Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, where are the results? New Brunswick families are feeling the effects of this Liberal recession every day. Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. GDP has shrunk for three of the last four quarters, and unemployment is the second highest in the G7. If things are going to well, why will the Prime Minister not stand up and defend his record?
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Mr. Speaker, according to that member on that side of the House, everyone should just be happy. That member is getting an announcement. Another member is getting an announcement. Another member is getting a commission. Members are getting rhetoric. Guess what? There are still no results. Canadians want results. Show us the results.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, a report of the Canadian section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. This report describes the group's congressional visit to Washington, D.C., from March 17 to 19. I had the pleasure of co-leading this delegation of nine parliamentarians alongside Senator Michael MacDonald.
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Mr. Speaker, today, the Prime Minister arrives at the G7 as the only leader who has driven his country into a recession. While families struggle through this full-blown recession, the Liberals continue to offer announcements instead of results. On Thursday, the Liberals brought yet another food affordability strategy, but grocery bills remain sky-high. Canadians are making impossible choices just …
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, four reports of the Canadian section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. I had the privilege of leading several of these missions alongside the Hon. Senator MacDonald as co-chairs of the Canadian section of the interparliamentary group. The first concerns the IPG's participation at the west annua…
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Mr. Speaker, it gives me great honour to rise today. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, eight reports of the Canadian section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. The first concerns the interparliamentary group's participation at the national conference of the Council of State Governments, which is known as CSG, in New Orleans, Lou…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a certified electronic petition signed by over 1,080 Canadians. The petitioners are calling on the government, specifically the Minister of Fisheries, to halt the proposed closure of the Mactaquac Biodiversity Facility. The petitioners note that this facility plays a critical role in preserving endangered wild Atlantic salmon populations and supporting local ec…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, five reports of the Canadian section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, also called the Group. The first concerns the interparliamentary group's participation at the 78th annual meeting of the Council of State Governments Southern Legislative Conference in Greenville, West Virginia, from July 21…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the people's House to present this petition on behalf of the great citizens of Nova Scotia and Canadians from coast to coast who are calling upon the Government of Canada to pause its planned closure of the important agricultural research facility in Nappan, Nova Scotia. The research facility does incredible work for our beef producers, livestock producers a…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the people's House, and it is a joy to rise on this occasion to offer our support for this private member's bill. The member for Compton—Stanstead has worked hard on this issue. I hear her refer often to people in rural communities and in the rural areas of her riding and district. I congratulate her on her efforts in addressing this area of grave concern. A…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of Canadians and residents of Canada to present a petition in the House of Commons calling upon the federal government and the House of Commons to recognize the efforts of the free people of Iran to establish an open, free democracy and to stand with the good people of Iran who have been longing, for 47 years, for freedom from the oppressive regime they have been unde…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, three reports of the Canadian section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, or CEUS. The first report concerns the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group's participation at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Council of State Governments, CSG, Western Legislative Conference in Portland, Oregon, …
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Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague on the other side of the aisle as well and enjoy our conversations. I must say the position we are taking is with respect to removing yet another barrier to direct communications between those who want to put the actions into place and get the projects done. Why not have those direct consultations, those direct conversations with the ministers,…
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Mr. Speaker, I will say this with respect to scapegoating, which is an old practice for sure: someone else always ends up bearing the responsibility for the sins of others. I think what is happening is that we are seeing a tendency in politics of late, and this can happen in any political party but is evidently in place here now, where it is always the fault of someone else, somewhere else, some o…
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Mr. Speaker, oftentimes when there are more layers between the ultimate decision-makers and those who are on the receiving end of those decisions, it is a means of protection, a means of shielding. The ultimate responsibility is when we peel back the layers and say that it is time we took action, took responsibility and got to work, because to delay and to further delay is to ultimately deny. What…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the people's House today to address Bill C-10, in regard to appointing a commissioner for modern treaty implementation. As I begin my remarks, I cannot help but think that we are yet again dealing with another announcement and a “no results in sight” type of proclamation. We continuously hear the members on the other side making grand announcements and prono…
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Mr. Speaker, by no means was any disrespect intended, ever, toward our indigenous friends. We are having a lively discussion about the implementation of a particular recommendation of government. I will say that we have had some of our indigenous friends and colleagues from this side of the House speak very adamantly and passionately against this proposal as well. That includes some indigenous fri…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to double homebuilding, yet his own housing agency now expects construction to drop by 18%. At the same time, housing starts in Atlantic Canada are already down, including a 13% drop in Nova Scotia. When will the Prime Minister stop scapegoating, stop speechifying, get bureaucracy out of the way and deliver real results and real homes for Canadians?
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Mr. Speaker, it has been said that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Mothers play a defining role in shaping our future. When our world falls apart, they hold us together. They care and pray for us. As we approach Mother's Day, I want to thank all mothers who continue to do what only they can. Without them, there is no future. On a personal note, I want to pay tribute to the mothers …
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Mr. Speaker, there are yet more grand pronouncements and grand announcements, saying, “It's coming just beyond the rainbow and just around the corner.” What Canadians want are real results and real homes. When is the government going to deliver that?
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Mr. Speaker, rural Canadians, and Canadians across the country, for that matter, know that our biggest challenges are not coming from without. They are coming from within through overtaxation and over-regulation. When will the government, knowing that it is going to be collecting billions more because of these high taxes, come up with a plan, adopt our plan to reduce the cost on fuels by 25¢ a lit…
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Mr. Speaker, in rural Canada, families and small businesses have no choice but to drive long distances for work, school and basic services, and they are being hit the hardest by soaring costs and soaring fuel prices. Meanwhile, the Liberals stand to collect up to $9 billion in extra taxes and revenue from these higher prices. Will the Liberals adopt our plan to cut 25¢ per litre and make rural Can…
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Mr. Speaker, I too rise in the House to once again present a petition on behalf of Canadians from coast to coast who are gravely concerned with the passage of Bill C-9 through the House. Their concerns relate, in particular, to the Liberal-Bloc amendment pertaining to Bill C-9, which was passed at the justice committee, that removes the good-faith religious defence clause from the Criminal Code of…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians the strongest economy in the G7, but today we are falling behind. We now have the only shrinking economy in the G7 and among the highest unemployment and the highest household debt. In rural communities, families are being hit really hard. Farmers and producers are facing soaring input costs and blocked resource projects that drive local economies…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today as the chair of the 60th annual National Prayer Breakfast. This is truly a historic event that takes place on the Hill each year, where we gather in the spirit of Christ and pray for our country. This non-partisan Christian event is the highlight for many of us, and I am pleased to say that we had a record attendance. This year's theme is that w…
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, four reports of the Canadian section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, or CEUS. The first concerns the IPG's participation at the Council of State Governments, CSG, in South Carolina, at the South Southern Legislative Annual Conference, from July 8 to July 12, …
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know we cannot control what happens abroad, but the government controls the policies here at home. Under the Liberal government, Canada now has the worst food price inflation in the G7 and the only shrinking economy in the G7. Our families, seniors, workers and those who transport our food have no alternative but to use fuel. These costs are imposed here at home, not abroad.…
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Mr. Speaker, tell that to the producers and farmers in Victoria, Carleton and York counties in New Brunswick, who are being hit by the Liberals' newly renamed carbon tax, the clean fuel standard, which adds seven cents a litre. At the same time, the Liberals have raised the industrial carbon tax on steel, aluminum and farm equipment. All this is driving up costs for dairy, beef and poultry produce…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition, as many people have reached out to my office and contacted me repeatedly from various faith communities concerned about Bill C-9. This petition calls for there to be free expression, and the protection of freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of belief, which are fundamental rights. I cannot help but think of Canada's 13th prime min…
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Mr. Speaker, it is in the spirit of the petition.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to once again rise here in the people's House, this time in support of the member for Terra Nova—The Peninsulas's bill, Bill C-237, which brings to the floor of the House a concern that originated in a local community. The rural parts of this country are the often overlooked regions that far too often get neglected when it comes to policy considerations, including th…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are a resilient people who believe that if they work hard, care for their neighbours and contribute to their communities, they should be able to build a good life. Canadians are now feeling overwhelmed and weighed down, wondering how they will afford a home, put food on the table or plan for tomorrow, but hope is not lost. It is found in our foundations as a nation, in the s…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a bit beyond rich when recipients of transfer payments that come from the oil and gas sector, to the tune of $13 billion to $14 billion a year, then turn around and say to that very sector that it is the cause of food inflation. I say no. If they are so principled against those who produce our oil and gas, they should say no to the transfer payments, and we will redistribute it …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to draw our attention to one of the big challenges we are facing. We have gotten away from our foundation, which is the affordability of food. When we look at the cost of groceries affecting each and every Canadian right now and their households, when we look at the fact that Canada now has the highest food inflation in the G7, that is not bad luck. That is just plain bad polic…
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Mr. Speaker, I always thank my hon. colleague for his many hours here in the House. He works tirelessly. I must say, though, he is profoundly wrong in this regard. Canadians are not saying to me, at least in my constituency office, that they have never had it so good, that it is so wonderful how well they are doing, that they have never had more money in their pocket. No, it is the exact opposite.…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, we in New Brunswick, and in my part of the country that I represent, appreciate the hard work of our friends in Alberta and those, in particular, in the oil and gas sector, who help produce the fuel to fill up the trucks, fill up the ships and fuel the trains that transport the food from that part of the country to our part of the country and the energy from one part of the count…
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Mr. Speaker, as I was stating, it is so important at a time like this that we check the foundation. If we just continue to build and build, without making sure that the foundation is right and the thing upon which we are building is sound and secure, many times we are going to have even more problems. Canadians are demanding that we check the foundation to make sure we get it right. The foundation…
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Mr. Speaker, I am starting to feel a bit comfortable, but I have to wind down because I am going to get interrupted. I will be giving colleagues a high-five and doing all that good stuff here in just a second. If we are going to address the faulty foundation, we have to deal with the four Fs. I will get into them in my second segment. I am just warming up. Let us talk about the cost of food and th…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House today and speak to this important motion that our party's leader brought forward. We recognize that the challenges Canadians are facing are serious and very real. Canadians do not have to look at an economics chart or study statistics to realize that the cost of putting food on the table is going up exponentially each and every month and year. In f…
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Mr. Speaker, food security is national security. Statistics Canada confirms food inflation has hit 6.2%, the highest in the G7. It now costs $17,600 to feed a family of four, $1,000 more than last year, with food prices rising twice as fast as in the U.S. Canadians know why. The industrial carbon fuel and packaging taxes drive up the cost of farm equipment, fertilizer and trucking. Will the govern…
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Mr. Speaker, people in my riding and across this country are tired of the Liberals taking far more money out of their back pockets than they are putting in their front pockets. Food banks now see 2.2 million visits every month. Food prices are rising twice as fast as when the Prime Minister first took office. The Liberals' own reports admit that fuel standard taxes add 7¢ a litre today and are ris…
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Madam Speaker, that is a great question. Liberals have totally missed the mark when it comes to delivering results for Canadians. They make promises without being grounded in reality and in tangible, measurable results for Canadians. The Liberals cannot talk down the very sectors that have helped make Canada the greatest country in the world historically. They cannot keep talking down those sector…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Quebec. It is a pleasure for me to speak about the budget again here in the House of Commons. The member raises a very valid point. The priority of Canadians is cost of living, and the last thing they need is another grandiose announcement, a big promise that sets expectations high, with results never to be seen for years, oftentimes even decades. The Liber…
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Exactly. They are not second-class citizens, and they should not be treated that way. Madam Speaker, they are first-class, hard-working, wonderful people who feel forgotten by their government. However, I am glad to say that there is an awakening across rural Canada. People are recognizing we need change and are looking for this side of the House to stand up for them, and we will continue to do th…
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Madam Speaker, I find my hon. colleague's question somewhat perplexing. I think many Canadians share in being confounded by that, in that it is a lot like voodoo economics. Spending is spending is spending. We can call it investment, or we can call it this or that, but spending is spending, debt is debt and deficits are deficits. What we need is a government that is going to prioritize the needs o…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Fundy Royal for his great remarks. He brought up so many relevant subjects that need to be considered when we consider the implementation of this budget. In preparation for my remarks today, an old saying came back to me, and I think it bears relevance today. I do not know if fellow members have heard the expression “Don't put the cart before the horse…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, eight months ago the Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by their experience at the grocery store. Today's food price report confirms that groceries keep getting more expensive. When the Liberals took office in 2015, the weekly grocery bill was $159. Today it has more than doubled to $338, over $17,000 a year, and next year families will pay an additional $1,000, which will be …
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Madam Speaker, do not muzzle the ox is exactly right. We should feed the horse that is hauling the cart, not starve the donkey bearing the burden. We need to make sure we are taking care of our farmers, and they will take care of Canadians. It is time we prioritize these things. The next F I want to talk about in moving Canada on the pathway forward economically and to a future of prosperity is ab…
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Madam Speaker, I would note that the responses tabled today to Order Paper Questions Nos. 461 and 470 were not signed by any minister or parliamentary secretary. They were in fact signed by the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie, who is no longer a member of cabinet nor a parliamentary secretary. Can you confirm, Madam Speaker, that it is not permitted for backbench members who are no longer in cabin…
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Mr. Chair, when we are talking about big issues at a national level that are affecting literally thousands upon thousands of people, and when we are talking about macroeconomics and international trade deals, what can often get lost and overlooked is the localized picture and the individual. This is near and dear to my heart, and the forestry sector is near and dear to my heart on a personal level…
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