Rhonda Kirkland
Oshawa, Ontario · Conservative · Canada
“I find the Liberal government's response, both in committee and in the House, to be very arrogant and dismissive of the process that we have in the House for a reason.”
“Conservatives have been clear from the beginning: We support giving police the tools they need to pursue terrorists, child predators, organized crime networks and cybercriminals. With proper judicial authorization, law enforcement should be able to obtain lawful access to necessary and relevant evidence when investigating serious crimes.”
“13, to cut off debate and ram the bill through committee and through Parliament, moved by the Liberal public safety minister and the Liberal government, is an admission that the bill is so flawed that it cannot possibly withstand debate and scrutiny. I think the Liberals are afraid to answer the questions.”
“Our amendment to the motion even is reasonable: to split the bill, pass what we can agree on and do this right. Canadians expect us to do our homework, to read the fine print and to identify problems before legislation becomes law, not after. Most of all, Canadians expect Parliament to function as more than a government approval machine.”
“Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate the work ethic of my friend and colleague who sits with me on the public safety committee and the amount that she has studied this bill. We studied it in depth, and I appreciate her being thankful for all the staff who have done this work with us as well.”
“Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Richmond Centre—Marpole . I have been a member for just over a year, 12 or 14 months, and I think I am more disappointed this week than I have been in my entire time in the House.”
The complete record
Every one of 436 lines we hold for Rhonda Kirkland, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 9.
“Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise today, as always, on behalf of my neighbours and friends in Oshawa to speak about something that touches the honour of the Crown and the relationship that has shaped this country since long before Confederation. That relationship cannot be repaired with press releases, new titles or fresh layers of bureaucracy. It is rebuilt by keeping promises and by doing the work we have already agreed to do. Action, as the hon. member for Kitchener Centre said, is the key here. For years, governments have talked about reconciliation, but talk without accountability leaves indigenous partners waiting. Bill C-10 , the proposal to create a commissioner for modern treaty implementation, is being presented as a fix for decades of federal failures.”
“Mr. Speaker, the minister has sat at the cabinet table for more than 10 years, and under her watch, the Liberal government has deindustrialized Canada, leaving the auto industry to be sacrificed to the U.S. Her inconsistent answers, from suing auto manufacturers to saying the government is getting its money back or restricting GM's access to the Canadian market, only continue to fuel the uncertainty that auto workers across Canada are feeling. Will the Prime Minister act now and tell auto workers in Oshawa and across Canada how they are going to get their jobs back?”
“Mr. Speaker, in 2016, Canada assembled 2.3 million cars. By 2025, that number collapsed to 1.2 million. Under the Liberal government, Canada's auto industry has been cut in half, and on Friday, 1,200 more auto workers in Oshawa worked their last shift. The Prime Minister promised Canadians he was the one to be trusted to get us a deal. Instead of saying “who cares”, will the Prime Minister commit to protecting Canada's auto industry and getting Oshawa's auto workers their jobs back?”
“Mr. Speaker, there is so much to unpack there. I agree and disagree with different portions of what the member asked me. I lived in China for a couple of years, and I will always say no to policies that sound quite Communist. I will say yes to increasing competition among our grocery stores. If we increase competition and get rid of our industrial carbon tax, we are going to make groceries more affordable for everyday Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I saw a sign a couple of years ago in Ottawa before I was elected, and it struck home with me. It said that as long as the world needs oil and gas, it might as well be Canadian. The truth is that the world is still using oil and gas. Canada has it and can provide it. How much better would it be for us to provide it, and also eliminate the industrial carbon tax, than for countries like Russia to provide it to Europe? We could potentially even help countries like Ukraine a whole lot more if we were providing oil and gas. We could help Europe get off Russian oil and gas so it can end the war in Ukraine as well.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member opposite sounds angry. The truth is that he would be angrier if he realized that the simple measure we Conservatives agreed to yesterday is one that should provide some relief for some Canadians, but that relief is about $10 on a $300 grocery order. The truth is that long-term solutions are what we need. Short-term, band-aid help is welcome, but it is not going to solve the problem of higher food prices. It is not making a difference to Canadians in the long run at the grocery store. That is what we are asking for today. We will support short-term measures, but let us get down to it and make some long-term solutions.”
“I urge all members to support this motion and send a clear message to Canadians that their Parliament hears them, respects them, works together and is prepared to deliver real relief.”
“They want co-operation where it is possible and solutions where they are needed, not empty promises that tell them to just keep waiting, because they have been waiting for things to get better for years now. In Oshawa and across the country, people want to believe their elected representatives can rise above division and act in the national interest. Supporting this motion is an opportunity to show Canadians that we are listening, that we take their struggles seriously and that we are prepared to work together to fix what is not working. Conservatives stand ready to work constructively with our colleagues in the House to lower food prices, support Canadian farmers and businesses, strengthen competition and restore affordability. Canadians are watching today. They are counting on us to act with urgency, humility and resolve.”
“Canada's grocery sector is highly concentrated, and when competition is weak, prices rise and choice shrinks. Strengthening competition means enforcing the rules fairly, encouraging new entrants and ensuring that farmers and suppliers are treated with respect. These are reasonable, balanced measures that would help restore affordability while supporting Canadian businesses. Conservatives are ready to work in the House to deliver results for Canadians. This motion does not demand agreement on every issue. It asks us to come together around a shared goal that matters to every Canadian household: Make food more affordable. Canadians are not asking Parliament to be perfect. They are asking it to be responsive.”
“This motion proposes removing hidden taxes. They are not imaginary; they are there, but they are hidden. They are not in the line items. They are driving food prices up higher, including the industrial carbon tax on farm equipment, fertilizer and food processing. The fuel standard tax will increase transportation costs. Of course, the food packaging tax will cost Canadians $1.3 billion. I can promise members that this $1.3 billion is not imaginary. These are food packaging taxes that are paid by the consumer every time they go to the grocery store. Removing these costs is not ideological. It is practical relief that can make an immediate difference for Canadian families that are struggling. Affordability also depends on competition.”
“It recognizes the interconnected nature of food affordability and the need for solutions that support producers, workers and consumers all at the same time. Conservatives are not interested in trading accusations with other parties in this chamber. We are focused on solutions. That is why this motion calls on the government to introduce a serious food affordability plan aimed at lowering costs and strengthening competition, which will ease some of the relief at the grocery store. Food prices rise when costs are layered onto the people who grow, process, transport and sell our food. These costs do not disappear. They are, as the member before me said, passed directly on to consumers. These businesses are not charities, so they are going to simply pass the industrial carbon tax cost onto consumers.”
“Parliament has a responsibility to meet those realities with action, and that is why Conservatives are deliberately framing this motion in a way that invites co-operation. Food affordability is not solved by ideology; it is solved by practical steps that lower costs and make markets work better for consumers. Canadians expect us to focus on what works and not on who wins the argument. (1025) It is also important to recognize that this crisis is affecting rural and urban communities alike. Farmers face higher input costs, truckers face higher fuel costs, small grocers struggle to compete, and families, regardless of income or region, feel the impact at the checkout counter. When one part of the system is under pressure, the entire system feels it. That is why this motion takes a comprehensive approach.”
“Importantly, and here is the good news, that means they can also be corrected by the government here in Ottawa. When we talk about correcting course, we are really talking about restoring trust. Canadians want to know that, when a policy is not working, their government has not just the humility to acknowledge it but also the courage to change direction. It is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of accountability and strength, which is always welcomed in the House of Commons. Across Oshawa, people tell me they feel unheard. They feel like their lived experiences are being debated away by statistics or delayed by process, but behind every statistic is a real person, and behind every food bank visit is a story of stress, sacrifice and uncertainty.”
“Every member of the House represents people who are feeling this strain. This motion is brought forward in that spirit, with the goal of providing real relief and restoring confidence that Parliament can deliver practical results. Today, Canada has the highest food inflation of the G7. I have heard some members blame that on climate change. I guess they assume the other six nations do not also experience climate change. Food inflation is twice as high as it was when the Prime Minister took office and roughly double what families are experiencing in the United States. Food bank usage has more than doubled, as we have heard many times, with 2.2 million visits in a single month. These outcomes did not happen by accident; they are the result of policy choices that have been made here in Ottawa by the government.”
“These are working families, even dual-income households. They are grandparents raising grandchildren and people who have finally secured housing but have absolutely nothing for food inside it. She also shared something that should concern every member of the House, no matter where they are sitting. The long-time donors, the people who have supported Simcoe Hall year after year, are no longer able to give, not because they do not care, but because they too are struggling just to meet their own basic needs. When even those who have always stepped up to help others are now struggling themselves, it is clear that this is not a short-term problem, but a systemic one. Food affordability should never be a partisan issue, and it does not have to be. It should be a unifying one.”
“My neighbours in Oshawa whom I speak with are not asking for luxuries or handouts. They are asking this simple, honest question: How are they supposed to keep feeding their families when prices rise month after month and their paycheques do not? In Oshawa, this pressure is visible everywhere. Families who once felt stable are now stretched to their limits. Seniors who planned carefully for retirement are making painful choices between groceries and other essentials. Workers who do everything right are discovering that hard work alone is no longer enough to keep up. Tiffany Kift is the executive director of Simcoe Hall Settlement House, which has a food bank in Oshawa, and she shared with me what she is seeing first-hand. Families who have never needed help before are now walking into the food bank for the first time.”
“Mr. Speaker, as always, it is a privilege to rise in the House on behalf of my wonderful neighbours in Oshawa. My neighbours are struggling today after 1,200 folks worked their last shift, the auto workers in Oshawa, but today I am here to speak to other measures of affordability that should help those folks and to our Conservative motion, which is a solution-oriented proposal. It would provide relief at the grocery store for all Canadians. Over the course of the last campaign and in every week since, I have had numerous conversations with Oshawa residents that have stayed with me. They begin with concerns about grocery prices, and they often end with something deeper. Canadians are tired. They are anxious. They are worried. They are wondering how a basic necessity such as food has become the heavy burden.”
“Mr. Speaker, on Friday, 1,200 auto workers in Oshawa worked their last shift. Families are hurting and good Canadian jobs are moving south, all while the Prime Minister stalls on a trade deal with the United States. Remember that when he was asked about those stalled talks, the Prime Minister said, “Who cares?” Those 1,200 auto workers in Oshawa are watching today. They want to know: Does the Prime Minister care now?”
“Mr. Speaker, there is a reason free money always sounds too good to be true, which is that it is. The Liberals take and take, and then they gift a tiny portion back and call that good for Canadians. With rebranded one-time payments and additional funding for food banks, the demand will continue to rise as long as the cost of food keeps going up. They cannot rebate their way out of high food prices. Why does the government refuse to take serious action by working with us to introduce legislation that actually lowers food prices once and for all?”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians and all members of the House know that communities are facing a food inflation crisis, with 2.2 million Canadians now relying on food banks in a single month. Tiffany Kift from Simcoe Hall in Oshawa is seeing this crisis first-hand. She says people who never needed help before are lining up, including those from dual-income families. The Conservatives want to work with all parties on serious solutions. Will the government work with us to introduce legislation that eliminates the industrial carbon tax, eliminates the fuel standard tax and boosts competition in the grocery chains to bring food prices down?”
“Mr. Speaker, real change can begin when one person finds the courage to speak when it would often be easier to stay silent. This summer, I met Oshawa resident Caroline Harlow, a former Canada Border Services Agency officer. Caroline worked through cancer treatments, expecting to return to the specialty position she had earned. Then she became pregnant and was pushed out of the work she loved. Rather than walking away quietly, Caroline chose to speak. By sharing her experience, she opened the door, and what began as one voice became many, which led to the public safety committee passing my motion to study the systemic discrimination and toxic workplace culture that exists at CBSA. That is the power of one. I encourage all members to listen carefully to the voices in this study and take its findings seriously.”
“Mr. Speaker, Conservative members of the House and I know members on the justice committee would be happy to see the bill split in two. There are major portions of the bill that we can get behind and would like to support, but we cannot get behind empowering judges to literally ignore every mandatory prison sentence in the Criminal Code. It is simply not acceptable. Splitting the bill in two would make it pass more quickly and efficiently through the House. It is the smart thing to do, and I think it is what Canadians would want.”
“I believe the number one thing that Durham region is spending money on now is community safety, and it is a direct result of the failed policies of the Liberal government.”
“Mr. Speaker, absolutely every single community is facing that. Durham region has told me on multiple occasions over the last many years of the astronomical amount it is having to spend on policing and keeping our communities safe in the Durham region. The Durham regional chair and the mayors of the eight municipalities in the Durham region have reached out to this Liberal government time and time again asking it to change its policies on this revolving door that we have. They are not asking it to introduce new policy; they are asking it to please repeal some of the really bad stuff it has put in place in policy over the last 10 years, because it is making their job difficult.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is typical for the member opposite to place blame on the provinces and municipalities. I believe that 95%, if not all of the blame, belongs not just to Ottawa, but the Liberal government.”
“Mr. Speaker, with respect to ensuring that people feel safe again, I think there is only one thing that will make that happen, which is that, after another election, we have a Conservative government, because we are the only government to put forward the types of legislation needed to protect victims. The member opposite also asked me a question about when the last time was that we saw this kind of good legislation coming forward for public safety and justice. I would say that it was somewhere between 2006 and 2015, when Mr. Harper was our prime minister, and victims were finally starting to see some of the same rights that criminals have. However, for the last 10 or 11 years, that has deteriorated. People in Oshawa, in Cambridge and in Winnipeg I am sure, simply do not feel safe anymore.”
“Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague that this is a step forward. I think it is very important that we take people at their word. It reminds me of legislation the previous member for Oshawa tried to bring forward in this House regarding human trafficking and convicting human traffickers. The Crown had to prove that the victim felt fear in order to get a conviction. We have such a low conviction rate on human trafficking because we cannot prove the victim felt fear. This bill very much parallels that. I hope if a bill like that comes forward again in this Parliament, the member will support it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. Quite frankly, it was expected. I knew it would be coming from him and I was prepared with these few thoughts. On this side of the House, we feel it is very rich for the Liberals to say that we are holding back progress on public safety when for 10 years the opposition put forward motion after motion, private member's bill after private member's bill, and amendments at committees to make our public more safe and for 10 straight years they have continued to shoot them down.”
“There are great provisions, things we want to see, but at the same time the Liberals are making life easier for criminals and giving unelected judges roles they are not supposed to have. We believe there is a better path forward. Parliament should pass the victim-focused measures that have broad support and real merit, and it should remove the provisions that weaken sentencing and continue this Liberal soft-on-crime agenda. Canadians deserve a justice system, not an injustice system. We deserve a justice system that deters crime, delivers real consequences and finally puts victims first. Until that happens, Conservatives will continue to hold the government accountable for the crime and chaos that it has created.”
“Parliament should pass the victim-focused measures that have broad support and real merit, and it should remove the provisions that weaken sentencing and continue the Liberal soft-on-crime agenda. I honestly do not know why these folks have this soft-on-crime agenda. It does not make a lot of sense to me. One time I was sitting beside the Leader of the Opposition here in this House. I was listening to him as he was asking questions and the government came back with answers. I said to him, “I do not understand. Do they not see what is happening in our communities? Do they not care?” That is what I kept coming back to. It just feels like the Liberals do not care. Every time they take two steps forward, or one step forward, they seem to take two steps back.”
“They brought it forward with a little caveat that they know is a poison pill and needs to go: Mandatory minimum sentences are not really going to be mandatory any longer because there will be a safety valve. It is not really worth the paper it is written on anymore. Parliament has a responsibility to stand with victims. That responsibility does not end with good intentions or a well-worded bill title. A bill cannot claim to protect victims while at the same time weakening the consequences for those who harm them. A government cannot claim to be tough on crime while repeatedly making life easier for criminals. The Liberals cannot have both. Conservatives believe there is a better path forward.”
“At some point, it is no longer credible to call that coincidence. It is simply cause and effect. (1640) When the same party continues to govern, Canadians are entitled to ask what exactly is supposed to change if nothing else does, especially as our Conservative team has, as I have said, proposed countless measures in this House and at committee to increase public safety. However, the Liberals continue to opt out, delay or vote down these measures. What have they been waiting for? How many violent crimes and deaths could have been avoided? What is the threshold for finally implementing desperately needed change? What will it take? The Liberals have introduced this bill, which has all sorts of wonderful things that we have been asking for for 10 years.”
“Just wait, because we are going to come up with the best thing you have ever seen. Just wait, and we will look after you.” After 10 years of waiting, Canadians are tired. They are tired of waiting to see if the government is going to have their backs. Police officers have our backs every day, and they are also tired of waiting to see if the government will have their backs, because it does not. The people of Oshawa measure governments by results, not reassurance. They measure it by whether their streets feel safer today than they did 10 years ago. They measure it by whether repeat offenders are being held accountable or released. On those measures, the Liberal record is clear. For nearly a decade, the Liberal Party has been responsible for public safety. Over that time period, crime has risen and confidence has fallen.”
“When people ask how we arrived at this moment, how crime has been allowed to rise year after year after year, the answer is not complicated: It is this same Liberal Party, it is the same government and it is this same set of choices. The policies that weakened bail, repealed mandatory minimum sentences and prioritized ideology over public safety did not end with Justin Trudeau. They continue today under the current Liberal Prime Minister , defended by this very familiar Liberal cabinet and guided by the same approach. Canadians were told that if they waited, things would improve. Conservatives have offered bill after bill, idea after idea and motion after motion that would protect Canadians, and the Liberal government, time and time again, said, “No, no; that's a bad idea.”
“I worry about whether they will be safe walking to school, riding public transit or navigating an online world that can be just as dangerous as the streets. We want our children to grow up in a country where laws protect the innocent, where laws protect the victims and not the criminals, where criminals face real consequences and where safety is not something we have to think about every time our children leave the house and walk to school. When violent crime rises, when offenders are repeatedly released and when penalties are weakened, it is families who pay the price, it is members who lie awake at night worrying, and it is parents who feel they must constantly shield their children from dangers that government policy has simply made worse. I also want to take a moment to speak to my neighbours in Oshawa.”
“It is when a woman feels safe walking home after her shift; it is when parents trust that violent offenders will not be released back into their communities; it is when my neighbours in Oshawa believe their government takes their safety seriously, and I promise that they just do not believe the government takes their safety seriously. Each time concerns were raised, the Liberals dismissed them; each time crime rose, they denied responsibility; and each time Canadians felt less safe, they were told to trust the same approach that caused the problem in the first place. I want to speak now not only as a member of Parliament but as a mom. Like every parent in this country, I worry about the world my children are growing up in.”
“(1635) Weakening those penalties sends a message, whether the government admits it or not, that accountability is negotiable. Criminals pay attention to that message. The Liberals would like Canadians to believe this change is narrow and very technical, but it is not; it is part of a consistent pattern. The government has repeatedly chosen to make the system more lenient on offenders while communities pay the price. Warnings from police chiefs, police associations, provincial governments and victims' advocates have been repeated hundreds of times and ignored just as often. Parliament has a responsibility to stand with victims. Public safety is not a theoretical construct.”
“Strengthening mandatory reporting requirements for child sexual exploitation material also builds on work originally done by a previous Conservative government and reflects a shared commitment to protecting children from the most horrific forms of abuse imaginable. Conservatives agree that these measures are positive, necessary and deserve support, but they do not excuse what comes next. Bill C-16 includes a sweeping change that would allow judges to impose sentences below mandatory minimum penalties for nearly all Criminal Code offences, except murder and high treason. These mandatory minimum penalties are not, then, worth the paper they are written on, because they are not really mandatory at all. In practical terms, mandatory minimum sentences could result in lighter sentences for serious and repeat offenders over time.”
“We also support making the murder of an intimate partner automatically first-degree murder, a reform proposed by my Conservative colleague from Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola in his private member's bill, Bill C-225 , which I proudly jointly seconded. This change acknowledges the seriousness of the epidemic of intimate partner violence and the reality that these crimes are rarely spontaneous. The bill's expansion of the offence prohibiting the non-consensual distribution of intimate images to include sexually explicit deepfakes is also welcome. This measure is similar to the measures first proposed in Bill C-216 , which was introduced by my conservative colleague for Calgary Nose Hill , and it would respond to the growing misuse of technology to humiliate, control and exploit victims, particularly women and girls.”
“We heard it again when the Liberals repealed mandatory minimum sentences for firearms and drug trafficking offences through Bill C-5 . Each time, the result was the same: More offenders were released, more victims were terrorized and there was more fear in our communities. The creation of a new offence targeting coercive or controlling conduct in intimate relationships is sensible and a preventive measure. It finally acknowledges what victims and frontline workers have known, which is that abuse rarely begins with a single act of violence. It usually escalates over time. It isolates and controls, and when governments intervene earlier, lives can be saved. What took the government so long?”
“When I speak with officers and civilian members of the Durham Regional Police Service in Oshawa, they speak with professionalism and dedication, but also with a great deal of frustration. They do their job, make arrests and answer the life-changing calls of so many, but often they see the same individuals back on the street shortly after, not because the police failed but because Liberal policy made accountability optional. This is not the fault of frontline officers; it is the result of decisions made in the House by the Liberal government. The government claims this bill is about protecting victims. Canadians have heard that promise before, have we not? We heard it when the Liberals passed, for instance, Bill C-75 , which made it easier for repeat and violent offenders to obtain bail.”
“Mothers are crying on the phone with me for almost an hour as they talk about their children's brutal attack and stabbing and not knowing whether their assailant is back out or whether their child can walk safely up the street, the same street my child walks up to her high school. Seniors tell me they no longer feel comfortable answering the door unless they are expecting someone. Small business owners speak about theft, vandalism and break-ins that were once rare but are now routine in the Oshawa downtown core. What troubles people most is not that the crime has increased, but that the same offenders seem to return again and again. Oshawa residents see individuals arrested on serious charges and released back into the community with little delay, and victims retraumatized when offenders cycle through the system.”
“This is the backdrop against which Bill C-16 must be assessed. I want to pause here to speak directly about what rising crime looks like in Oshawa, because national statistics tell only part of the story. Oshawa is my home, where I was born and raised and where I have raised my children. Our neighbours still believe in looking out for one another. Oshawa is a community built on hard work, responsibility and fairness, and it is a community that deserves to feel safe. (1630) Over the past several years, that sense of safety has been steadily eroding. Parents tell me they think twice before letting their children walk to school or play outside. Over the break, I learned of a couple of teenagers up the street from where I live and where my daughter walks to school, who were brutally attacked by an older teenager who is about 16 or 17.”
“They are not abstract statistics pulled from thin air but represent real people in our communities. They represent victims whose lives have been changed forever, families whose sense of safety has been shattered, and communities that no longer feel protected by the justice system that is supposed to serve them. When violent crime rises by more than half in less than a decade, that is not bad luck; it is policy failure. Crime did not rise by accident. It rose after the Liberals introduced bail reform, their version of it, which actually weakened bail, repealed mandatory minimum sentences and repeatedly signalled that incarceration should be the last resort, even for serious and violent offenders. When a government lowers consequences, crime rises and Canadians are forced to live with the results of that approach every day.”
“It is in that real and lived context that I rise today to speak to Bill C-16 . Canadians are not judging this Parliament by the titles of our bills or the intentions behind our bills. They are judging us by the results they see in their daily lives. They are judging us by whether they feel safer today than they did 10 years ago. For far too many Canadians, the honest answer is no. After a decade of Liberal catch-and-release bail policies, the repeal of mandatory minimum sentences and a series of laws that consistently place the interests of offenders ahead of those of victims, Canadians are understandably concerned and afraid. Since 2015, under the Liberal government, human trafficking has increased by 84%, sexual assaults are up nearly 76% and violent crime overall has increased by almost 55%. Those numbers are staggering.”
“Across those conversations, one concern was raised consistently and without hesitation, and that concern was public safety. Families in Oshawa are worried about violent crime. Seniors are worried about repeat offenders being released back into their neighbourhoods. Women are worried about intimate partner violence, online exploitation and whether the justice system will truly protect them. Quite frankly, they have lost faith in our failing so-called justice system. These concerns are not theoretical; they are not driven by headlines alone. They are grounded in lived experience and in what people are seeing happen around them every single day. However, we must note that these concerns did not appear overnight. They are the result of deliberate political choices made by the Liberal government over more than a decade.”
“Mr. Speaker, as always, it is an honour to rise in the House today on behalf of my resilient neighbours in Oshawa. As this is the first sitting day back in the House of Commons, I want to wish everyone here a happy new year and thank the many Oshawa residents, community organizations and local businesses I had the privilege of spending time with over the winter break, listening, learning and reconnecting. Those conversations were not brief or superficial. They were long, honest and deeply personal. They spoke to me as parents and grandparents, as workers, and as neighbours who care deeply about the future of our community. Those conversations will also continue to guide my work here as I focus on the issues that matter most to the people I represent.”
“Mr. Speaker, there are so many portions of my hon. colleague's speech that I agree with completely. My colleague sat with me on the public safety committee for a number of weeks previously, and I think she knows that we can agree on a lot of things. Pretty much all of my colleague's speech was about the things needed in this bill that the Conservatives can agree with. We have asked for these things for probably 10-plus years, I am quite sure, and some of them are commendable. I wonder if she would comment on the fact that this bill would empower judges to ignore literally every mandatory prison sentence in the Criminal Code, such as those for aggravated sexual assault with a gun, human trafficking and other multiple violent firearms offences that are harming and hurting women in our community.”
“Mr. Speaker, enough with the temporary and recycled Trudeau-era rebates, and enough with blaming global factors when all the other countries have lower food price inflation than Canada. This is a homegrown problem, and we need long-term solutions. My recent visit to Simcoe Hall's Food Bank with the Conservative leader was yet another reminder that more working families are struggling and visiting food banks. Will the Prime Minister stop treating the House of Commons as the house of elites, and finally work with Conservatives to bring food prices down for Canadians?”
“Mr. Speaker, if we judge the Prime Minister by prices at the grocery store, as he said, he has failed. Canada's food inflation now sits at 6.2%, the highest in the G7. Conservatives are ready to fast-track real relief by scrapping the industrial carbon tax, eliminating the ever-increasing fuel standards tax, boosting competition in grocery stores and cutting red tape for farmers. When will the Prime Minister stop offering band-aid solutions and work with Conservatives to bring food prices down once and for all?”