Eric Melillo
Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, Ontario · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, the minister already mentioned in the discussion today that we are in a housing crisis. He spoke earlier about the fact that buyers cannot buy and builders cannot build. I would agree with that. I would add that people who are looking to sell also cannot sell during this housing crisis.”
“Now that the Liberals are bringing forward more spending, more bureaucracy and more of the same, how are Canadians supposed to believe that the Liberals are going to get us out of this housing crisis that they caused, with more policies that are right along the lines of the policies that caused this crisis in the first place?”
“Mr. Speaker, there is no question that Canadians want, need and deserve to feel safer in their communities, especially after the Liberal government has unleashed a crime wave across the country. The minister , of course, acknowledged here today that Canadians want this urgently.”
“Mr. Speaker, over one year into this Prime Minister 's mandate, and Canadians are still waiting for action on the national projects that were promised. Despite Liberal rhetoric, no new pipelines have been approved, and major projects continue to be stuck in purgatory, including the Trans‑Canada Highway through northwestern Ontario.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by Canadians from every province, calling for the federal government to support the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway through northwestern Ontario.”
“Madam Speaker, under the Liberal Prime Minister , Canada is the only G20 country that is in a recession. We also have the second-highest unemployment in the G7, the worst household debt and the worst housing costs.”
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“Mr. Chair, the minister and the government are making a lot of big promises about getting major projects built, but they are laughable after their record of10 years. I went through some very specific projects across northern Ontario that would support jobs, our growth and our economic independence. The government has neglected those for years. I would like to ask a question about forestry as well. The previous Conservative government got a softwood lumber deal done in 80 days, but the Liberals have allowed the dispute to persist. What specific actions has the minister taken himself to eliminate the unjustified softwood lumber tariffs?”
“Mr. Chair, the minister has previously said that there is no investment certainty in Canada. Does he realize that it was the policies of 10 years of Liberal incompetence that led to this fact here in Canada?”
“Mr. Chair, the minister is embarrassed about the history of the Liberal government, which has been in power for the last 10 years. It has created economic uncertainty and investment uncertainty for major projects across the country. Does the minister agree that the current impact assessment process is unnecessarily delaying the approval process for major resource projects?”
“Mr. Chair, the northern road link that has been proposed by Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation has been under assessment for two years. As I mentioned, during the lost Liberal decade projects have been stalled through the impact assessment process. On what date will the northern road link project be approved?”
“Mr. Chair, the Mining Association of Canada states that it takes up to 15 years for a mine to be approved in Canada today. The minister says that this is too long. I agree. There are 42 projects awaiting approval through the current impact assessment process. Why not start with approving those projects?”
“Mr. Chair, mining is critical to our economic independence, yet the Liberals have continually put up roadblocks to development every step of the way. How long does it take to approve a mine in Canada today?”
“Mr. Speaker, TD Bank has cast doubt on those Liberal goals, saying that housing starts are actually going to decline next year rather than increase, as the minister would have us believe. The Auditor General's report also found that the Liberals are failing to meet targets, failing to collect relevant data and failing to provide detailed, transparent reports. This is, on all accounts, a complete failure. Even their own Liberal member for Ottawa Centre has said that the government is not doing enough on housing, yet all of the ministers responsible for this crisis are still in cabinet. Why?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to sell surplus government properties to build 4,000 housing units by 2028, but a scathing report from the Auditor General has shown that after five years, they have only built 309 of those units. Canadians are facing a housing crisis and the government is sitting on 5.9 million square feet of space. When will the Liberals finally fulfill their promise to Canadians and get more homes to market?”
“Mr. Speaker, the motion we are dealing with today is very straightforward, recognizing that families in Canada are going to have to pay an extra $800 for groceries this year. This is a direct result of 10 years of the tired Liberal government's policies. The motion is simply calling for a fiscally responsible budget. The government has refused to bring forward a fiscally responsible budget. Is that because it has no budget to plan for or because it knows that it is not going to be fiscally responsible in that plan?”
“Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent Kenora—Kiiwetinoong here in the 45th Parliament. I would like to table a petition related to medical assistance in dying. Petitioners are calling on the government to protect all Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable, by prohibiting medical assistance in dying for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.”
“Mr. Speaker, the minister wants to pretend all is going well, but the facts from his own department show that first-time homebuyers are struggling, as 60% “have had difficulties maintaining debt payments.” That is not all. Recently, TD Bank has cast doubt on the Liberal promise to build more homes, stating that new home starts are actually going to decline next year. When housing starts go down, the prices go up, and we have yet another failed Liberal promise. I will ask this again: On what date will we see a federal budget that includes a plan for housing so Canadians can afford a home?”
“Mr. Speaker, according to the Liberals' own report, nearly half of first-time homebuyers feel they are paying “too much for their home” and “63% are concerned about the possibility of defaulting on their mortgage payments”, citing interest rates, the cost of living and reduced income as the reasons. This is the direct result of 10 years of this Liberal plan in action. It is why Canadians deserve to see a plan to fix it now. On what date will the Liberals table a budget, including a plan for housing, so that Canadians can afford to have a roof over their heads?”
“Mr. Speaker, congratulations to you on your role. I want to pose a question regarding a budget. The new Prime Minister was elected with the promise that he would be the man with the plan to take on the United States and get our economy back on track, but a key part of that plan is bringing forward a budget. We now know that this will not happen this spring, if at all this year, and I am wondering if the member can explain why the government would make the irresponsible decision not to bring forward a budget this spring.”
“Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your election. If you would permit me, I would like to use this opportunity to briefly thank the people of northwestern Ontario for placing their trust in me once again. It is an incredible privilege and honour to serve in this place. I would like to note that the Prime Minister was elected on a promise that he was the man with the plan to take on Donald Trump and get our economy back on track, but now we know that there really is not that much of a plan. In fact, the Prime Minister is not even planning to bring forward a budget this spring. I would like to know whether the member for Calgary-Centre has any thoughts about how concerning and irresponsible it is to not be bringing forward a budget this spring.”