Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my thanks to the hon. member, as my colleagues have done. I was elected with my friend in 2015. As many know, we go through highs and lows in this job. She has always been resolute in her faith. She is a strong supporter of her colleagues. She was always someone who, if we were going through a hard time or if she found out that we or a loved one was struggling, was qu…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition signed by the residents of Prince George and hand delivered by members of city council, who are all deeply concerned about repeat offending, court delays and the growing impact of property crime in our community. The petitioners point out that downtown Prince George businesses continue to face theft, vandalism, broken windows, arson and ongoing publ…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, $38 million spent, 1,000 deliberately set fires in just four years and businesses closing and leaving town are the true devastating costs of Liberal catch-and-release and mental health policies in the city of Prince George. Prolific offenders are arrested and released the very same day. Homelessness, addiction and crime have turned our communities into war zones. That is the reality, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Motion No. 12, a motion that would dramatically curtail Parliament's ability to properly scrutinize Bill C-30, the Liberal budget implementation act. The government says it wants to move quickly, but Canadians want us to move carefully. When Liberals ask Parliament to fast-track another budget bill and limit scrutiny, Canadians have every right to ask a simple…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there is a lot to unpack there. Our oil and gas and mining sectors are truly important sectors for our country. Some great announcements have been made, but I highlighted that over 35 mills have closed unnecessarily in the province of British Columbia, and tens of thousands of British Columbians are out of work. There are not tens of thousands of jobs they can move to. The fact of the…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, it is my favourite season of the year, rodeo season, in Prince George, Quesnel, Vanderhoof, and in my hometown, the greatest show on dirt, the Williams Lake Stampede. The dust is rising, the countdown's on, And before you know it, rodeo season will be gone. From near and far for 98 years, They’ve packed the stands for the sweat and the tears. The Williams Lake Stampede is second to …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, every Liberal campaign is on the Prime Minister being the man with the plan and an economic genius. However, under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has now confirmed that there is less than a 1% chance the government will meet its own fiscal anchor. After an economic decline in three of the last fou…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, as a British Columbian, the member knows that more British Columbians are out of work because of the Liberal government. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is sounding the alarm, saying businesses are postponing expansion plans and investing elsewhere. Under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession and Canadians are paying the price. If it wa…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to speak to Bill C-240, an act to amend the Criminal Code, to make related amendments to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, more simply known as the offender rehabilitation act. It is hard to say this early on a Monday morning. I am struggling with what to do for the next 10 minutes. Do I read…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this morning Canadians received deeply troubling news. According to the latest StatsCan data, Canada is now in a recession, with two consecutive quarters of negative growth. That makes Canada the only G7 country in a recession. In a global environment where all G7 nations are facing similar challenges, tariffs, war and global uncertainty, Canada alone has fallen into a recession. How …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what fantasy world my colleague is living in, but there are bad people doing bad things to good people, and Canadians are fed up with it. I spoke this week about a constituent who was run over, dragged down the street and left for dead. The perpetrators got off scot-free. Williams Lake city council is actually considering sending all the criminals to another jurisdiction…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, residents of Williams Lake are once again sounding the alarm about rising crime, street disorder, open drug use and repeat violent offenders terrorizing local businesses and families. Williams Lake city council is holding an emergency public safety meeting after RCMP reported more than 1,400 calls connected to the downtown core already this year. The Prime Minister promised Canadians …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, in the fall of 2024, a senior in Prince George returned home to find his house being ransacked and robbed. When he tried to stop the perpetrators, they ran over him, dragged him down the road and left him for dead. They were caught later that day and released just hours later. The victim's family has just been informed that the charges against the perpetrators have been dropped. They …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the victim was run over, dragged down a road and left for dead, and the perpetrators are off scot-free. The victim now lives in fear that they are going to finish the job. He suffered broken ribs, flail chest and brain damage. He needed facial reconstruction surgery, and the perpetrators are free to do this again. Under the Liberals, criminals face zero accountability. Canadians are f…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, on that point of order, Conservatives would support, maybe, during that amendment, the government's changing it for the rest of the year. This is a novel idea. That is why we are here today. While the government is amending the proposal, why does it not just waive the taxes for the rest of the year and support this motion? I have sat here and listened to the debate, and I apologize to…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Get 'er done. Mr. Speaker, it would benefit so many Canadians. I would stand up, and I think other colleagues would stand up, if the Liberals voted in favour of our motion, and applaud them. In the spirit of good faith and good nature, why does the government not do that? I know what the Liberals are going to say: “We cannot trust the Conservatives, those dirty Conservatives." This is what they ar…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, perhaps I should wait until government members can settle down and listen.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is indicative of what we faced with this bill, which is the disrespect for the hundreds of thousands of first responders, nurses and health care workers—
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank our colleagues from all sides who spoke to Bill S-233. I specifically want to thank two members. I thank the member for Barrie South—Innisfil for his service. What many people may not know is that he served as a firefighter for, I believe, 22 years. He served our communities. He knows first-hand the challenges firefighters face. I also want to thank our colleague…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I started off by saying I wanted to thank our colleagues who have all spoken on the bill, specifically the member for Barrie South—Innisfil, for his service, and the member for Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies. Through a tremendously hard time in our nation, his leadership on the ground within his community of Tumbler Ridge has been really remarkable. He has been there for t…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to stand and ask for a UC, but I would request a recorded division.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, nowhere is this felt more impactfully than in our rural and remote communities. Over six million Canadians are without doctors. In our province of British Columbia, we have emergency room closures. We have OB/GYN teams that are absolutely abandoning our communities, and pregnant women are forced to go great distances to get help. Almost $1 billion has been spent on illegal immigrant…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, an incredible point was just made, and for the first time today in all this debate. Those who are suffering are the immigrant communities, whether it is the six million Canadians who are without doctors or the incredible crime rates and extortion rates being perpetuated in our immigrant communities. I would like to ask our hon. colleague for the stories he has heard and why it is so i…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would like to indicate, under Standing Order 43(2)(a), that the allotted speaking times of the Conservative caucus will henceforth be divided in two.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there is a lot to unpack there. We can feel the passion from our colleague across the way. I do not think anyone is dreaming in la-la land, as our colleague across the way projected this morning. Let us look at what the motion of the text says. It merely states that the cost of the interim federal health program has more than quadrupled, from $211 million to $896 million, in the las…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have known our colleague for a long time, and I have a lot of respect for him. I expect him to do better. I expect him to not participate in the dog whistle politics that we are seeing from others down the way here. To sum it up, the motion simply says our health care system is broken. A considerable amount of money is being spent, yet we have Canadians who are without doctors. The …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we are here today because over six million Canadians are without a doctor. Our health care system is broken, and I will add that the Liberals broke the system. It is those in our rural and remote and indigenous communities who are facing this. Do they know that between indigenous women and non-indigenous women in Canada, indigenous women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-relat…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I know that my hon. colleague has done incredible work on the health committee. In our province of British Columbia, and I know our colleague is experiencing this in her region as well, we are seeing maternity wards that are closed down. We are seeing emergency rooms that are closed down because we do not have enough doctors. The assertions from the other side are that we are anti-imm…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, our hon. colleague knows that he is to address his comments not to the gallery but through the Speaker. He continues to answer questions, and it goes back and forth. I am just saying that he should get back on track and direct his comments through the Speaker, not directly to the gallery.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a petition signed by the residents of my riding and many British Columbians. Salmon is a critical resource for not only our province of British Columbia and our region, but also our first nations and non-first nations. The petition is signed by citizens and permanent residents of Canada who are calling upon the Government of Canada to keep the common property resourc…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this past Tuesday, innocence was lost. Not expecting the unimaginable horrific events that would take place that day, parents packed lunches and sent their children to school. Precious lives were taken, and many other people were injured in an act of devastating, brutal and senseless violence. Long after the political statements are made, the flags are raised and the cameras are gone,…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, on November 25, 2021, a lone gunman circled the Vanderhoof RCMP detachment, spraying dozens of rounds into the particle board walls, narrowly missing the RCMP members working inside. They thought they were going to die that day. It is a miracle no one was killed. The Liberal government promised it would stand with these members. It promised it would partner with the province and the D…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, why do we need to do this? It is because each and every day, nurses, doctors, paramedics and firefighters put their uniform on and go to work, but trust me when I say that there will be lives lost. Somebody will lose their life; it could be a nurse, or it could be a paramedic in the back of an ambulance. The challenge we have right now is that there is not enough meat in the Crimina…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that Bill S-233, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (assault against persons who provide health services and first responders), be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, before we get going, my granddaughter is at home watching as we speak. If you will indulge me, I would love to say hello to my granddaughter, Ren, and to tell her that I love her and will see her soo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting. The Liberals always stand up and say that Conservatives are obstructing. I will remind our colleagues, as they heckle me, that the House does not belong to them. It belongs to the constituents of the 343 members of Parliament, those who voted us in to be their voices in the House. Regardless of what they want to say, we will ask the questions that we need to. We wil…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, as a matter of fact, we worked with the ministers of public safety and justice at that time on Bill C-3. In their own words, they said that Bill C-321 was complementary to Bill C-3, because Bill C-3 did not go far enough. The two bills, between them, covered exactly what we needed to do. It is not a single line; it is a stand-alone paragraph when it comes to assaults. Bill C-3 did n…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are united for hope. After 10 years of Liberal failure, Canadians are struggling just to get by. Groceries cost more, housing is out of reach, energy bills are up and crime is out of control. The Canadian promise that if someone works hard and plays by the rules they can get ahead has been broken. Conservatives are united to restore that promise. While the Liberals offer…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been discussions among the parties, and I believe that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent—
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we are hemorrhaging jobs at a staggering rate in B.C. Over the last two weeks, thousands of British Columbians have lost their jobs because of the Prime Minister. The pipeline will create jobs and make our economy self-reliant. We need this. Our nation needs this, but the Liberals cannot get their story straight. One MP says no pipeline without B.C.'s consent, and the member for Victo…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians he would build now and move at unimaginable speeds, but eight months later, all we have is a questionable MOU that punts the pipeline proposal down the road. It does not create jobs and it does not boost the economy. All it does is give Premier Eby another excuse to keep saying, “over my dead body”. The Constitution is clear that B.C. has no veto,…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, they say they stand with the workers who have lost their jobs. Have they stood with them in the unemployment line? Have they stood with them in the food bank line? Have they stood with them when the bank forecloses on their home? Have they stood with them when they have lost their business? That is the reality our families are facing. I am not sure the member fully understands the dir…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Drax pellet plant in Williams Lake announced it was shutting down. This week, Domtar pulp mill in Crofton announced a permanent closure. That is over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs lost and another 1,000 families that are facing financial uncertainty. It has been 10 years, and the Liberals have failed to negotiate a fair softwood lumber agreement with the U.S. The Prime…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that is probably one of the most frustrating things that we see and hear. In our regions, our forestry workers are proud by nature. Canadians are proud by nature. They do not want handouts, EI or welfare; they want a job. It is really frustrating. Imagine being 55 or 56 years of age and having worked a lifetime in an industry only to wake up one day and be told that job is no longer t…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, five years ago, in December 2020, the House came together to support my motion to bring a simple, life-saving idea to Canada: A three-digit suicide prevention crisis line, or 988. One thousand days later, 988 launched in November 2023. Since that time, over a million calls and texts have been made to 988. Every one of those calls or texts represents someone reaching out instead of giv…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the member has been spewing the same talking points from the government side. For nine years, he defended their track record in terms of bail and not jail. Ten years, and now all of a sudden it is a priority for him. We will take no lessons from that colleague. There are 170 other members of Parliament on the other side. I dare any one of them to stand up.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the simple answer is yes. It is going to be higher because the Prime Minister does not answer to Canadians; he answers to the shareholders of Brookfield. For sure that spending is going to go higher. He has to answer to the shareholders of Brookfield.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am going to start with a happy bit. It was five years ago on Sunday that I stood in the House and announced to the whole nation that my daughter's water broke and I was going to be a grandfather for the first time. This past weekend, we celebrated my granddaughter Ren's fifth birthday. She is the light of my life, and I never knew that someone's heart could grow so big. She is incre…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am going to be blunt. The relationship between the Crown and indigenous peoples is not built on fancy titles or shiny new offices. It is built on honour and keeping our word, and the Liberal government has a real problem with that. Bill C-10 is just another level of bureaucracy that is not needed. We do not need another office in Ottawa to tell us again that the government is not …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will take no lessons from the hon. colleague across the way. For nine years, he stood behind a leader who dismissed the first female indigenous attorney general and absolutely ran her right out of his government. When first nations protesters came to one of his events, the previous prime minister yelled at them and said, “Thank you for your donation.” At every turn, he pitted firs…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, if they want a flipping idea of what to do, the could get a flipping deal done. It has been 10 years. It is another week, and there has been another mill closure in my riding. That is 100 direct and indirect jobs lost. That is hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes for our municipalities. That is $1 million of taxes from our community of 100 Mile House. Do the Liberals want to kn…
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