Jeremy Patzer
Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, Saskatchewan · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, when I rose in the House previously in question period, I asked the Minister of Public Safety about charges being stayed against two fentanyl traffickers who were arrested and in court in Swift Current. Police found 17.5 pounds of fentanyl in their car, and their charges were stayed.”
“This person was out on bail for a previous drug possession and trafficking charge for a street value of $125,000. This is getting insane. These are the kinds of things that people are seeing on the streets.”
“The “earliest reasonable opportunity and on the least onerous conditions” is the main theme of what Bill C-75 has meant for people like drug traffickers. Let us take a look at a few other cases in and around Saskatchewan. On April 8, another individual was found with 51 grams of fentanyl.”
“Mr. Speaker, the common theme we see with the Liberals is that they go easy on criminals, and then all of a sudden they introduce all these new laws that try to make up for their own undoing of previous laws that were in place and would have helped deal with a lot of this. There are other chronic issues that are at play here.”
“The borders continue to be a sore spot for drugs coming in. Basically zero containers are scanned coming into Canada, so all kinds of drugs and who knows what else are pouring into our country, and it is putting our citizens at risk and in danger. How else do we end up with 17.5 pounds of fentanyl getting on the streets down Highway 1?”
“Madam Speaker, it is always a privilege to be able to rise on behalf of the great people of southwest and west central Saskatchewan, and to be able to do so here in the month of June. We know June is the graduation season for all of the kids in elementary school who are moving up to high school.”
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“Anyway, the debt ceiling has increased three times in the last four years. It has been increased to somewhere around $2.3 trillion. It makes one wonder what the government's plan and projection is going forward if it is already increasing the debt ceiling that high above what the current debt already is. (1755) Going forward, let us go out the next four or five years, because the budget actually does that. It forecasts what the year-over-year deficit is going to be, and it also projects what the cost to service the debt is going to be. It is going to cost about $76 billion to $78 billion just to pay the interest on the national debt three or four years from now. Why is that significant? I am going to give people back home a specific example.”
“We know that the Prime Minister has been a failure on trade and with the current budget. Something else that caught my attention, and I do not think that it caught the attention of too many other people, is that the debt ceiling for Canada was also increased. It has actually increased three times in the last four years. Most people do not know that. It is another small fact that slides on through without anybody really talking about it. Let us compare and contrast that with how things go in the United States: If the government has to increase the debt ceiling, it is a big process that gets national attention and makes the news. It even makes it on to CBC, which is supposed to be the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, but it spends more time covering American than Canadian politics.”
“The projections the Liberals had for the 2024 budget and in relation to the fall economic statement were that the projected deficit for this fiscal year was going to be only $38.9 billion. When we look at the budget, right now, we are sitting at $78.3 billion, so there is a discrepancy of almost $40 billion. The Liberals are probably going to get up, and someone is going to say that it is Donald Trump's fault and so on and so forth. There is a bit of blame that can maybe go there, but there is another promise that was broken. The Prime Minister said that he was the man who was fit to deal with a crisis and that he knew how to manage a crisis. As we saw in the media today, “whatever, so what?” was his whole response to how things have been going with Donald Trump.”
“The current budget is a terrible example for the next generation of how to set a budget, follow a budget and stick to a goal in terms of what one is going to do. The Prime Minister said that he was never going to go higher than Justin Trudeau's debt number. That was $42.2 billion. We are at $78.3 billion. In fact, the member of Parliament for University—Rosedale was the finance minister. She actually resigned her position because of what Justin Trudeau was doing with the budget, which precipitated the whole process through which the current Prime Minister became the leader of the Liberal Party and, therefore, the Prime Minister of Canada. Why does all this matter? I was comparing the budget to the 2024 budget, which had “fairness for every generation”.”
“Right now, we are sitting at $1,281,228,741,000, now 42,000, now 43,000. Again, I cannot even read the hundreds column because it is going way too fast. I wanted to bring that up for people so that they can understand what we are talking about when we say that the government needs to exercise fiscal constraint and that it needs to be responsible with the budget. What does it mean when those numbers go high? When government spends way more money than it brings in, that leads to inflation in what people pay for goods. When we talk about many of the issues we face as a country, particularly the next generation of youngsters, the government sets the tone with its own finances. Youngsters are looking to figure out how they are going to build a home and how they will afford groceries or go to university, things like that.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour and a privilege to rise in the House of Commons and speak on behalf of the great people of southwest and west-central Saskatchewan. It was a nice weekend back home, but it looks as though, this week, winter is going to be settling in for the long haul. Unfortunately, there is some snow on the forecast, so I just want to wish everyone well back home as we get ready for winter to settle in. I want to start by saying what the national debt was during question period. It was $1,281,213,600,467. I am ballparking those last six figures because the debt clock moves really fast, and I cannot even see what the numbers are because it is reeling at such a great speed. Since then, the national debt has increased by over $15 million on just the interest that has accrued.”
“It did nothing to actively manage the forest to make sure there were protections, yet there is nothing in the budget addressing that. How does the member opposite square that with his speech around the effects of climate change when the government knows there are steps it can take and it refuses to do it?”
“Mr. Speaker, the member has talked a lot about climate change, its effects and the impact it has, but there are a couple of things that the budget does not talk about and does not deal with, and I was hoping the member would have addressed it in his speech. There have been 30 sawmill closures in the province of B.C. There have been multiple sawmill closures in Quebec. We have seen a decimation of the forestry industry, yet there is no recognition by the government of those mills and those workers. Without them, the rebuild strategy is basically non-existent. If we look at what happened in Jasper and the town burning down, the department knew that there was a disaster about to happen, yet it did nothing about it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to get my friend and colleague's thoughts on an important sector we share in this country: agriculture. In the budget, the government is sending over $300 million to farmers in other parts of the world, yet our farmers are dealing with punishing tariffs here in Canada. Also, we have had many years of drought and of not being able to grow the crops the way we normally would like to. I am wondering what the member thinks about the government's priorities when it comes to agriculture and what he is hearing from farmers in his riding.”
“There is some money set aside for marketing, as I said, but that does not change the fact that China has 100% tariffs and India has 30% tariffs, and that we are seeing other non-trade barriers across the globe that the government has done nothing to get rid of. Have the provinces confirmed that they are in support of these measures and have the money to back them? Will the government commit today to trying to get the tariffs repealed as soon as possible?”
“Mr. Speaker, I saw the announcement on the funds that were being allocated. As the member will most likely know, AgriStability is actually a cost-shared program with the provincial governments. It is nice for the Liberals to say they have upped it from 80% to 90% and increased the threshold from $3 million to $6 million, but can the member confirm here today that the provincial governments are in favour of that? Have the provincial governments signed on to do it? Will they be able to uphold the financial commitment on their end? I have talked to a lot of producers, and they say that AgriStability does not trigger for them. AgriStability is not going to help them deal with lost market access.”
“The Prime Minister has been ineffective in trying to get better deals or even trying to fix the problems that have been created around the world by other governments. We know that these tariffs are in relation to other things the government has been doing. The Prime Minister needs to put his best foot forward. He needs to get these tariffs removed from China now. He needs to go to India or have somebody go to India and tell them why they need to be taking the tariffs off, so Canadian farmers and exporters can have access to that market once again. Let them know this is the best crop in the world; Saskatchewan farmers do it the best. The government should be working for farmers, not against them.”
“The Prime Minister said he was the man for a crisis; so far, when we have seen the Prime Minister leave Canada and go out on trips to talk to other countries about trade, we are seeing worse deals or we are seeing no deals happen. He said he met with folks from China, and they said maybe in the new year they will get to dealing with that. Farmers do not have the luxury of time that the Prime Minister is operating on; they need a deal to be done and dealt with now. Harvest is over. The crop is in the bins. Time is not on farmers' side. I just gave a brief example of the impact on cash flow it is having for Canadian farmers. If the government continues to sit and wait on this, there is going to be further devastation for farmers. We will see that price continue to go down. We see the agriculture minister not taking it seriously.”
“If we do the math on that, at $15 a tonne, that works out to $825,000 that Canadian farmers, particularly Saskatchewan farmers, lost in that price. If it is $20 a tonne, that goes all the way up to $1.1 million for just one week. That is the kind of loss that farmers are dealing with in the tariffs from India. Given the total exports in one year, for this year, so far, it is 817,400 tonnes. Let us do the math on that. At $20 a tonne, that would be $16.3 million that farmers are losing out on. At $15 a tonne, that is $12.2 million that they are losing out on because of the tariffs that have been put on by India. I will let the government do the math on what that means for the impact of the tariffs from China.”
“I was asking a question of the government about China's tariffs on Canadian canola and on our pulse crops. I also had a follow-up question another time around what is happening with India putting tariffs on us. It is specifically our yellow pea crops they are putting tariffs on now. China has 100% tariffs on that particular crop; India now has a 30% tariff on that crop as well. I just wanted to work through some of the numbers here. I was reading an article in The Western Producer, and when we look at the cash price for peas, it has dropped by about $15 to $20 per tonne since the announcement of the tariffs by India. Let us just look at some of the numbers. In week 12 of the crop year, the exports for peas were 55,500 tonnes.”
“Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would just like to put this on the public record: I want to wish my wife a happy anniversary. Last week, on November 10, we celebrated 18 years of being married. I thank her for putting up with me for 18 years and for being by my side throughout this political journey. It has been quite the ride. Some hon. members: Hear, hear! Jeremy Patzer: Mr. Speaker, I thank the members across the way and my colleagues here as well; I appreciate that. I also just want to give a quick shout-out to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for winning the Grey Cup championship. Obviously, it is a long season with lots of games. It is a gruelling schedule, but they are the ones who came out on top through hard work and great teamwork, so I congratulate the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”
“Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister was quick to abandon one of the fiscal anchors he campaigned on. In the last Parliament, the member belonged to a government that said one of its fiscal anchors was that the deficit would never go over $42 billion, yet here he is, poised to vote in favour of a budget that is going to put Canada $78 billion in the hole this fiscal year. Will the finance minister and the Prime Minister do the same thing the last finance minister did and commit to upholding fiscal anchors next time around instead of abandoning them?”
“If we do that, we will produce more and have more certainty, so we can produce the goods that Canada needs to build the things we need in Canada.”
“Madam Speaker, the member talked a bit about the mill closures that happened in her community. I have been a member of Parliament for six years now, and one of the more common headlines I have seen in the news is that mill closures are happening all across Canada. There has been no new softwood lumber deal with the United States for over 10 years. We hear a lot about housing in the House of Commons, and one thing we need for building houses is lumber. We also need steel to build it. We are hearing lots of uncertainty among some of the steel mills in Canada as well. I am wondering how the member feels about the budget, given that there is no certainty in it for sawmills. There is no certainty in it for sawmill workers. There is no certainty in it to try to combat the tariffs and get a better deal for Canadian producers.”
“Mr. Speaker, I happened to notice that, throughout the member's speech, a lot of the things she was talking about fall within either provincial or municipal jurisdiction. It seems like a lot of what the federal government is trying to do with the budget circumvents the provinces or works above the municipalities, instead of working through the proper channels, the way the federation is supposed to work, and the different orders of government. I am wondering what the member thinks about that and if she has any concerns. Even though the government is trying to work on some nice things that she thinks might be helpful in her area, is she concerned about the breakdown of the jurisdictional responsibilities of the federal government, the provincial governments and the municipal governments?”
“Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I believe the member insinuated in her question that the Conservative Party was lying to Canadians. We know that is not true, and it is unparliamentary to insinuate it.”
“The number of times I have had people come in who are single mothers about to lose their child tax benefit or who are seniors at risk of losing their OAS or CPP or who have had clawbacks to them is absolutely tremendous. The government needs to get this right so that these vulnerable individuals do not suffer at the hands of the CRA.”
“Mr. Speaker, if the target accuracy rate was 94%, the Auditor General would not have gone through the whole process of auditing the department. She has found the complete opposite when it comes to service standards. I find it a little rich for the government member to stand up and say there is a 94% success rate when that was clearly not the case. It would be nice if the member would get up to explain how there could be such a discrepancy between the Auditor General's findings and the findings of the CRA. When the CRA is looking at itself, of course it is going to point to the number of calls where it knows it got the information right, not look at a bigger body of them, as the Auditor General did. Quite often, people are hit by this issue.”
“As of right now, tax season was back in April, and we are near the end of the calendar year here, with only a couple of months left, so they are going to say that wait times have improved. Let us just wait until next April, when Canadians start filing taxes again, and see if their 100-day action plan actually bore any fruit. I am just wondering if the minister or the parliamentary secretary here is going to be willing to stand up today and guarantee that Canadians will receive better service standards than they received this last tax season.”
“I had another case of an individual. We have been working with this person for over four years now, trying to settle an estate. They lost a loved one, and the biggest hold-up in that whole process was the CRA. It has taken over four years to resolve an issue with them, and the issue is still unresolved. That is not acceptable. That is the kind of problem that Canadians are routinely finding themselves faced with. What has the CRA gotten for that? It has gotten a 70% budget increase for the absolutely abysmal, terrible service that Canadians have been receiving. It would be great to see this government take responsibility. The Liberals have been giving us a word salad about how there is a 100-day action plan for the CRA to get its act together and provide better service for Canadians.”
“Then, they followed that up by providing even less service to Canadians, with wait times being beyond unacceptable. This past summer, there are people who spent entire weeks trying to get hold of CRA without being able to get through, having to call back in at the beginning of the day every day, sitting on hold and not ever getting through. I just recently received an email. Actually, it was today. It was an email from a lady who spent months dealing with the CRA because of an issue with the CRA. It was not anything she did wrong but something CRA did wrong, and she ended up having to go through the courts in order to be able to get the situation rectified. The court sided with her, and finally she had this issue resolved. It should not have to take going to court in order to get CRA to do their job properly.”
“The Canada Revenue Agency, interestingly enough, has the ability to adjust its own service standards, and it is interesting to note that in 2017: the Canada Revenue Agency’s service standard was to have 80% of calls answered by an agent within 2 minutes. Starting in the 2019–20 fiscal year, the agency lowered the standard to 65% of calls answered within 15 minutes. The number of complaints relating to the service provided by the contact centres increased by 145% since 2021–22. That is kind of at the heart of the issue here. The CRA recognized that they could not keep up with the service, so rather than try to figure out how they could offer better service to Canadians, they said they were just going to lower the threshold and criteria that were required to say that they were offering better service to Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I previously had the opportunity to question the minister on the performance of the CRA after the Auditor General had released a report on her findings on the performance standards at the CRA. I think it is important to start this off by reading a couple of fine points from her findings. She starts off with a line about how “The Taxpayer Bill of Rights states that callers have the right to complete, accurate, clear, and timely information.” I think that is kind of at the heart of the Auditor General's report. It is also at the heart of the experience that Canadians have had when dealing with the CRA over the last number of years.”
“It would not be easy for me to spend 1,095 days in Scotland. I would have to have a very strong interest in being in Scotland. Therefore, that requirement is very important. I think it is a good amendment that we have here, and I look forward to continuing on this thread tomorrow when I have a chance to speak again.”
“If a person has no interest in Canada, if their parents have not spent any time in Canada, it would seem natural that there would be tough requirements to be able to gain Canadian citizenship, because there is a certain value that is added to our citizenship. However, we have seen, for 10 years, the Liberal government water down what it means to be Canadian. We continue to see that trend with this particular bill. Going back to the case of my grandmother immigrating from Scotland, let us transpose that to Scotland, a country that has gone through its own independence revolution to break itself free. Looking at Scotland's requirements, one parent has to be born in Scotland. Based on the Scottish requirements, my mother would have been able to become a Scottish citizen, but it would not apply to me. I think about the 1,095 days.”
“I think that is a good starting point, because beyond the people who were affected by a decision, that four-year period, who were impacted by the bill originally, there is obviously the ripple effect for other folks who would be impacted by the bill. When we look at the requirement to spend 1,095 days in Canada, the government wanted it to be an arbitrary number for a parent. We made an amendment to make that consecutive time spent in Canada, which is a key piece. It would show a more substantive commitment to Canada and being committed to our country. I think that is a very strong place to start, because we want people who are going to be citizens of Canada to have a vested interest in Canada.”
“There was another member from Ottawa here who said, “Let us work fast at committee, make the improvements”. Even the member from Winnipeg said that he wanted to talk about the amendments. We have heard him talk a lot about some of the amendments here tonight, but more so about how he does not think it is right that the Conservatives and the Bloc voted in favour of amendments and they got added to the bill. I mean, the minister herself said that she was looking forward to amendments to the bill, and we were able to get those amendments. I think it looks really good, with the amendments we put into the bill. In particular, there is the requirement for consecutive days in Canada, to have the time that is laid out in the bill be consecutive.”
“Immigration is always a fun topic to talk about. My grandmother immigrated to Canada from Scotland, and I have a great appreciation for people who have immigrated to Canada. I can track down the history of my family, the country of origin they came from, how they came to North America and what that journey looked like for them. We can obviously see the contributions that many people have made to Canada in building this country. This country is largely a country of people who have immigrated to Canada, so we know how important immigration is. I think it is important to make that comment right off the top. I was happy to see that we were able to get many strong amendments at committee. I also want to echo the sentiment from some of my colleagues earlier. The minister mentioned that they were open to amendments.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour and a privilege to rise on behalf of the great people of Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley. I want to take a few moments here as I begin my speech to say happy birthday to my daughter Kenzie. She turned 11 today. Happy birthday, sweetie. I love her very much. I am really proud of the great young girl she is growing up to be, and I look forward to seeing the great woman she will be as well. This morning, she had to get up at 5:30 a.m. to get to the hockey rink in time for practice. She did that, and her teammates sang her happy birthday on the ice, which was pretty exciting. I think she brought cupcakes for her teammates. They got to celebrate her birthday at the hockey rink, so that must have been a lot of fun. We have a bill before us today to deal with immigration.”
“Mr. Speaker, the minister is not even meeting with his counterparts on his trip, and he is proving to be as ineffective as his predecessor. Harvest on the Prairies is coming to an end, and Canadian farmers are still enduring tariffs imposed by China on canola and pulse products. Exports of these crops to China have halted. They need relief, but the government is slow to act. Ahead of a meeting with the president of China, the Prime Minister says that things will take time. Meanwhile, farmers' bins are full and there are no new markets for them to go to. With food prices skyrocketing and farm profitability dropping, Canadians want to know this: Is the Prime Minister getting a deal done, or will he come home empty-handed yet again?”
“Better funding for MS research is more than justified by the work hours and life experience currently being lost to our society. I will continue to stand with MS Canada so that, little by little, these brave Canadians can stand strong and, one day, live free of this disease.”
“Mr. Speaker, last night, I had the privilege of co-hosting the annual MS Canada reception. Some 90,000 Canadians struggle with multiple sclerosis. Thanks to medical innovation, they are increasingly able to live normal, fulfilling lives. They come from all backgrounds and professions, from hairdressers to researchers, teachers, Hill staffers and former MPs. Nearly three-quarters of them are women. MS Canada is researching better treatments and building a community where each can find practical support and encouragement. My wife has MS, and her own journey with living with the disease is proof that the research into how we can diagnose, treat, prevent and, one day, repair the effects of MS is working. Investment in MS research is an investment in the lives of Canadians, letting them live long and rewarding lives.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General report shows that the CRA had a huge increase in deflected calls, from one million to eight million in one year. People in the southwest wait hours, sometimes days, to reach a service agent, and then they have to deal with huge delays in resolving their file, even if the CRA made the mistake. The CRA fails to meet its own service standards after already lowering them, and the odds are high that the agents will give inaccurate information, but its budget went up 70%. Why is it that with the Liberals, Canadians always pay more but get less?”
“Mr. Speaker, I could not help but notice that, although we are debating the border bill today, the government already tabled a bill earlier in the current Parliament and has already had to basically withdraw it and present a new bill because it messed up the first one so badly. I know that my colleague is newer to Parliament. I wonder how he feels so far about his own government's messing up so badly that, here in Parliament, Bill C-12 is already a redo of one of the bills it had already tabled.”
“Mr. Speaker, yes, he is absolutely right. The Liberals are not the entire representation of Canada. When we bring up these stories, the Liberals need to listen to us and understand the pain people are feeling because of their bad policies, and have the humility to do what is right.”
“Mr. Speaker, it absolutely is creating an emergency for Canadian workers, because we lost 86,000 jobs over the last little while. The Prime Minister , again, was openly bragging about sending $1 trillion into the United States if he gets the deal he expects. That investment needs to be in Canada. We are not hearing if it has been reciprocating into Canada. We need that investment in Canada, not the U.S.”
“This lady worked in the service industry helping people, including seniors, and also worked with adults with disabilities, one of the most noble things a person can do. Now they can hardly even afford to feed themselves. That is why we have this motion in front of us here today: to get the government to focus on Canadians. We heard the Prime Minister today talk about $1 trillion being invested, if he gets the right deal, in the United States, and he is saying that it is private money. That is the whole point. Private companies should be investing in Canada, and the Prime Minister's goal should be to get that investment in Canada to fix our economy and create jobs so that the cost of living will not impact people like this family has been impacted. It is embarrassing and the government needs to reverse course. It should adopt our motion.”
“In the same breath, when they go out with $100 to the grocery store, for two people, that should be able to get them through a week and into a second week with no problem, but it does not. It barely gets people through a couple of days. Their budget only goes so far. At the age they are at, they have medications that they have to buy. They still have a vehicle, but they do not drive it because they cannot afford to put gas in it. They cannot do the things that most people do when they retire with their grandkids. For example, they cannot take them on trips, to the hockey rink or for supper. It is hard for them to be able to do any of those because, quite frankly, they literally cannot afford it. This is a farmer who has worked hard his entire life. He is a very proud man.”
“They talked to me about how the food that they are eating is perilous, that their diet is going down the drain. It is actually leading to bad health outcomes for them because, again, they are 90 and 80. She is doing everything she can to make home-cooked meals with the limited resources she has. When we look at the cost of groceries, it has gotten out of hand to the point that they are not even able to afford a roast anymore. She is really struggling to make things go. When I was there, she had loaves of bread set out that she had made because someone had given her the raw products needed to mill her own homemade bread, so that is a staple in their diet. It is homemade, so that is good.”
“However, they have gotten to a point in their lives where they are not able to find work. No one is going to hire them, but when someone is 90 or 80, they should not be thinking about how they are going to work to put food on the table. They have a fixed income, and they are at a point in their lives where they have had to take a mortgage out on the house they have, just to be able to afford the basic necessities of life. When I went and met with them, they had not run their air conditioning all summer, they did not have any lights on in their house and they told me they are not going to turn the furnace on until they absolutely have to. They had not eaten beef or even knew how long it had been since they had been able to go out and buy a roast, some steaks or things like that.”
“Whether it is food, building materials or the energy used to heat and cool homes, it all originated in rural Canada. It is important for people in the House to know and understand that. I do not think that western Canada, particularly my riding, when we look at the way it was settled, would have developed the way it did if the Liberals of the day had had the same types of laws we see today, with the industrial carbon tax and things like that, which I listed earlier. I want to share a quick story. Before we came back from summer break, I met with some seniors. He is 90 and she is 80. He is a retired farmer, and she worked in the service industry most of her life. One would never know it by looking at them; they do not look a day over 60. It is quite remarkable. People who work hard live long and prosperous lives.”
“The canola industry, for example, impacts GDP and the Canadian economy more than the auto industry does. That is how big and important the agriculture sector, even just the canola industry, let alone the entire agriculture sector, is to the prairie economy. I want people to know that off the top. (1805) That gets to some of the current Liberal policies that are driving the cost of living crisis and chasing jobs out of Canada. We have things like the industrial carbon tax, the incoming Liberal fuel standard that is a second carbon tax and the emissions cap, and everybody knows about the failed Impact Assessment Act and the tanker ban. These are all largely detrimental policies for rural Canada, but they have a trickle impact into urban Canada because everything that exists in urban Canada originated from rural Canada, first and foremost.”
“They had a heavy focus on the local economy, so there were always lots of jobs for folks in these small towns. If we fast-forward, our rural communities have been decimated. We can look on Google Maps and zoom in and look at the roads. This is true for many members in the House, from Saskatchewan, from Alberta and from all across the country. In my riding in particular, I have well over 100 communities, and several of them are small in size for sure, but they are just as important as any of the larger communities, like the city of Swift Current, and, when we look nationally, some of the large cities, like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. These small towns are extremely important. Why is that? For starters, agriculture represents one in eight jobs in the national economy, and we can break that down into the various portions of agriculture.”
“Some of those communities, unfortunately, have vanished or are vanishing because of the state of the economy. The reason I bring this is up is that there used to be, out in the Prairies in particular, very individual, localized economies. If we look at the jobs numbers, 86,000 jobs were lost in Canada recently under the Prime Minister . These small local economies used to provide a lot of jobs. In just about every single small town along the rail line, farming was obviously the driver of the local economy, but within the local, siloed economy, there were farmers, a blacksmith, sometimes two or three equipment dealers selling farm implements and a couple of different auto dealers selling cars and trucks. They also had schools and hospitals.”
“The government needs to pay attention to them, because then it would finally start to understand why we talk so much about the negative impact on the economy of the way the Liberals have been steering things. I want to give people a bit of a history lesson. I am from Saskatchewan, born and raised. I grew up on a farm outside of a small town. The prairie economy back in the day was based on a couple of things. The most common thing was the rail line. When we look at where all the different communities across southwest and west central Saskatchewan are, they are generally in relation to either the current national rail line or the many offshoot rail lines. Some rail lines are no longer in existence and have been removed, but we can see the communities that used to exist along those rail lines.”