the consequences of the model of decriminalization that did not work. Hopefully no other province is asked to go through what we have had to…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the government promised that its approach to addiction would reduce harm and lead people toward recovery, but the evidence shows that this promise has not been kept. Canadians were told that decriminalization, safer supply and supervised consumption would reduce harm and connect people to treatment. That was the promise. However, the reality on the ground tells a completely different …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague made an eloquent speech, but I would like to ask the member, how long does he think it is going to take? How many years is it going to take before he feels we can lose our dependency on fuel? He would like to change things so that we are not dependent on it anymore, and yet it is well known that this could take years. In my riding of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kooten…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, today, the Liberals announced they are adopting a third of our gas relief plan for just a third of the year, but residents in the Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay do not just drive for the summer. Our plan would take excise, GST and fuel standard taxes off gas and diesel for the rest of 2026. That would cut costs at the pump by 25¢ per litre, saving $1,200 for a family of four…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is on behalf of the residents of Sage Mesa, in my riding in Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, and other communities across my riding and across Canada, who have been on boil water rationing and boil water regulations for many, many years. Access to safe, affordable and clean drinking water should not continue to be an issue in Canada. Therefore, they are as…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, MOUs will not deliver Canadian natural resources to markets, but pipelines and ports will. However, I want to turn to the forestry sector now. We know that a decade of Liberal ministers negotiating with four presidential administrations has not delivered a softwood lumber agreement, while Prime Minister Harper was able to sign one in mere weeks. New challenges of the second Trump ad…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise to seek answers on the government's natural resources policies. Residents in my community are watching the war in Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, which are blamed for the spike in prices at the pump. Just this week, my daughter shared with me that gas prices for her in Vancouver had reached over two dollars per litre. It is not just the Lower Mainland. The avera…
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Mr. Speaker, finally, I am presenting a petition in which my constituents express a deep concern about the proposed changes to the salmon allocation policy that would decimate regular recreation fishing opportunities for coho and chinook in British Columbia. Constituents are calling upon the ministry of fisheries and oceans to leave the current salmon allocation policy alone and uphold the cultura…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am tabling three petitions today on behalf of constituents from Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay. The first petition has 1,600 signatures. Residents are asking for the federal government to partner with the province and provide funding for a secondary route from South Okanagan to Kelowna as an alternate to Highway 97. Highway 97 is the only major route between Penticton and …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I think this is the question running through the mind of just about every MP of the House, on both sides of the aisle, I am sure, because this is attacking religion, freedom of speech and democracy. Right now, people in our communities are afraid to walk down the street. They are afraid to go shopping. There are elderly people afraid of break-ins at their home. That is what we should …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak to Bill C-9, a piece of legislation that has brought forward huge concerns for Canadians of every religious background across the country. Canadians I speak with in my community are not asking for more censorship. They are asking for safer streets, stronger communities and a government that focuses on real problems. Instead of focusing on these concerns, the Li…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Again, Mr. Speaker, I think this is a question running through everyone's mind. I wonder what the members on the other side of the aisle are thinking. They must be getting the phone calls I am getting. They must be getting the emails, the written letters and the calls from their local faith leaders who are completely against this because, as I mentioned earlier, they are afraid of what they might …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member across the aisle for the question he has asked many times today. I would like to ask the member why the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council, the World Sikh Organization of Canada, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Labour Congress, the Centre for Free Expression and Canadians for Justice and Peace i…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in a discussion about unsafe injection sites, I asked the Liberal Minister of Health the easiest possible question: Is injecting fentanyl safe? Instead of giving a straight answer, the minister laughed and said that research shows continuing to inject fentanyl saves lives. Extending addiction does not save lives. I will ask it again: Does the minister believe injecting illeg…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Bill C-13 comes before the House at a time of concern about global tensions in our trading relationships. Let us be clear that Canada is and always will remain a great trading nation. Trade is the foundation of every strong economy in history, and trade with the United Kingdom is a long and deep part of Canadian history. The Leader of the Opposition spoke about this just recently when speaking to …
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Mr. Speaker, we should be negotiating with countries around the world that have the same moral compass as Canada. I will give the example of my riding. Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay has one of the longest borders with the United States in the country. I think the member is asking if we should be looking elsewhere. We should, but at the same time, we need to keep this relationship with t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the legislation before us: Bill C-13, an act to implement the protocol on the accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. That is a long name, but the acronym is the CPTPP. Before I begin my speech, I want to make a small acknowledgement of a big win in my c…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, of course we need to continue creating further trade partners, and that is a good thing. What I mentioned in my speech was that there were things we could have brought to the table that were not brought, which is going to affect many people across this country, including in my riding. One that I spoke about was the softwood lumber and lumber industry. Another was the beef industr…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's very detailed question and explanation of the situation we are in right now across the country. It seems as if, with all the travels around the world, the Prime Minister has forgotten that there are whole towns all across this country that are shutting their doors. That is what happens in the lumber and forestry industry because the industry encompasses the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his really informative speech. I think we all agree we need to diversify our markets. Why does my colleague think Canadians are having trouble believing what the government says it is going to do and are questioning whether any of this is actually going to happen?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, when are the Liberals going to realize these programs are not working? I was recently approached by a young mom who told me how hard it has become to feed her children. It was heart-wrenching. I see her face now when I hear that child poverty rose for a third straight year in Canada. Nearly 30,000 more children have fallen below the poverty line. When will the Liberal government end t…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to build at speeds not seen since the Second World War, when returning veterans were in desperate need of housing to start young families. Back then, we provided it in mere months. The Liberals today are proud of the billions they are spending, but the fact is, more young Canadians than ever are delaying, if not abandoning, important life goals like home ownershi…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, after a decade of Liberal promises, housing prices have doubled, down payments have doubled, and now CMHC is projecting that housing starts will decline through 2026, 2027 and 2028. CMHC says we need nearly 500,000 homes per year to end the housing crisis. Instead we are headed toward fewer than half that. The government says 800,000 homes may be permitted over a decade. That is not a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there is definitely a lack of confidence in the Liberal government. I wonder if the member could tell us again why he does not trust the government to follow through on its promises, in particular, the high-speed rail project.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, rejected asylum seekers quickly realize they can create near-endless extensions for years with access to specialty medical care they do not have in their home countries. It swiftly adds to the backlog, which in turn adds to the cost. By the end of this fiscal year, the annual cost will be $986 million. By the end of this decade, the annual cost will be $1.5 billion. Those are not my f…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure the member was listening. I know that only half of my speech occurred while he was sitting here, but we are talking about rejected asylum seekers, some of them criminals. I think the worst thing is that the government has no idea actually how many there are. If he wants to learn more about this, he can go to the health committee meeting that is happening right now, or he…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, what I resent is members from the Liberal Party downplaying an issue that is very important for every Canadian. Six million Canadians are without doctors. As for my own riding, I could actually, probably, google my riding right now, because there might be another hospital closed suddenly. It happens on a regular basis. Princeton was just closed a couple of days ago. How would anyone l…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to our Conservative motion regarding serious inefficiencies in the federal health care and immigration systems. For those unaware, let us look at the cold, hard facts that were uncovered by the work of my colleagues and me at the parliamentary health committee last fall regarding the serious effects Canada's dysfunctional immigration system is having on our healt…
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Mr. Speaker, this is a problem across the entire country. This is not focused just on one province. I know that thousands of people in my riding do not have a doctor, and we have this gateway system for health. These issues need to be addressed. As for those rejected asylum seekers and criminals who are avoiding being sent back to their country, and some of them are criminals, this should be addre…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what the member did not mention is that Liberals at the health committee are currently filibustering any attempt to even study this program. That does not sound like they are trying to fix anything. They want a cover-up. Conservatives are clear on the solution: no more physio or vision care for rejected asylum claimants. Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure that rejected as…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, thousands of people in B.C. cannot see a family doctor, yet the Liberals now provide deluxe health care benefits to rejected asylum claimants at taxpayers' expense. The PBO has shown that the interim federal health program has skyrocketed in costs to almost $1 billion. Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure that rejected asylum claimants do not get better health care than Can…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-244, an act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, and the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act. I want to thank sponsor of the bill for bringing forward an issue that coastal, river and lakeside communities across Canada have been raising for years. It is definitely on the right path. This is a huge problem throughout Canada a…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the government's own housing agency shows fewer homes being built over the next three years, while home prices will only rise. A third of homebuilders are building less because they are forced to lay off workers. Young men and women in B.C. are seeing the dream of home ownership fading. Years of Liberal homebuilding programs have not delivered. Will the Liberals adopt our plan to remo…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, no member of the House is arguing against reducing emissions. The question is whether driving the industrial carbon tax to $170 per tonne, while our competitors in the United States do not face the same burden, is helping the environment or simply pushing production elsewhere. If steel production moves south, emissions do not disappear; jobs disappear, investment disappears and Canadi…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the government members' defence of the industrial carbon tax. They say farmers do not pay it. They say it only applies to large emitters. They say it has almost no impact on households. Let us walk through this in plain terms. When a farmer in my riding buys a new combine or replaces their tractor, that equipment is built with Canadian steel produced under a ca…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, today a family of five needs a car and decides that, because we live in a democracy and they cannot be coerced into what kind of car to buy, they are going to try an electric vehicle. What does the hon. member say to them? They also want to buy Canadian. They want to help Canadians keep their jobs. What does the hon. member say to them, a family of five, when all that is available t…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-230, an act to amend the Financial Administration Act and to make consequential amendments to other acts. Before I begin my speech, I would like to very briefly address a tragedy in my community. I recently met with a grieving mother in Penticton who lost her son when he was swarmed, assaulted and beaten until he died. That horrifying event occurred four an…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the Liberal finance minister failed to stabilize grocery prices as he promised to do three years ago. His new one-off rebate will not reduce the cost of a single item on the shelf, and food bank lines in my region will not shrink, yet the Liberals voted against our motion to reduce transport and packaging costs for farmers. Food inflation must come down. When will the Liberals work …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my colleague's speech was excellent. I learn a lot from him every time he stands up in the House. As a new member, I was not surprised about the virtual voting, as I knew that existed, but I was surprised by how often some members use it; some are not in their seat very often, and they vote from abroad. Does the member think there should be limitations on virtual voting?
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the concern. I wonder why it has taken over 10 years. We still do not have an agreement with the United States, through many presidents, so we cannot blame everything on President Trump. Energy workers want to see a pipeline. Forestry workers want to see some kind of deal with the Americans. My particular riding crawls along the United States, so it is important that we…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from the Bloc mentioned that there is talk of a distrust in government. I am hearing that a lot too. What happened in Mirabel is terrible. There are issues with private property across the country right now that are not being addressed, even in my province of British Columbia. Why do you think the people of Canada, or residents, have a distrust in the current government?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the heartfelt comments of my colleague. It is terrible what happened in Mirabel and what is happening now. The subject of private property is coming up a lot lately throughout the country, as well as the right to ownership of land and the security of owning our land and our families continuing to own our land in the future. Why does my colleague think that there is…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to speak on the importance of Canada's bountiful natural resources, specifically the industries vital to my home province of British Columbia. Our forestry industry gainfully employs many men and women across my riding. It has put food on the table and a roof over the heads of Canadians for decades and has the potential to do so for decades more, but Canada's lack of …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay is not just home to the most beautiful rivers, lakes and valleys in all of Canada. It is also home to world-class athletes. First, I want to congratulate my local hockey team, the Penticton Vees. The Vees have a long history of hockey in Penticton. In 1955, they won the world championships; in 2012, they won the national championships; and now,…
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