Terry Dowdall
Simcoe—Grey, Ontario · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, I rise for the good people of Simcoe—Grey and, more precisely, Clearview Township. I have a petition to present with respect to a deep concern within the community. The Department of National Defence has purchased 700 acres of prime farmland to build an over-the-horizon radar system. That is phase one.”
“Therefore, they are asking that it stop the building of the over-the-horizon radar site on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisition of prime farmland in building an over-the-horizon site, and register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status.”
“Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for discussing the automotive industry for a small portion of his speech. I know that there is great concern in the county of Simcoe, as host to Honda as well as to Toyota. There are really only the big two now in Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of the people of Simcoe—Grey, and more specifically those in Clearview Township. The Department of National Defence has purchased one farm of roughly 780 acres, to install an over-the-horizon radar system in a phase one. In order to really complete the system, it is going to need phase two.”
“Petitioners are asking to stop the building of the over-the-horizon radar site on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisition of prime farmland in building an over-the-horizon site and register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status.”
“Therefore, the residents are calling for the government to stop the building of the over-the-horizon site on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisition of prime farmland, including the building of the over-the-horizon site on the prime farmland of Clearview Township, and register the previously purchased property, which is…”
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“Therefore, they are asking that it stop the building of the over-the-horizon radar site on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisition of prime farmland in building an over-the-horizon site, and register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise for the good people of Simcoe—Grey and, more precisely, Clearview Township. I have a petition to present with respect to a deep concern within the community. The Department of National Defence has purchased 700 acres of prime farmland to build an over-the-horizon radar system. That is phase one. In order for phase two to be successful, it needs up to another 3,000 acres. The residents in that area have been asked to sell. They have no interest. Their fear is expropriation, similar to what happened with the Alto rail line. There are deep concerns because it is prime farmland. It is also right beside the Minesing Wetlands, an extreme environmental spot. The petitioners do not think the department has looked at all options in other locations with respect to this.”
“Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for discussing the automotive industry for a small portion of his speech. I know that there is great concern in the county of Simcoe, as host to Honda as well as to Toyota. There are really only the big two now in Canada. We have a government that wants to buy Canadian and support Canadian. I would like to ask the member where we are at when we are bringing up to 50,000 Chinese EV vehicles into Canada that are not going to be produced here. The battery plant has been cancelled. That was $15 billion in investment. Does the member opposite feel that the government's buy Canadian policy and then, by the same hand, getting Chinese vehicles imported here is going to help manufacturers here in Canada?”
“Petitioners are asking to stop the building of the over-the-horizon radar site on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisition of prime farmland in building an over-the-horizon site and register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of the people of Simcoe—Grey, and more specifically those in Clearview Township. The Department of National Defence has purchased one farm of roughly 780 acres, to install an over-the-horizon radar system in a phase one. In order to really complete the system, it is going to need phase two. All the residents are extremely concerned. The department needs another up to 3,000 acres to complete it. Clearview Township and municipalities around it are all opposed to the site's location. We think the department needs to find another spot for it. This is going to change the lives of residents. People are stressed. They do not know if their land is going to be expropriated, and, quite frankly, the public meetings have not been very fruitful.”
“Therefore, the residents are calling for the government to stop the building of the over-the-horizon site on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisition of prime farmland, including the building of the over-the-horizon site on the prime farmland of Clearview Township, and register the previously purchased property, which is roughly 750 acres, with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a petition from the good residents of Simcoe—Grey who are opposed to the over-the-horizon radar system. If we can imagine for a minute, there is going to be close to 4,000 acres when the project is done, all phases, which will be totally flat. Every farm, every house, every barn will be knocked out, as well as all wooded lots, in the middle of the municipality. The municipality is against it.”
“I also want to recognize Nilo Ciotti, Canada's oldest living former CFL player, who turned 100 yesterday. I look forward to celebrating this milestone with him and his many family members and friends this weekend in Collingwood.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce this year's recipients of the Simcoe—Grey MP Community Leader Awards. Nelly Galifi manages the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul food bank and volunteers for its response line, helping many community members in crisis. Mary Beth Sharpe, for 19 years, managed the books at and lent her sewing skills to our not-for-profit Theatre Collingwood, as well as volunteering with local youth charity Home Horizon and the annual Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser. Donna Baylis has for a decade organized the Creemore Community Christmas Dinner, as well as the annual Christmas markets and Breakfast with Santa events. Congratulations to Nelly, Mary Beth and Donna. I thank them for their selfless dedication to our community.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her passionate speech about democracy. I can tell members I had the opportunity on the weekend to attend the 50th anniversary of Wendy and Larry Long of Clearview Township. I congratulate them on 50 years. The common question was about floor crossers. People are concerned, are upset and have lost faith in politicians. The other part the Liberals are now talking about is committees. Does my colleague find when she is in her riding that the trust in politicians has really gone down in the last couple of weeks because of what the Liberals have been doing here?”
“Between food security and environmental issues, there are great concerns, so the petitioners are calling on the government to stop the building of the over-the-horizon site on this already purchased property, to prevent future acquisition of the prime farmland of the township of Clearview and to register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the great residents of Simcoe—Grey and, more specifically, the township of Clearview. The Department of National Defence has purchased 700 acres of prime agricultural land to build an over-the-horizon radar system. The residents there are stressed and concerned. In order to do phase two, the department needs up to another 3,000 acres to make the radar run at its peak performance, so petitioners are worried that the government might expropriate. There are concerns over the environment as well. This property is beside the Minesing Wetlands.”
“Petitioners are calling on the government to stop the building of the over-the-horizon site on the already purchased property, to prevent future acquisition of prime farmland and the building of the over-the-horizon site on prime farmland in Clearview Township, and to register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status. The municipality and all the neighbouring municipalities are opposed to this location.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise here on behalf of petitioners from Simcoe—Grey once again. The Department of National Defence has purchased 700 acres of prime farmland with the goal of building an over-the-horizon radar system. This is fantastic land right on the edge of the Minesing wetlands. There are huge environmental concerns. In order for this to be operational, stage 2 would require up to another 3,000 acres. All the residents are worried about expropriation. This is prime farmland.”
“The petitioners are asking for a stop to the building of the over-the-horizon site, for other options in other areas, for prevention of future acquisition of prime farmland or any building of the over-the-horizon site on prime farmland in Clearview Township, and for registration of the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the good people of Simcoe—Grey to present a petition. The Department of National Defence has purchased over 700 acres of prime farmland in the Township of Clearview and will need up to another 3,000 acres to finish the over-the-horizon project. There are many concerns environmentally. The Minesing Wetlands are right beside this property. As well, we often hear about food security. This will be a huge chunk of land, and certainly the people in the riding are not interested in selling the 3,000 acres. They fear there will be expropriation of these properties. There is nowhere else for the people to go.”
“No one is interested in selling, so the petitioners are asking that the government stop the building of the over-the-horizon site on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisition of prime farmland for the building of the over-the-horizon site on the prime farmland in Clearview Township, and preferably register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status. We are definitely opposed to expropriation of these properties.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of the residents of Simcoe—Grey to present a petition. People in Clearview Township were shocked and surprised when the Department of National Defence bought a farm of 750 acres from one farmer and proposed an over-the-horizon radar system. We are very supportive of our military, as Canadian Forces Base Borden is within our border. The concern is that the department needs another 2,600 acres, and people are extremely worried that the government, if needed for phase two, will expropriate those lands.”
“Mr. Speaker, before the redistribution, Honda was part of my riding. I am very happy that the member who represents them now is seeing what is going on in our community. I know how important Honda is. I have many employees in my riding who work there. They do great community work and a lot of charitable work. Could the member for New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury update us on what the folks are saying and why they need the plan that has been presented by the Conservatives?”
“A lot of those companies, quite frankly, have been doing great work on their GHGs, and they are concerned that they have a government, once again, that wants to dictate what kind of technology they need to use to get to those numbers. There is extreme frustration. The other part of it that I want to mention is that a lot of them that are not tier one or tier two parts suppliers have no foreign investment anymore, because it is the same government proposing the same issues. Quite frankly, it is killing our automotive industry.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am not going to ask a question, because I do not think I want to hear the answer. Quite frankly, if I am going to comment, I would say that I have been fortunate. Honda has been in my riding for many years, before this redistribution, and I have worked with them for many years. I can tell members about the frustrations that Honda has had with the Liberal government. “This is a new Liberal government”, we hear time and time again. It is the same government. When I am hearing comments about battery cars and EV cars, they are missing the whole idea behind this: We need to sell something that people want to purchase.”
“We talk all the time in the House about food security, so there are other locations that, we stress, would be a lot better.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the great people in Clearview Township in Simcoe—Grey. We are very supportive of our military. In fact, Base Borden is located within my riding, but the concern is over the site and location of a phase one, over-the-horizon radar system that is right beside the Minesing Wetlands and is also prime agricultural land. The residents are concerned with the purchase of the first site, which is 750 acres. The second site is up to 3,000 acres. The landowners are not interested in selling around that area. They are pushing for other locations that we feel could be better, not only for the residents but also for the military itself. It is a very busy area. I present this petition on behalf of the petitioners and their concerns that it is prime farmland that is going to be gone.”
“The residents are calling upon the Government of Canada to stop the building of any over-the-horizon sites on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisitions of prime farmland and the building of any over-the-horizon sites on the prime farmland of Clearview Township, and register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust. We hear all the time in the House about the importance of food security. We understand national security. We just believe there are other sites available.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on behalf of the residents of Simcoe—Grey and, in fact, those all across the country. The Department of National Defence purchased 700 acres off one farmer to build the over-the-horizon radar system. The people in the riding are not opposed to our military. In fact, they support the men and women. Base Borden is in my riding. However, they have concerns. This is prime farmland. In order to move to stage two, the department needs 2,600 more acres, which it will need to purchase off landowners who presently have no interest in selling. The petitioners have some deep concerns. It also follows along the Minesing swamp, so there are a lot of environmental issues on this particular land.”
“The petitioning citizens of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to stop the building of any over-the-horizon site on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisitions of the prime farmland and building of any over-the-horizon site on the prime farmland in Clearview Township, and register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to prepare its agricultural status. People are concerned and worried; they do not want their land to be expropriated. Many of the townships in the area are supporting this.”
“Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise to present a petition from the great residents of Simcoe—Grey and, more specifically, Clearview Township. This will be the first of many petitions. The Department of National Defence has purchased 700-plus acres of prime farmland overlapping the Minesing Wetlands to build a preliminary Arctic over-the-horizon radar system in Clearview Township. DND has now sent emails to many landowners surrounding it, and it wants an additional 2,600 acres of prime farmland to create this site.”
“Mr. Speaker, the hon. member represents my neighbour riding. I am sure he knows, since he comes from a municipal background, as I do, that in the last 10 years, many municipalities have had major concerns. There is increased food bank usage and a huge homelessness problem. It is something my riding is trying to address. I know that a mayor in the member's riding declared a state of emergency to fix some of the problems that have been created by the Liberal government, which have put people in these situations. I am wondering if he could comment on the state of emergency that has been invoked in the City of Barrie.”
“Mr. Speaker, I certainly do not regret voting against this budget. My concerns were with the deficit, the expenses and the amount of money. We hear those numbers and stats, that the interest payments are more than the transfers to health care and more than the GST we collect. I am not upset with my objection, because I care about the next generations. When it comes to the pipeline, my opinion is that we need to get our resources to market. I am not surprised that one of the members from the Liberal Party resigned. I actually thought last term that it would have been a lot more, because they would have realized what they were doing to this country.”
“I know Innisfil, which is in the member's riding, Clearview Township, the host municipality, and Mayor Measures have been against the location and the site. As well, Essa Township and, just the other day, the Township of Springwater, all within the Simcoe County, have opposed this particular location.”
“Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is also a hard worker. He knows, and it is what I have heard, that these farming communities have no interest in selling. These farming communities have grown through the years, through generations. They have a lot of equipment. I do not know what happens when it comes to the expropriation process, but what I can say is that these individuals have absolutely zero interest in selling. He is correct. Many organizations have reached out, and they are not against. I want to stress that no one is against the actual radar system and what we are doing in the military. We are very proud. There are other organizations, including the beef producers and the Simcoe County Federation of Agriculture, that have sent letters. Neighbouring municipalities have as well.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am not here to split hairs, by any means, but those are the numbers that we got through our research, which is number one. At the end of the day, if the member opposite went to a grocery store, I think he would probably find those numbers are realistic. I often go to the grocery store and things are up even more than that. That is the average that we found. I believe those are the answers.”
“I encourage the government to scratch its plans for Clearview Township and investigate the other sites we have proposed in order to not affect and reduce national food security. I want to thank Rachel Brooks and Terri Jackman for all the work they are doing on this.”
“It is astounding to me and to so many people in Simcoe—Grey that at a time when the government is talking about food costs, food security and the importance of nutritious local food, the government would simultaneously be proposing to take all this nutritious, local food out of the national food supply. There must be another site for this project in southern Ontario that meets the criteria. The criteria is remote land, flat land, few environmental constraints, distance and close to electrical power. We do not believe eliminating 4,000 acres of prime farmland and destroying generational farm families' livelihoods is the process. The government needs to realize that jeopardizing food security in the name of national security is not the way to go.”
“On an annual basis, Canada will lose the production of 820,000 bushels of corn, which would make 300 million 12-inch tortillas or 50 million boxes of Corn Flakes; 196,000 bushels of soybeans, which is 258,000 gallons of soybean oil or 8.6 million pounds of protein; 368,000 bushels of wheat, which makes 15.4 million pounds of flour, seven million loaves of bread or 15.4 million one-pound boxes of pasta; and 14 million pounds of canola, which produces 789,000 gallons of canola oil or eight million pounds of canola meal. Add to that 185,000 pounds of beef, 700,000 pounds of chicken and 2,500 pounds of pork. These are huge numbers.”
“DND intends to proceed with phase one of the project even without securing land for phase two, which it will not be able to do because no one wants to sell the farms that have been in their families for generations. The government will need to expropriate farmers to get the land, and we are not just talking about a couple of small farms. When phase two is completed, it is estimated that 4,000 acres of Canada's most prime farmland will be taken out of our national ecosystem. This is prime farmland that produces an array of foodstuffs. To put it in perspective for Canadians, I had some of the affected landowners in my riding put together some numbers of what will be lost if the government follows through with this project.”
“I want to stress that no one in Simcoe—Grey is opposed to updating Canada's radar system, but they are very concerned about the proposed location and what it entails for our local farming community. Many residents found out about this radar project when they received a letter in the mail from DND asking to buy their land. That is right. It is building a radar site next door, but this is only phase one. It will also build phase two, and the government wants their land to do it. Imagine the reaction from local landowners. Many reached out to my office with questions and concerns. To the minister 's credit, he did provide some information to my office. DND even hosted two jam-packed town halls, both on the same day; we wanted more meetings. Here is where we are at.”
“That is why it is so difficult for me and so many residents of Simcoe—Grey to understand what the government is doing in Clearview Township, one of the communities in my riding. Back in July, my office was notified by the Minister of National Defence and DND that it had purchased 711 acres of prime agricultural land, which it plans to strip down to build one of the Arctic over-the-horizon radar projects right now. Do not get me wrong, a Liberal government taking an interest in defence once again is a good thing. The proposed pay raise for the men and women in uniform is one of the positives in the budget. Simcoe—Grey is very proud of our Canadian Forces Base Borden. In fact, the proposed radar site is only about 10 or so kilometres from Base Borden.”
“The second point is the connection to local food systems, the environment and culture. I know that in Simcoe—Grey, we really live by those words. The local food scene is incredible. I do not know if anyone has ever tried it, but I imagine that one could go a year eating only food grown in my riding of Simcoe—Grey. (1655) All the major meats, soy, grains, vegetables, apples, berries and milk are produced in Simcoe—Grey. Many producers go back generations, and some even to the 1800s, with generation after generation of farm families producing the healthy foods we enjoy, all while ensuring the environment remains clean, the soil rich and our water pristine. When the government talks about nutrition and strong connections to the local food system, the environment and culture, those are words we really agree upon.”
“I am not here to debate the proposed national school program, but I do want to bring attention to the Liberals' vision for the program, as outlined in Bill C-15 , under division 44, proposed paragraph 5(a): the Government of Canada’s vision is that all children and youth in Canada have access to nutritious food at school, in an inclusive and non-stigmatizing setting that fosters healthy practices, through school food programs that strengthen connections with local food systems, the environment and culture; I want to draw members attention to the two points in that quote. The first is access to nutritious food. Whether the government is using Canadian tax dollars to provide kids at school food or parents are using their own money to provide it at home, I think everyone here would agree that access to nutritious food is number one.”
“A national school food program means that kids going hungry is now a national problem, after 10 years of Liberal fiscal mismanagement. If Liberals want to push a national school food program, they are certainly welcome to it, but when doing so, they should acknowledge that this is not a generous initiative; it is an attempt to fix a problem that, quite simply, they created.”
“A recent report indicated that a full 80.6% of Canadians say food is their top expense pressure, a shocking 28% of Canadians use their savings or borrow money just to buy their food, and a quarter of Canadians are experiencing food insecurity. That is a key term the government likes to use. In fact, it is one of the government's key arguments as to why Canada now needs a national school food program. Let us leave aside the fact that the only reason Canada would ever need a school food program is that so many Canadians have become poorer under the government that they now have difficulty feeding their children healthy food. There have been initiatives in the past in less affluent areas of the country, where school breakfasts or lunch programs existed to address certain challenges.”
“We are not just talking about organic, imported, deluxe foods. We are talking about basic Canadian staples, like beef, bread and vegetables. I know we have heard some of these numbers in the chamber before, but let us have a quick recap. As of October 2025, here are the year-to-year price increases: Fresh or frozen beef is up 16.8%. Fresh or frozen chicken is up 6.2%. Apples are up 4.2%, and carrots are up 11%. These are just a few examples. The irony is that much of this food is produced in Canada, including in my riding, Simcoe—Grey. The local producers of this food are not seeing profits increasing at the same rate that prices are rising in grocery stores.”
“Housing prices have recently cooled but still remain near all-time highs. It is great for those who own a home, but a disaster for those who dream of owning one themselves. Therefore, people rent, but rent too takes up more of their monthly budget than it ever has before. If everyone was being totally honest, I do not believe anyone in this place could say that, for the majority of Canadians, life has improved in the last 10 years. When constituents write to me, call my offices or speak to me at many events, they often raise these issues. As we all know in this place, constituents raise many issues, but if I were to group them into categories, then I would say that cost of living is by far the most common issue I hear about. The issue that most affects cost of living is just how expensive food is.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the great people of Simcoe—Grey to speak to Bill C-15 , the budget implementation act. When the budget was announced, I, like many of my constituents, was shocked that the so-called new Liberal government could spend even more than the so-called old Liberal government. What a decade it has been. Almost every facet of Canadian life has declined. Our young people find it harder to get work and many have given up on ever owning a home. Previously, middle-class families were able to save a little to get ahead and now they struggle just to get by. Seniors, especially single ones, who rely on CPP and OAS to get by are spending their golden years in poverty. Every crime indicator has increased. Homeless encampments are everywhere. Illegal drug use is rampant.”
“Residents support investments in Canada's national security, but they call on the minister to select a radar site that does not sacrifice food security in the process.”
“Mr. Speaker, residents of Simcoe—Grey are proud to be the home of Canadian Forces Base Borden. They are also proud farmers, so when DND revealed it had secretly bought over 700 acres of prime farm land to build a radar site, residents were shocked. Now they are concerned, after DND started contacting residents directly, asking them to sell their land because it needs thousands more acres. They will not sell; they have been on the land for generations. Will the government expropriate their land? Affected residents Terri Jackman and Rachel Brooks took the lead and started a petition. Others have rallied behind them. We talk every day in the House about high prices and food security in Canada. The government says it is taking action. That action should not be turning 4,000 acres of Canada's best farm land into a radar site.”
“Mr. Speaker, I know about the balance, as in my riding, between the military, which is very important, and agriculture. I know the government purchased roughly 1,600 acres for an Arctic over the horizon radar system. There seems to be a clash. The municipality and the Simcoe Federation of Agriculture are not against the actual technology; what they are against is the site of up to 4,000 acres. If it affects food security and there is going to be an appropriation of land, how will that play out against protection for our military?”
“Mr. Speaker, there are some things in the member's speech that we agree on. They have our backs and we must have theirs. That is extremely important. We also agree that everyone should be safe from harassment. The Borden base is in my riding. I am very honoured to represent the men and women of the military who serve and have served in that area. I used to sit on the veterans affairs committee, and what I have noticed since being elected in 2019 is that a lot of the same issues are being repeated over and over by the government, which has been in place for 10 years. We are studying some of the same issues again and again, such as individuals dealing with PTSD or getting another job after service. Why would the public believe now that any of this would help any of the people who are serving today and those who have served?”
“Mr. Speaker, Honda Canada was in my riding until this latest election and the redistribution. I dealt with it all the time. I thank my colleague for pointing out the importance of those jobs. I remember when Stephen Harper, back when I was a mayor prior to my time here, introduced the gas tax. For a lot of municipalities, it was dedicated funding for roads and bridges. I know how important it was, especially for the rural areas at that time. This is ridiculous. All the companies know it. All the manufacturers know it. Does the member believe this will go the same route as the carbon tax and that the Liberal government will try to sell it, but in the end, the reality is that it just makes absolutely no sense?”