Sandra Cobena
Newmarket—Aurora, Ontario · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, 100 years is a century of memories, service and stories. In Newmarket—Aurora, we are preparing to celebrate a very special milestone as our friend and local Second World War veteran Mr. Jeffrey Reynolds turns 100 years old on June 29.”
“Turning 100 years old is an extraordinary achievement, but it also carries even greater meaning when that life was dedicated to serving others before it had fully begun. I ask all members of the House to join me in wishing Jeffrey Reynolds a very happy 100th birthday.”
“They felt that they were the passengers, because the government was driving them into incredible amounts of debt that they would eventually inherit.”
“I heard from a small business owner on Davis Drive who is watching her customer base shrink because people simply do not have money left over at the end of the month. I heard from a senior on a fixed income who never thought he would have to choose between his bills and groceries.”
“However, the government members stand here and ask Canadians to trust them with the national finances, with a 1% chance of keeping their own promises. Let us not forget they revised this fiscal anchor after they already failed to meet their last one. I should mention I am splitting my time.”
“Even Mexico, which also shares a border with the U.S. and has been significantly impacted by tariffs, has managed to steer clear of a recession. When we are the only country in the world's 20 largest economies to be in a recession, that is a local policy problem.”
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“Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the Liberals have tried this before, and it has only made matters worse. Canada is a country full of farms and fields, yet we are known as the food inflation capital of the G7. Food inflation has doubled since 2019. This is a homegrown crisis caused by high taxes on farmers, truckers and food processors, lack of competition in grocery chains and reckless inflationary spending. I ask this again: Will the Liberal government immediately cut taxes that punish those who put food on our tables and boost competition in grocery chains?”
“Mr. Speaker, there are critical statistics every member of Parliament must take seriously. There are 2.2 million visits to food banks every single month. Canada's food inflation is 6.2%, and that is double that of the U.S. This year it will cost $17,600 to feed a family. That is a national emergency we must take seriously, and Conservatives want to expedite a real solution. Will the Liberal government immediately table legislation to cut taxes that punish those who bring food to our tables and boost competition in grocery chains?”
“This medal would be about recognizing that, among us, walk women and men who have offered a part of their own body so that another human being might get one more sunrise, one more breath, one more chance at life. This bill would simply allow Canada to say that we see them, we honour them and they are the best of us. This is a moment for every Canadian to feel proud of the House because, together, across all parties, we are standing in unity to support this private member's bill, reflecting our shared commitment to the people we serve.”
“It was four hours of pure agony, praying with every breath that God would guide the surgeon's hands and that both young men, my brother and my cousin, would come out alive, and by the Lord's mercy, they did. My cousin recovered. He finished university, and this past summer he got married. My brave, selfless brother gave him a future he would never have had. He too got married, and he has two handsome young sons. (1555) When I speak to this bill, I speak with the deepest of convictions because my father, Gilmerth Cobena, who donated his kidney to his mother, is a hero. My brother, Gabriel Cobena, is a hero. The sponsor of this bill, the member for Edmonton Manning , who donated part of his liver to his son Tyler, is a hero, and every Canadian who has given an organ so that someone else can live is a hero.”
“If I am a match, he will not die.” Although these words may sound simple, the situation was not. My cousin was in Ecuador in a very delicate state, so weak he could not travel. If the transplant were to happen, it would have to be in a public hospital where there was no hot water, no toilet seats and no modern comforts, just faith and the courage that only God puts into the hearts of ordinary people. My brother walked into the surgery knowing the risks were high. He walked in knowing that complications were common. He walked in knowing that in that hospital, donating a kidney could very well be a death sentence, but he did it anyway. For four hours we waited.”
“I remember the heaviness in the room, and I remember not fully understanding what had happened but knowing that our family had lost another fight in a long war. My uncle, Jose Gabriel Cobena, died too, and now my cousins, the next generation, have been fighting the same battle. Both brothers needed transplants as teenagers. The eldest received a kidney from his father, but the father only had one to give, so the younger brother, at 19 years old, had no donor match. There is nothing more frightening than waiting to see whether someone we love will live or die. Death appeared close, and even closer with each passing day, and then something extraordinary happened: My brother, Gabriel Cobena, stepped forward. He was young and healthy, with his whole life ahead of him, and he said, “Test me.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to a private member's bill brought forward by my colleague, the member for Edmonton Manning . His bill proposes something simple: a national medal of recognition for every living organ donor in Canada to raise awareness and education about the power of living donation. My family has lived with the cruelty of Alport syndrome, a genetic disease that steals kidney function. Generation after generation, it has been a quiet, constant shadow in our family. I grew up with adults speaking in hushed tones about test results, doctor's appointments and the next person whose kidneys were beginning to fail. When I was a little girl, my dear grandmother, Magdalena Villavicencio, died on my bed. I remember the sounds of adults crying around me.”
“A government that cannot live within its means will never be able to make life affordable for those who must live within theirs. I thank the citizens who brought this forward.”
“Mr. Speaker, I take that as a compliment. I rise today to table a petition from Canadians who are alarmed by the Liberal government's manipulation of our national books. They are calling for honesty and integrity in fiscal reporting, and demanding an end to the practice of redefining “capital investments” to shrink the deficit on paper. Under this practice, subsidies, tax breaks and corporate handouts are rebranded as investments, even though the government will actually own nothing. The petitioners warn that changing accounting rules when deficits are ballooning, the economy is slowing and fiscal anchors have already been abandoned is reckless and dangerous, because redefining the numbers does not build confidence and does not build our economy.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a petition, for a second time, from Canadians alarmed by the Liberal government's manipulation of our national books. They are calling for honesty and integrity in fiscal reporting, and demanding an end to the Liberal practice of redefining “capital investments” just to shrink the deficit on paper. Under this scheme, subsidies, tax breaks and corporate handouts are magically rebranded as investments, even though they build nothing the government actually owns. The petitioners warn—”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once said that the grocery aisle would be his report card. Well, today in that aisle is a mother standing still, staring at the price of baby formula, which has gone up 84%. She does the math in her head and wonders what she is going to cut next, because feeding her baby is not optional. Under the Liberals, even that has become a source of fear and anxiety. Their policies have driven up the cost of growing, shipping and selling food. When will the Liberal government stop piling on taxes, stop its inflationary spending and let mothers afford the formula their babies need to thrive?”
“Mr. Speaker, when Canadians tell the government they cannot afford food, its response is that they are taxed to death and cannot afford groceries but should cheer up: It has a program for them; they should be grateful and have never had it so good. Eighty-six per cent of Canadians list food as their largest financial worry. The food price report confirms grocery prices are set to increase by up to 6% next year. That is $1,000 more just to feed a family. The Prime Minister asked to be judged by prices at the grocery store. Well, prices are set to reach historic highs. Will the Prime Minister admit his record is a failure?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wanted to be judged by prices at the grocery store, and eight months later, Canadians are judging and they are hungry. The food price report released today shows that the reality of Canadians is only getting worse. In 2015, a Canadian grocery bill was $163 a week. Under the Liberals, it has more than doubled, to $340. That is a grocery bill of $17,600 a year. Liberal taxes increase the cost of growing, transporting and selling food. When will the Liberals cut their inflationary spending and senseless taxes so Canadians can afford to eat?”
“Mr. Speaker, all we hear from the Liberals are empty promises. For the last decade, they have been promising the same things. They know these ideas do not work. The record speaks the truth. In the GTA, housing starts have plunged, not increased, by 34% in just nine months. Condo starts are down 51% and the slowdown in the construction industry means 35,000 lost years of employment for Canadians. Instead of building homes, the Liberals are piling on more bureaucracy and increasing the industrial carbon tax. Why can they not stop raising punishing taxes, driving away our jobs and investment, while Canadians cannot afford a home or food on the table?”
“Mr. Speaker, a resident pleaded with me, “My family and I are struggling with rent costs and the price of food.” They are not alone. A CTV News article tells us that 35,000 families are fleeing the GTA because staying in the GTA means living on the edge financially, with very little room to grow. Families are being uprooted, with generations torn apart. Canadians are forced to leave the very communities that they grew up in. Increasing the industrial carbon tax increases the cost of cement, steel and all the materials that go into building homes. Why is the Liberal government increasing the industrial carbon tax and making housing even more expensive?”
“This is the reality under the Liberal soft-on-crime approach, where criminals are released on bail the very same day with no real consequences for their crimes. To the people of Newmarket—Aurora, I see them. I hear them. I thank them for speaking up. Conservatives are committed to fighting for the legislation and the change that our communities need.”
“Mr. Speaker, this week, the owners of a small family-owned business in Newmarket—Aurora reached out to me. They have been serving our community of Bayview and Mulock for 50 years with no major theft or crime, but over the past two years, they have been hit so often that they have actually lost count. They have spoken to other businesses in the area and heard the same stories. The incidents are so frequent, their insurance will not even process their claims without threatening to drop them for being too high risk. They have added cameras and floodlights, and they have even considered barbed wire fencing just to protect what they own. Every week, I hear from residents in Newmarket—Aurora who are telling me that they no longer feel safe.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say the cost pressures on Canadians are fake. I have another note from someone else in Newmarket who said that, as the cost of living increases and their salaries do not, they are being driven into poverty. Four out of five Canadians list food as their number one worry when paying their bills. Statistics Canada confirms that beef is up 17%, baby formula is up 6% and coffee up 34%. This is not fake. They should knock on some doors and get a reality check from the people they claim to represent. The Liberals dismiss the struggles of Canadians, but I ask why?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is the most expensive in Canadian history. A father in Newmarket, who is an engineer, said to me that they cannot cover the living costs. He can only pay for the mortgage, utilities and taxes. Food, transportation and insurance are out of pocket. While Canadians struggle, the Liberals keep a punishing fuel tax that adds up to 17¢ more per litre at the pumps, hiking the costs of parents driving to work, of the farmers and of the truckers who bring the food to our shelves. Why is the Prime Minister clinging to this fuel tax and doubling down on reckless inflationary spending?”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a question on the credibility of the budget and the Prime Minister , which is what the Liberals like to talk about. There is a $100-billion procurement of submarines that the Prime Minister and the Liberal government forgot to include in the budget. What does that do to credibility? We have heard the Parliamentary Budget Officer talk about a 7.5% chance of the government keeping its promises on its fiscal anchors, fiscal anchors that it invented after abandoning the fiscal anchors that have governed our country for the last 30 years. Can the member please comment on that?”
“Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. This is a direct result of 10 years of the Liberal government's weak bail laws. These are the consequences our communities are living through. It is a bit hypocritical that the Liberals appear to feel so strongly about it, when we, the Conservatives, put the jail not bail act forward for a vote and they voted against it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will repeat myself. Bill C-14 fails to do two main things. There is only a partial reversal of house arrest eligibility, and it would not reinstate mandatory minimums. As the member of Parliament for Newmarket—Aurora , I send monthly surveys to my constituents, and crime is one of their top concerns. It is not only because we now watch it on the news; it is because we hear it from our neighbours, we live it and we see it in malls. Crime has been increasing. If we take a step back, we know this is the result of the Liberals' bail reform. They are not repealing Bill C-5 or Bill C-75 .”
“Mr. Speaker, in 2022, the Liberals brought in Bill C-5 , which took away the mandatory minimum sentences brought in under the Harper government. Bill C-14 fails to do two main things. There is only a partial reversal for house arrest eligibility, and it would not reinstate mandatory minimums. This bill fails to make real sentencing reform and would put our communities at risk. Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against the one-year mandatory minimum for cases involving child pornography, and the Liberals did nothing about it. As a mother, I am disgusted that the Liberal government does not take crimes against innocent children seriously.”
“Mr. Speaker, Bill C-14 would not repeal Bill C-75 , which brought in the principle of restraint. I am even more concerned that it took the Liberals six years to learn that there is a crime wave happening in Canada. The principle of restraint is not working, yet Bill C-14 still directs that if a release is ordered, it must be on the “least onerous conditions” necessary. This is what breeds violence and crime in our communities.”
“That freedom is being fractured. We need strong laws that confront the crime wave being unleashed by weak bail policies and weakened penalties. Canadians deserve to feel safe.”
“It is the families, the business owners, our brothers and sisters, our neighbours, our employees, the seniors who walk in the mall for exercise and the parents who are deciding whether it is still safe to bring their children. While Bill C-14 would adjust some bail considerations, it would still allow for release on the least restrictive conditions, even for crimes that target the very sense of safety in a community. For gang-related robberies, auto theft rings, home invasions, extortion and coordinated retail attacks, public safety must be the first and central consideration. I remember a Canada where we could walk at night without fear and where parents did not think twice about letting their children go to the mall or ride their bike. Safety was not a luxury; it was a quiet part of our daily life that was taken for granted.”
“Just a few weeks ago, a jewellery store in the Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket, which is in my community, was ambushed by a group of masked robbers. They smashed the display cases, terrified shoppers and shattered the sense of safety that families rely on. Last weekend, it happened again in the same mall, but to another store. This time, a police officer and security guards were pepper-sprayed. The message this sends is unmistakable: They can do this because nothing will happen to them. This is what weak bail laws create: a culture of impunity and a revolving door where offenders are back on the streets before the paperwork is done. Who carries the burden?”
“This is happening in Canada, on Canadian soil, in communities like ours. Bill C-14 scratches the surface. It may make it slightly harder for traffickers to get bail, but it would do almost nothing to strengthen sentencing, victim protections or enforcement. Human trafficking of minors once carried strong mandatory minimums that deterred predators. The Liberals weakened or repealed many of them, and Bill C-14 would not restore them. Cases collapse into reduced charges through plea deals, and Bill C-14 would do nothing to stop that. Victims are often left in the dark when their traffickers are released, and Bill C-14 would not fix that either. When a crime is this vile and this morally repugnant, half measures are not enough.”
“We do not see it often on the front page of the newspaper. We see only hints of it, such as a help poster in a bathroom stall or a number taped beside a sink. Behind all those small signs lie devastating stories. Slavery may have been abolished centuries ago, but today, in our own neighbourhoods, there are young girls and boys being treated as a commodity. They children who have been reduced to property. Human trafficking is the fastest-growing crime in Canada. Profits have skyrocketed. Online recruitment has exploded, and victims are younger, more vulnerable and more isolated. (1100) What makes this crime so sinister is what traffickers call breaking the spirit. It is a deliberate, violent, psychological assault on a human being until they no longer recognize their own worth or their own voice.”
“Second, it refuses to restore mandatory minimum penalties for violent firearms and weapons offences, penalties the government eliminated under Bill C-5 . Third, it would still permit house arrest for serious crimes, including some trafficking-related and violent offences. Finally, it fails to introduce a presumption of pretrial detention for repeat violent offenders, the people who repeatedly terrorize communities because the system lets them. The government weakened the guardrails. Now it offers a band-aid solution: a band-aid for violent crime, a band-aid for intimate partner violence and a band-aid for human trafficking. Band-aid solutions are not enough. Since entering public life, one of the hardest truths I have had to confront is how deeply human trafficking affects our communities, including my community in Newmarket—Aurora.”
“It is a hollow echo of the Conservative proposal, a half measure drafted by a government that still refuses to acknowledge the crime crisis unfolding across the country. The Liberals unleashed a very dangerous experiment in Canada with weak bail laws, weakened penalties and a justice system that prioritizes release over responsibility, and Canadians have paid the price. Violent crime is up 41% since 2014, and homicide, sexual assault and extortion are all higher. Neighbourhoods are traumatized and lives are shattered. Still, Bill C-14 refuses to fix the root of the problem. First, it would keep the principle of restraint, the very rule that instructs the courts to release offenders as early and as easily as possible.”
“It would have created stricter bail rules for major offences, the kinds of rules that shatter lives, including firearm violence, sexual assault, kidnapping and home invasions. It would have strengthened risk assessment so that bail could be denied when reoffending is reasonably foreseeable, not only when it meets the far higher bar of a substantial likelihood. How did the Liberal government respond? It voted against it. It voted against protections, against safer streets and against the frontline officers and first responders who run towards danger while others run away. Now, the same government that weakened the guardrails of our justice system claims that Bill C-14 will fix everything. Bill C-14 is not a solution, not a complete solution.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been clear, painfully clear, that we need a justice system that is respected by those who break the law and trusted by the people who live with the consequences. We need laws that actually protect families, not laws that look good on paper while leaving our communities vulnerable. Trust cannot exist without real accountability. When offenders face symbolic consequences, not real ones, the system loses credibility and communities lose confidence. Just a week ago, Parliament had a chance to change that. Conservatives introduced the jail not bail act , a common-sense bill that the Liberals voted against. It would have put public safety first, replacing the current principle of restraint with a principle rooted in the reality that the safety of Canadians must come before the convenience of offenders.”
“Mr. Speaker, of course the Liberal government shrugs off its own experts when the truth is not convenient to it. One day after the budget dropped, Fitch Ratings rang another alarm, warning that the Liberals' reckless spending is eroding Canada's finances and putting pressure on our credit rating. Budget 2025 would blow the deficit up to $80 billion and push our general deficit far above the AA credit rating median. It also reminds us that the Liberals have a strong track record of breaking every fiscal anchor they set. How many more fiscal watchdogs need to blow the whistle before the Prime Minister reins in his reckless spending?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer rang the alarm on Friday. He told Canadians there is just a “7.5% chance” the Prime Minister will meet his own fiscal promise. The Liberals have twisted the definition so badly that he now recommends an independent expert body to police the numbers as he has uncovered a $94-billion reallocation in the budget. What is the Liberals' response? It is not a correction, but an effort to silence the watchdog and replace the referee, rather than play by the rules. Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians why anyone should trust his fiscal rules when he has no intention of keeping them?”
“Mr. Speaker, of course, if we go back a few months, we heard, time and time again, one of those slogans that the government used and that the Prime Minister used, which was around spending less. We now have the budget, and we see that they are spending $141 billion more. The deficit is bigger than he promised. We have a mounting amount of debt, at $324 billion more. There are Canadians who voted and who put their faith in the slogan of spending less. That is not what is reflected in the budget. Could the hon. member speak to how his constituents may feel after seeing the budget?”
“Mr. Speaker, we now know that the government is going to be abandoning the most important fiscal anchor, the debt-to-GDP ratio, which our allies use. Every serious country around the world uses it to guide itself. Can the member speak to the seriousness of the fiscal anchor being abandoned and comment on why perhaps the government has chosen to do so?”
“Mr. Speaker, we have heard the recycled ideas before, and Canada's housing industry continues to fall. Housing sales are down 82% in the GTA. Toronto's BILD association warns that this budget is built on backward-looking data that provides false assurances. In simple terms, builders cannot build, sellers cannot sell and buyers cannot buy. The budget would also cost 100,000 jobs and commit us to a future with fewer homes and fewer opportunities. Will the Prime Minister come to his senses and finally address the cost of development charges so we can unleash our housing construction?”
“Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, Canadians saw the truth about the Liberal government's disastrous housing plan. The Liberals promised to build 500,000 homes a year, but it turned into a plan to kill 100,000 jobs. Toronto's Building Industry and Land Development Association says the budget is “particularly troubling”, not an actionable plan to reduce housing fees with any urgency. The Liberals promised to cut development charges by 50% but, surprise, it is another broken Liberal promise. Housing sales have collapsed, down 82% in the GTA. Will the Prime Minister finally admit that he is not building homes but rather building only a long list of broken promises?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is true that we have a problem with the CRA, a problem that has been growing over the last years and has not been addressed, unfortunately, by the government. When we have the Canada Revenue Agency, the agency that collects the revenue for our country, not being able to perform, it is very serious, particularly when we talk about the fiscal position of our country. The agency is not able to provide answers accurately. Even its artificial intelligence chatbot is not able to provide correct answers. We saw most recently that there was fraud with an automatic filing where the CRA actually gave close to $5 million in credit to a company that only generates $250,000 in revenue. It does not make sense. That is a big risk. We have to make sure we address the structural problems of the agency, so that it can finally be efficient.”
“Mr. Speaker, we do believe in supporting the oil and gas sector and building pipelines because that is to Canada's competitive advantage. A country either has natural resources or does not. We have been blessed with the fact that we do. Unleashing our oil and gas sector will create jobs. It will create prosperity. That is income for families who desperately need it.”
“Mr. Speaker, there are some good elements in the budget. Unfortunately, when it comes to defence we see a new bureaucracy being created. We see billions of dollars thrown at this program, but there is actually no strategy. There are no details in the budget as to where the money is going to go. That is a problem because what we see is bigger programs and more spending, but nothing is getting cut. That is why we see close to $80 billion in deficit. The government cannot possibly be proud of that record.”
“I believe in a Canada where our children inherit opportunity, not debt, and can look to the future and see prosperity, not hopelessness in mountains of debt. That is the Canada we must fight to restore today.”
“One in three young Canadians are now thinking of leaving this country, not because they lack patriotism but because they no longer believe they can afford to stay. That is the tragedy of this budget. To the government opposite I say this. It should come to its senses and return to the discipline that once made Canada a model of stability and sound management. It cannot spend its way to affordability. A government that cannot live within its means will never make life affordable for those who must live within theirs. Canadians did not elect it to max out the country's credit card. I believe in a Canada where fiscal responsibility is not a slogan but a standard, where government acts with prudence and with purpose, and where every dollar is spent with the humility that it belongs first to the people who earned it.”
“It should have cut the red tape that strangles our entrepreneurs and lowered taxes so they can invest, expand and hire. Instead, we have an $80 billion deficit, $16 billion higher than even the Prime Minister 's own campaign pledge, with no road back to balance. Behind every number is a human story. Food inflation is hitting hard. Right now, we have approximately 700,000 visits by children to food banks in a single month. That is a generation of children growing up watching their parents struggle because they cannot afford groceries because the government keeps spending beyond its means. Private sector investment is collapsing. Since the Prime Minister took office, quarter after quarter, businesses have lost faith that the government understands how wealth is created. As confidence leaves, capital leaves with it.”
“Not only has the federal government’s language changed markedly, backing away from the commitment...[that] is now only a framework for federal, territorial, and provincial agreements, not an actionable plan to reduce municipal housing fees with any sense of urgency. The Liberal government should have treated all Canadians fairly and extended the GST/HST exemption for all homebuyers. It should have kept its election promise to reduce municipal development charges by 50%. It should have approved LNG pipelines to the east coast, freeing our allies from their dependence on Russian gas while building a bridge to renewable energy. It should have cleared the path for the mining of critical minerals in Ontario's ring of fire and the infrastructure to get them to market.”
“This budget has no hand, no wheel and no map. It is impossibly vague. It gestures toward major projects without naming them and military spending without strategy. It is seven months after the election, and we still have no idea where the government is leading us. We only know that it plans to spend $141 billion more, choosing the winners and losers instead of fixing fundamentals. The budget should have unleashed domestic capital to keep investment here and not drive it away. (1115) It should have addressed the weight of development charges and broken the bottlenecks in housing construction. Instead, the Building Industry and Land Development Association describes it as follows: ...Budget 2025’s treatment of Development Charges...is particularly troubling.”
“No, but the Liberal government does, and then it tells Canadians that it is balancing the operating budget in three years and being fiscally prudent when it is simply moving big subsidies and tax breaks for private companies as capital investments. We also know that even security for FIFA is going to be a capital investment. It is not prudence; it is the manipulation of Canada's budget. It is always risky for an entity to change its accounting metrics, let alone when reporting is delayed, deficits are ballooning and economic conditions are deteriorating. This change, which is solely for a politically expedient communication strategy, is damning. It is an unnecessary risk to Canada's credit rating and fiscal integrity in very uncertain times. Canadians believed there was a steady hand on the wheel.”
“Interest payments alone will climb from $55 billion to $76 billion, which is more than all the GST collected in this country. As a finance professional, I am troubled by another deception. The government is playing with the very definitions of capital and operating budgets by shifting tax breaks and subsidies into the capital column to give the illusion of fiscal prudence. Right on page 283 of the budget, conveniently buried in the annexes, right at the back and only because the government was forced to disclose it, corporate income tax credits are treated as capital investments. It is confirmed that the government hands Canadian tax dollars to big corporations and calls it capital investment. Does the U.K. or Singapore do this? Do Canada's provinces do it?”
“Both capital and operational spending, every dollar of it, must be paid for in one way or another. The budget abandons the fiscal anchor that guided us for decades, the debt-to-GDP ratio that still governs our allies and disciplines responsible nations, and then it dares to call itself generous, offering a tax break with one hand while burdening every Canadian with approximately $2,000 more in debt with the other. Over the next five years, our national debt will rise by $324 billion. That is like handing every Canadian family a $20,000 credit card bill and saying, “Good luck. You will pay for it.” In other words, that is $10 million of debt per hour, with every tick of the clock another $10 million on the nation's credit card.”