Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, as I outlined in my speech, that is exactly it. The government makes lofty promises and is really great at its talking points, but when it comes to actions of substance, when it comes down to actually making a meaningful difference for Canadians, unfortunately the government has not delivered in 10 years. Unfortunately, I do not believe it will deliver in this session either.
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, quite simply, I would say to the member's children that if they want a planet that is sustainable into the future, they should get behind Canada's energy sector and its development, because no other place on this planet does it better. In the way we have installed environmental protections, in the way we pay workers and respect them and in the way we produce this commodity and get it …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, as this new Parliament begins, this is my first opportunity to address the House since the election, and with that I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to those who have sent me here to advocate on their behalf. They are, of course, the great constituents of Lethbridge. I also want to extend my sincere gratitude to my wonderful husband and my beautiful baby girl. They are an incre…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, in this country we have two official languages, French and English. I respect that. I believe that our country should continue with that, but to equate the existence of the CBC with the existence of a bilingual nation seems a little odd. We do not need the CBC in order to remain a respected bilingual country. We can have two respected languages, two official languages, in this country…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's (CRTC) decision, announced in June 2024, that it would require online streaming services to pay five percent of their Canadian revenues to CRTC as part of implementing the measures contained in Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts: (a) how many …
Read full speech →Government Orders
With regard to expenditures on public relations or media training, or similar type of services for ministers or their offices, including the Office of the Prime Minister, since March 1, 2022, and broken down by minister: what are the details of each such expenditure, including the (i) date of the contract, (ii) amount, (iii) vendor, (iv) individual providing the training, (v) summary of the servic…
Read full speech →Government Orders
With regard to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC): how much advertising revenue did the CBC receive from government departments, agencies, and other Crown corporations during the 2023-24 fiscal year?
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, after nine years, it is just as we suspected. The Prime Minister is not worth the crime and certainly not worth the corruption. Recently, the Auditor General reported that more than 180 conflicts of interest were committed at the Prime Minister's green slush fund. Corrupt directors actually funnelled taxpayer money to the tune of $336 million. That is $336 million to companies those d…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my question was about the gag order that has been placed on the Parliamentary Budget Officer. He has been prevented from releasing the report that is in his possession, but that is no surprise to us because, of course, we know that the Liberals appreciate transparency about the same way they appreciate an enema. The budget watchdog would like to release this report; he just needs the …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that the carbon tax is costing them in a big way, but what the Liberals are covering up is just how much. There is a secret report that is out there. It is in the possession of the budget watchdog; except, he is under a gag order by the Liberal government, so he is not able to reveal exactly what it shows. It is time to stop that cover-up. Will the minister quit using h…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, on the point of order, I would offer to respond to that, actually. There was no effort made to reach out to my office to clarify what I had said that day and whether or not the blues had been changed. In fact they were changed without my knowledge and then published in the Hansard record, which was signed off by your office, all without my knowing about it. It was only after the chang…
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberal government is not worth the hunger and homelessness that it is causing so many Canadians across this country. Many Canadians just simply look forward to a small summer vacation, a road trip perhaps. It is normally a time when they can camp in the mountains, go to a national park or visit loved ones, but this year, many Canadians cannot afford this sim…
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Mr. Speaker, the out-of-touch Prime Minister might be able to take a $230,000 taxpayer-funded vacation to some fancy island, but that is not an option for most Canadians. In fact, most Canadians just simply want to be able to get in a car and drive a few kilometres to enjoy a national park or the mountains for the day, but even that is out of reach for so many of them because of the Liberal govern…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the bigger question here is how Canadians can maintain confidence when half of that is true and half of that is not. There was a mix of truth and mistruth in that statement. In this place, we have a responsibility to hold the government accountable. That is our job as the official opposition. For us to move a question of privilege with regard to the Speaker of this place functioning…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, according to the Standing Orders outlined by Bosc and Gagnon, on page 323, it says: When in the Chair, the Speaker embodies the power and authority of the office, strengthened by rule and precedent. He or she must at all times show, and be seen to show, the impartiality required to sustain the trust and goodwill of the House. Any act of partisanship is far too many, and he has done …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would call relevance on that question. I think you, Madam Speaker, probably should have called that for me, but I will do the job.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the member addressed exactly the problem with this place. It is the fact that Liberal members do not see anything wrong with the Speaker functioning in a partisan capacity five times in the last few months. One might be forgivable, two possibly, but not five times. For the hon. member to say that standing up for democracy and wanting to protect the institution of Parliament is “desp…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in this place to address a question of privilege that has been raised with regard to the Speaker's public display of partisanship. Of course, we know that the Speaker of this place occupies a position of trust. We know that within that position of trust, he is supposed to function in an impartial manner. He is supposed to apply the rules in this place equally to all memb…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is with some sobriety that I stand and address the House today. I am rising on a question of privilege that has been raised with regard to the conduct of the main Speaker of this place. We have yet another display of public partisanship that has been put out there for folks across the country to witness, which is that the Speaker of this place is actually featured as the main guest…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I understand that there is a great deal of latitude in terms of how we address different speeches in this House. The issue at hand right now is housing, Bill C-356, a private member's bill brought forward by the hon. Leader of the Opposition. The member is currently talking about provincial politics. That does not seem to fit within the scope of this bill. Furthermore, she is talking …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to expenditures by the government on subscriptions and data access services in the 2021-22 fiscal year, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation or other government entity: (a) what is the total amount spent; and (b) what are the details of each expenditure, including the (i) vendor, (ii) amount, (iii) date, (iv) description of goods or services, (v) titles of publications …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I rise to add to the question of privilege I raised on May 1, concerning the removal of my words from the Hansard. The question I submit to you today is the following: Is it appropriate for the Speaker of this place, the House of Commons, or those authorized to speak on his behalf, to comment publicly on a question of privilege that is before him for adjudication? I would like to ex…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, multiple articles, including one on the front page of the National Post, as I just showed the House, were published using an official statement provided by the Speaker's official spokesperson, which means it required his sign-off. This is particularly concerning to me and to Canadians when the matter is before the Speaker for a decision to be made. When the Speaker was asked to prov…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a great privilege to stand this evening and speak on behalf of the constituents of Lethbridge and, of course, representing those across the nation as well. I have the privilege of speaking to the budget implementation act concerning the 2024 Liberal budget, which was put forward on April 16. These are some headlines that came out in newspapers across the country following the …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is really unfortunate that the hon. member across from me is laughing at that. The mental health of Canadians and the economic well-being of Canadians are not laughing matters. I wish the Liberals would treat this with some sobriety.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the hon. member just compared the carbon tax to advertising against cigarettes. In the same way advertising against cigarettes helped bring down the usage rate, I believe the argument she is making is that a carbon tax would also bring down the usage rate of fuels.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, this way of thinking put forward by the Liberal government is absurd. We have folks across Canada, about 96% of them, who are dependent on natural gas for heating, which is not exactly an option in this country. I come from Alberta, and we need to heat our homes in the winter. I think most other places, if not all other places in this country, need to heat their homes in the middle …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, again, I am not sure what fictitious world the hon. member comes from. In Canada, we very much rely on natural gas to heat our homes, and the Liberal government has attached a carbon tax to that. We rely on using transportation in order to get our goods to market, and the Liberal government has attached a carbon tax to that. Farmers do tremendous good to actually take carbon from th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the hon. member asked me to comment with regards to the mental health of Canadians. There is plenty of evidence to show that mental health is directly affiliated with an individual's economic well-being. When they cannot pay their mortgage, when they cannot pay their rent, and they are lining up at a food bank in order to survive, when they are sending their kids to school without g…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is not worth the cost; neither is the CBC. Under the leadership of the CEO, Catherine Tait, viewership, trust and revenue are all down. Despite this abysmal performance, the Liberal government has rewarded Ms. Tait by extending her contract and granting another $60,000 bonus. That is more than most Canadians make in an entire year. Another $15 million was handed…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a question of privilege today regarding a significant discrepancy between what was published in the blues and what was published in Hansard yesterday. The question of privilege I raise also has to do with how I was treated by the Speaker of the House and how I was further portrayed publicly. The discrepancy between the blues and what was published in Hansard involves the omi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I stated that the Chair is acting in a disgraceful manner—
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the government of Canada's spending on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 2023: what is the breakdown of spending allocated to CBC Radio, CBC News, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, Radio‑Canada Première, ICI Musique, CBC television, lci Radio‑Canada Télé, CBC News Network, lci RDI, lci Explora, Documentary Channel, lci ARTV, CBC North, Radio-Canada Nord, Radio Canada Internatio…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, no matter what the government does to try to distract, the facts remain the same. Canadians are struggling. They cannot make ends meet. Of course, it starts with groceries, fuel at the pumps and being able to heat their homes. After eight years, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister just is not worth the cost, certainly not the cost of the punitive carbon tax. Conservatives put forward a ver…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, on April 1, the Prime Minister hiked the carbon tax by 23%. Every single week, I hear from dozens of constituents in my area who tell me they are struggling to be able just to buy food, groceries and other necessities. Use of a food bank in my area has more than doubled in recent months. After eight years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, he is just not worth the cost; that is clear …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to federal labour standards: (a) did the Labour Program's Head of Compliance and Enforcement receive notice from Bell (BCE Inc.), in writing, at least 16 weeks before the group termination of employees was announced on February 8, 2024, and, if so, on what date was notice received; (b) did the government receive a request for a waiver from Bell regarding the 16‑week notice for letting …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I rise on the question of privilege raised by the member for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. The question of privilege concerns a clear and potentially intentional omission of facts from a recently answered Order Paper question known as Question No. 1445. It would appear the government has acted irresponsibly and violated parliamentary procedure, therefore breaching trust. In a q…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I support this question of privilege in light of the violation of government's obligation to answer an Order Paper question, but I also add to it, considering how the government has taken steps to take control of the Internet in Canada. It has done this through legislation like Bill C-11, which centralizes regulatory control of what Canadians can see, hear and post online based on wha…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I very much appreciate that question. I think that should ultimately be the goal of this place, that we would get to the bottom of this and that we would understand why these types of scandals are allowed to take place. We at least somewhat know the answer to that: It is a lack of transparency and a lack of accountability. We have seen where the current government, over and over aga…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would highlight that the hon. member seems a little scared. He seems quite passionate to protect something that we should all be wanting to expose. I am not sure why the hon. member is so defensive of this individual, Kristian Firth, who came and refused to answer questions in this place and who outright lied during other questions being asked. I am not sure why the hon. member ac…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, on a point of order, he apologized for offending the member. He did not apologize and withdraw his words.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Peace River—Westlock. It seems that the Prime Minister all too often finds himself at the centre of scandal and corruption, and here we are again. Whether it is the WE Charity scandal, the green slush fund or the arrive scam app, when it comes to doing favours for friends, of course we know that the Liberal government just cannot help …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, again, the issue at hand here today is the current government and the imposition of a carbon tax. On April 1, it is going up by 23%. There is zero proof to show that the carbon tax is somehow saving the planet. There is zero proof that any carbon emission targets are being met. In fact, to the contrary, there is proof to show that none of them have been. Furthermore, I have a Climat…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague brings up a really good point. The government claims that it is somehow doing Canadians a favour by taking a whole lot of their cash and then giving a few pennies back. Then somehow the Liberals come to this conclusion that therefore the carbon tax is a good thing and Canadians want it. In fact, 70% of Canadians say they do not want it and 70% of premiers say they do no…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the Liberals and, I suppose, the Green member as well, along with the NDP members, like to tout this line that, somehow, the carbon tax is saving the planet. We just do not have any evidence to that, none, zero. I have in front of me the Climate Change Performance Index. It shows that Canada is performing at number 62. Further to that, the stats show that Canada has not met a single…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister insists on doubling down on his damaging policies, and of course, the carbon tax is central to them. The carbon tax drives up the cost of everything, from gas to home heating to household goods. Everything is more expensive, not to mention the fact that it affects low-income households disproportionately because they spend a larger percentage of their income on en…
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Madam Speaker, when I speak to the people of Lethbridge, the area I represent, they express many of those same challenges I saw in my household as a child, but there is a significant difference: how prolonged it is and how severe it is. It is worse than it has been in this country for at least 50 years. Canadians are struggling, and we cannot argue that point. To do so would make one look silly, w…
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Madam Speaker, I was born and raised in southern Alberta on a small farm by two hard-working, common-sense Conservative parents. I was the middle of five children. My dad is a tradesman. He works hard with his hands. He helps build homes, unlike the Liberal government. He works long hours. Most days, he was up before the sun was, and he came home after the sun was already gone. My mom was a horse …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last year in my riding, Kolk Farms, a local producer, was forced to pay $62,000 just in carbon tax on its natural gas alone. That is $62,000. What the Liberal-NDP government does not understand, because it is so out of touch, is that when Canadians go to the grocery store, they pick up that bill when they buy groceries for their families. Canadians are already struggling. Now, on Apri…
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Mr. Speaker, I think what is clear is that the Liberals have a dysfunctional relationship with the truth. Canadians pay more than they actually get back, and so for the average Albertan family, they pay $2,943. Meanwhile, they get back $2,032, which means that, ultimately, they are a thousand dollars in the hole. That is how much they are having to remit to the government. That is how much the gov…
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