Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister is the only G20 leader to take his nation into recession, and Canadians are paying the price. The average family now works 160 days a year just to pay taxes. It means people will work until this week just to pay the government before they can actually start earning for themselves. At a time when families are struggling, the Liberals keep spending, borrowing …
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G20 country with a prime minister to take the nation into recession. Full-time workers are living in RVs and trailers because they cannot afford homes. Families are spending more on food and rent than they are earning. People are making impossible choices just to survive. At the same time, every single day we learn about another instance of wasteful spending by the …
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member brought up riding size as an issue. He said that his riding is about 20,000 square kilometres. Mine is 83,600 square kilometres, so I feel that it is an even worse situation. The hon. member said he wanted all the votes to be equal. Would he endeavour to have the review a little more often? I know that in Alberta, we each represent 115,000 people on average, far more t…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sorrow for a community in Yellowhead. Two men and two children lost their lives on O'Chiese Road last Friday. While the RCMP investigation is ongoing, local leaders have warned for years that a tragedy like this would happen on that road. In March, I met with the O'Chiese First Nation council to learn about the long history of trying to get this road fixed. I d…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition today on behalf of fellow chartered professional accountants and other tax preparers who are concerned about how the Canada Revenue Agency authorizes its tax representatives. The petitioners point out that the CRA has moved to an online-only system, through “My Account”, creating real barriers for Canadians. Seniors, those with disabilities and those w…
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Madam Speaker, I know that my hon. colleague was at one point a visitor to the public accounts committee when some of the military generals were there. I specifically asked this question then, and I am wondering if he can comment about it. The Liberals said they want the F-35, but it has changed multiple times, and now they are delaying again. If the procurement process is so bad that it is going …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, over the past year, I have sent various reports and updates to households and businesses across the 35 communities of my beautiful riding. Yellowhead, this last election, has significantly changed boundaries, incorporating areas from five previous ridings. One of the mailers was a tax guide to help individuals, families and businesses to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. Many ha…
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Mr. Speaker, three years ago, before the crisis got worse, Conservatives called upon the Liberals to suspend gas taxes for the summer so that Canadians could afford a simple road trip. The Liberals voted no. Now, after years of inflation, with higher grocery costs and during an international energy crisis, we are calling for a stronger measure: to remove all federal fuel taxes for the rest of the …
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Mr. Speaker, it would be amusing if the truth and the reality were not so sad. I would like to get my hon. colleague's comments on what the previous speaker said about how Canadians want to have the opportunity to invest. In this situation, does he believe people will not be voluntarily contributing money? It is the government taking from our tax dollars to do it, and that is a completely differen…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my B.C. colleague for giving us a bit of an Alberta history lesson. Part of it was almost entertaining. When I look at this, I am a little concerned. One of the issues here is that the Liberals want to compare Norway to Alberta, whereas Alberta has had, over the last 50 years, $600 billion in transfer funds go out of the province to the rest of the country. If that was…
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Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if my colleague would agree with what we heard today in some of the other speeches, which is that there is a little more importance with the oversight committees. Does he agree that there should be some priority on how opposition members are valued on those committees?
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member talked a lot about the committee and that sort of thing. The hon. member has the role of shadow minister. Could he explain some of the interventions he has had with people outside of the committee, such as the regular forces who have come to him and the everyday experiences he has had, back and forth, with them?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, when gas and diesel prices rise, they drive up the cost of everything. Farmers, truckers and grocery stores all feel it, while families pay for it. No wonder Canada's food inflation is the highest in the G7 for the fourth month in a row. Conservatives called upon the Liberals to remove all gas taxes, but the Prime Minister played politics, cutting a third of the tax for a third of the…
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Mr. Speaker, prior to my election in 2025, I was a financial agent for multiple members during elections and for further EDAs. I just want the member to clarify that the whole intent of this is to restrict the financial agents within one particular EDA, one particular riding, to not have competition. However, if a financial agent is able to help out in three different ridings that are not competin…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his institutional knowledge, as I am a relatively new MP. If the bill were to go back to committee, and if it were decided that some things were proven to be wrong, specifically the removal of the $1,000 deposit, would that be something we could put back in to help eliminate some of the problems we already have?
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are losing confidence in the fairness of our immigration system. The Auditor General found over 153,000 suspected cases of international student visa fraud, yet only a fraction are being investigated. At the same time, the Ethics Commissioner found that a deputy minister who was in immigration at the time broke the Conflict of Interest Act by fast-tracking a friend into an $…
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Mr. Speaker, at a time of global conflict and energy insecurity, Canada should be part of the solution by providing ourselves and our allies a secure and reliable source of energy. Instead, the Prime Minister continues to block Canadian energy development while our allies search elsewhere for supply, leaving us vulnerable to Trump's unjustified tariffs. Today, none of Canada's oil reaches Europe b…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition on behalf of fellow professional chartered accountants and others who are raising concerns about how the Canada Revenue Agency has authorized its tax representatives. Petitioners point out that the CRA has moved to an online system, “My Account”, creating real barriers for many Canadians. Seniors, persons with disabilities, those without reliable Inter…
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Mr. Speaker, in the same vein, I had technical difficulties yesterday. If I could also have my vote included, I will be voting yea.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Grand Cache, in my wonderful riding of Yellowhead. People are calling on the government to do one thing: restore fairness to the community. It is a remote and isolated town where everything costs more. While these are exactly the kinds of challenges the northern residents deduction is meant to address, a line on the map …
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Mr. Speaker, “I'll always be worried [the government will] come looking for something...I can never trust the information l get from them”. These are the words of a public servant who is afraid to retire because of a broken pay system the Liberal government refuses to fix. There are 133,000 employees in the same situation. The Auditor General has confirmed that billions have been spent with no cle…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments of the member opposite on how bureaucracy does not build any homes and how the government has to have a mechanism to do that. However, he said that the process was going to allow us to use unused lands in the different parts of the departments. Could he tell me where in the bill there are any limits, goals or numbers for departments to say what is possible fo…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I recently attended the Alberta Beef Industry Conference, and I want to send a shout-out to the cattle farmers facing today's challenges. Attendees learned about the issues of the day, but it was not all doom and gloom. One inspiring session was presented by James Lawrence, an Alberta boy, born and raised in Calgary, known as the “Iron Cowboy”. He ran Ironman triathlons, breaking many…
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Mr. Speaker, at a time when Canadians are feeling economic pressure, it is more important than ever that all levels of government work together. Municipalities are under growing strain. The cost of building and maintaining infrastructure continues to rise, while local councils are still expected to deliver essential services and support the growth of their communities at the levels residents deser…
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Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up, I would like to ask the parliamentary secretary if he could tell me if he has any information or any statistics on this mythical unicorn of a first-time homebuyer who is spending $1 million to get $50,000 off their taxes. I have never actually seen a first-time homebuyer buy a brand new home. This GST that you are supposedly giving back to them is only for their very f…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, last weekend I attended Rocky Mountain House's Denim and Diamonds chamber event, where Alberta's own Paul Brandt shared the powerful story behind the #NotInMyCity organization and its mission to combat human trafficking in Canada. Founded in 2017, #NotInMyCity has grown into a national movement that raises awareness, connects law enforcement and community partners, and equips Canadian…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of Yellowhead residents. Natural health products are used by millions of Canadians. They include vitamins, probiotics, herbal remedies, protein powders, body care products and many other items. People rely on these products to prevent or address illness and maintain well-being. Regulatory changes by Health Canada have increased their cost a…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised the fastest-growing economy in the G7. Instead, he has delivered the weakest. Today, Statistics Canada reports that Canada is the only country in the G7 with negative growth. How did this happen? It is because of years of inflationary deficits, high taxes and an exploding bureaucracy. Business has stalled. Capital is leaving. The GDP per capita is flat. It …
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Mr. Speaker, I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of two young ladies, Danica Hills and Kayla Peacock, following a fatal collision near Jasper, in my riding of Yellowhead. These two Harry Collinge High School students were dedicated hockey players with the Jasper Bearcats and were driving home after practice. Their passing has left an unimaginable void in the hearts of their families and friends in…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a question regarding whether my colleague thinks it is incompetence or actually skullduggery in the Liberals' trying to get the money without actually coming up with the ideas and the transparency of where the numbers are. The Liberals want to keep producing the GST break for first-time homebuyers, but there are no statistics out there. It looks like they are coming up with a p…
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Mr. Speaker, in December, I raised Grande Cache as an example of a remote area that is bearing the brunt of rising grocery costs. Residents of Grande Cache have been fighting for years to have their community recognized under the northern residents deduction, a program designed to acknowledge the higher costs of living in remote areas. Grande Cache is remote. Everything costs more, including trave…
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Mr. Speaker, tax policies do not exist in a vacuum. They only work if the system actually works for the people who rely on it. As a chartered professional accountant, I have spent 26 years in public service. I have filed thousands of tax returns. For decades, friends and clients relied on me to navigate our complex tax system. Canada's tax system is based on voluntary self-reporting, and that tran…
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Madam Speaker, as a member of INAN, the indigenous and northern affairs committee, I welcome a lot of the member's suggestions because the criticism we get from the government is that we do not have suggestions. The member has touched upon a lot of the issues, specifically one that has hit my riding. Does the member think they could work with what they have available now, or does the process need …
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Mr. Speaker, I can feel the hon. member's frustration with regard to what has gone on. Does he see a pattern over the last 10 years? This is just an extenuation of what has gone on with things not being accounted for when it comes to the Liberals dealing with certain things, specifically things in the Indian Act. How is this going to make anything better?
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Mr. Speaker, according to Bloomberg, Canada's economy is on life support and we are now on recession watch. Growth has stagnated, and real GDP is expected to decline. Forestry and logging are down 2.8% for the third month. The Prime Minister has not delivered on his trade promises, and sawmills in Yellowhead are paying the price. Since the Liberals love our ideas, why do they not remove the indust…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he should be judged by the prices at the grocery store. The average weekly food bill was $159 a week when the Liberals took over, but today that has doubled in the big cities. That does not address remote areas, such as Grande Cache and most of my riding, where it is much worse. New fuel standards, the industrial carbon tax and inflationary spending a…
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague was speaking to the CPA in me when he mentioned tax reform. However, I wanted to say that during my 26 years as a CPA in public practice, I also noticed, without actually documenting it, the decline in the number of entrepreneurs starting out. Can my colleague comment on what he thinks would be helpful from the Conservatives' platform to help out small businesses sta…
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Mr. Speaker, my fellow committee member brought up a few things that the accountant in me likes to acknowledge, concerning the unintended consequences that happened with regard to the disability tax credit and to the seniors' supplement. I am wondering if the member has any insight, from when he was looking at this, as to whether the Liberal government has actually taken into account any of the un…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said before, the government is not operating with the same fiscal framework that businesses are required to when they deal with the CRA for their taxes. They could never account for a liability as an asset, yet the government has done that. There have been a lot of changes to the CPP over the last few years that have made two different levels and added more burdens when it comes …
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Mr. Speaker, as a member of Parliament for a rural Alberta riding, and as someone who spent 26 years as a chartered professional accountant before coming to this place, I feel obligated to rise today to speak to Bill C-15 and to the government's latest disaster of a federal budget. I am going to dive into some of the fiscal details of the budget, but I want to be clear from the start: After 10 yea…
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Mr. Speaker, I have spent many hours on hold with the CRA. I have had a lot of frustration with the number of people reading off a checklist who have inadequate answers to the questions we go through. Even when we write the CRA, we do not always get the right answer. I am sorry the member feels that I have little respect for the CRA, but I have experienced, for a long time, a lot of frustration.
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Mr. Speaker, one thing that I find the government is supposed to do, as far as when I got into this goes, is help people out. Usually, helping out businesses to be profitable and give good jobs means making a good environment in our country for them to make profit. We are falling behind when we compare ourselves to the U.S. There are different tax credits. We had the 100% expensing of certain item…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like the member to comment on this. We have heard a few speeches in the House today, and one of the Liberals said that the Liberals decided to take out the unused housing tax because it had “unintended” consequences. This was a recurring theme of theirs in 2024 when they came up with this at the eleventh hour to get rid of the changes they had made for trusts. I wonder whether…
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Mr. Speaker, I recently visited a penitentiary in my riding where there is chronic underfunding and overcrowding. I know it is going to be difficult to know what the Liberals are thinking, but maybe the member can comment on whether it is possible that the Liberals' solution is soft-on-crime bail rather than building extensions or new penitentiaries to keep more criminals in jail.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Food Banks Canada has given the Liberal government an F when it comes to poverty and food security. With Canadians paying over $800 more for food this year than they did last year, it is no wonder food bank usage has skyrocketed across the country. The hidden Liberal industrial carbon taxes on fertilizer and farm equipment, along with the so-called clean fuel standard, keep on increas…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the vital role of the visitor economy in my riding of Yellowhead and across all of rural Alberta. Tourism is more than just sightseeing. For my riding it is an economic engine that supports nearly 9,000 jobs and more than 2,000 small businesses, most of which are locally owned and operated by proud Albertans. Yellowhead is at the heart of Alberta's visitor ec…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition from concerned citizens in my riding and across Canada regarding a proposal by the Liberal-led finance committee to remove the advancement of religion as a charitable purpose under the Income Tax Act. More than 30,000 registered charities, approximately 42% of all charities in Canada, fall under the category of advancing religion. These faith-based o…
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Mr. Speaker, I have been a CPA for 26 years. I have worked with Canadians as they navigate their personal taxes and finances under the fiscal mismanagement of the Liberal government. Budgets do not balance themselves, as the Prime Minister knows well, with his background. There is no excuse to continue the fiscal disaster he inherited from his predecessor. My question is simple: Will the Prime Min…
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Mr. Speaker, I am rising to present a petition on behalf of the citizens of Yellowhead. A growing number of taxpaying residents of the Ghost Valley and Waiparous area, including Benchlands, the Summer Village of Waiparous, Ghost Country Place, Pearce Place and households along Richard Road, require access to a functional postal code in order to fully participate in modern daily life. Postal codes …
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Mr. Speaker, I agree that the commissioner would have absolutely no teeth. It begs the question, would they really have any ability to do anything that is not already in existence? It would be very similar to the Auditor General, who has made all kinds of recommendations, but nothing is accomplished. The government can choose to ignore things. I do see the proposal as a waste of money, when we alr…
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