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.”
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“Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member probably knows the answer, because, in all of our communities, we are seeing that it is difficult to walk the streets in our neighbourhoods and walk the streets where my office is in Oshawa, without watching people shoot up and overdose. The folks in my office keep Narcan on hand. It is not a safe place to live. I imagine that many places in our country are the same. A lot of that is because of the government's failure. In fact, I would say most of it is from the government's failure to protect our borders and keep hard drugs from coming into our country, and from its allowing repeat violent offenders to get out of jail free, or very close to free, to hurt and harm and sell drugs in our community.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for all of the times they brought up the concerns that were shared with regard to Roxham Road. I assure him that Conservatives share those concerns. We have repeatedly called on the Liberal government to fix our borders and strengthen our officers and their ability at the borders to do their job. It brings up another very important point that one of his colleagues has helped us bring forward for study at the public safety committee, and that is the psychologically toxic workplace at CBSA. That is not going to make things any better. We talk about 1,000 new officers, but with attrition at nearly 100%, I wonder if they mean a net 1,000 new officers or just 1,000 more to replace the 1,000 who have left.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am thrilled that the member asked me that question. Clearly, he was not listening to the last few minutes of my speech. I spoke, very clearly, on the bail reform bill and about wanting to move it forward. As we speak, Liberal members of the justice committee are blocking our motions to move on to Bill C-14 , so that we can start moving that through committee. Liberal after Liberal, time and time again, is voting against moving to Bill C-14 . Perhaps the member would commit to walking over to the Wellington Building, speaking to his comrades at the justice committee and asking them to pass our motion to move on to Bill C-14 , as he claims we do not—”
“My neighbours in Oshawa want a government that takes public safety seriously. They want order restored to our immigration system. They want leadership focused on results, not excuses. Canadians deserve better, but they should not fear: Conservatives stand ready to deliver better.”
“We believe trust must be rebuilt, and that begins with leadership, so I say again, if the government wants to restore trust, it must acknowledge the consequences of its own failed policies, give law enforcement and border officials the tools they need, and bring accountability back to a system weakened for nearly a decade. We talk about trust, and it is at this point I want to mention that the members opposite in earlier questions and comments were talking about Bill C-14 and swiftly passing it, and simultaneously, their colleagues in the justice committee, as we speak, are actively blocking Conservative unanimous consent motions to move to Bill C-14. Again, this Liberal government speaks out of both sides of its mouth. It does not know what it wants to do and does not even really care, and that is the saddest part of it all.”
“They are frustrated by a system that no longer operates predictably or fairly. I hear it from long-time residents who support strong, sustainable immigration but want it managed securely and transparently. They want a system that rewards honesty, not loopholes. They want a border policy that treats public safety as a priority, not as an afterthought. These voices are not extreme. They are not partisan. They are simply asking for competence and responsibility from their federal government. Canadians want compassion, but they also want accountability. They want a system that works, so if the government wants to restore trust, it must acknowledge the consequences of its own policy. Conservatives believe in safe communities, secure borders and an immigration system that is firm, fair and focused on public safety as well as success.”
“We expect a government that secures the border, enforces the laws, and manages immigration with competence and fairness. Instead, they have watched trust erode year after year. We have seen cases where individuals who clearly pose a risk to Canadians were not removed quickly, even when removal was fully justified. These failures compromise public safety and undermine confidence in the entire immigration system. When trust collapses, the system itself begins to break down. This debate matters, because Canadians want real solutions. They want a system that prioritizes safety, fairness and order. They want an immigration system based on common sense, not on political messaging that works for a time. In Oshawa, I hear this often from newcomers who followed every rule and are proud to be Canadian.”
“We added quarterly reporting requirements to bring transparency to asylum pressures and costs. We gave decision-makers better tools to dismiss clearly fraudulent claims, and we placed clear limits and oversight on the extraordinary powers in part 7 of the bill, which would allow the government to extend en masse, cancel or modify immigration documents. (1115) We insisted on transparency and parliamentary oversight so that temporary resident status could not be modified behind closed doors. These were reasonable, constructive amendments. Some even received support from our colleagues in the Bloc Québécois, yet the Liberals rejected far too many of them and in some cases attempted to gut the ones that did pass. The safety of Canadians should not be a partisan issue.”
“Our amendments targeted the major gaps in Canada's border and immigration enforcement system. We clarified what serious criminality means under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, ensuring that convictions for indictable offences, including hybrid offences proceeded by indictment, are treated as serious for immigration purposes. This is simple common sense. We addressed endless deportation delays by stopping repeat removal risk assessments when there is no new evidence. Canadians expect that when someone is found inadmissible for public safety reasons, the removal actually happens. We also modernized outdated timelines and procedures so that removal orders could be enforced more predictably. We strengthened the asylum system by deeming a claim abandoned if a claimant returns to the country they claimed to be fleeing for safety.”
“Unfortunately, the government showed little interest in rising to the seriousness of the moment. Too often, it dismissed legitimate concerns and brushed aside constructive proposals, even when those proposals were aligned with what frontline and academic experts have been calling for. We listened to expert witnesses, examined the details and brought forward roughly 40 substantive amendments focused on enforcement, accountability, border security and removal processes. These amendments were practical and grounded in the concerns Canadians voice every day. I want to thank the member for Calgary Nose Hill for her leadership on the immigration components of the bill, and the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola for his contributions. Their expertise ensured that our amendments were well researched and solutions-oriented.”
“They heard them when the government weakened bail laws in 2019 and insisted that everything was fine. They heard them when violent repeat offenders were released time and time again. They heard them when the government claimed its drug policies were working while overdoses increased. They heard them when the government claimed that the border was secure while irregular migration surged. Canadians are right to be skeptical. As a member of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, I studied Bill C-12 closely. It became very clear, quickly, that the bill is incomplete and does not address many of the core concerns Canadians have raised. Conservatives approached this process in good faith. We were ready to work, ready to improve the bill and ready to deliver solutions.”
“It has promised safer communities, stronger borders and a credible immigration system. After 10 years, the results speak for themselves: Crime is up, border enforcement is down, hard drugs are more accessible than ever and confidence in our immigration system has collapsed. Canadians are justified in asking why this government refuses to take responsibility. This is the context in which we are debating Bill C-12 , the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act. The bill before us is the government's attempt to convince Canadians that it now wants to repair the very problems it created. We are being told it will strengthen border processes, improve enforcement, remove individuals who pose risks and restore confidence in the system. Canadians have heard these promises before.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise this morning on behalf of my neighbours in Oshawa to speak to Bill C-12 . One issue has constantly been at the top of the list for the people I speak to and represent, and that is safety. They want the government to fix its broken border and immigration system and restore public safety. This concern is not limited to Oshawa, of course. Across Canada, people are living in a country they barely recognize, and they worry about the violence in their communities, about dangerous drugs devastating neighbourhoods, about weak border controls and about a chaotic immigration system. They worry that their government is failing in one of its most basic responsibilities, which is keeping Canadians safe. For over a decade, the Liberal government has promised the opposite.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to see the Liberals get up time and time again to try to trick Canadians with fake good news. They talk about an increase in jobs, but they fail to mention we are talking about part-time jobs versus full-time jobs, and to add on to that, people who are working in full-time jobs right now are still lining up at food banks. This unaffordable budget is going to make things so much worse. I welcome the member to comment on that. I am so thankful for his speech. He lives and represents a similar region to mine, down in the Durham region. I would love to hear his comments.”
“Mr. Speaker, as a single mom of two, I know first-hand that moms and dads want affordable groceries they can buy themselves. They do not want to rely on a government handout. The Prime Minister is giving better deals to his Brookfield buddies than everyday Canadian families. Moms and dads want affordable, nutritious groceries that, again, they can buy themselves. Will these Liberals ever stop living in their own elite bubble and start living in the real world with the rest of Canada?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister asked to be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Canadians are obliging, and the result is a political receipt he does not want to read. After 10 years of Liberal government, Canadians already pay $17,500 a year for groceries, and “Canada's Food Price Report” confirms that, next year, Canadians will pay an extra $1,000. When will the Prime Minister finally stop driving food prices through the ceiling and end this daily grocery store misery for Canadian families?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to ask a question of my neighbour, the hon. member for Bowmanville—Oshawa North. We each represent a portion of the city of Oshawa. His heart for youth and young people is probably what resonates the most in the House, along with his conversation around addiction. I would like to give him an opportunity to address the cost of food. It has doubled, but income, the amount of money folks are making, has not doubled. In Oshawa, we have an unemployment rate of nearly 10% now. Could my good friend, the hon. member for Bowmanville—Oshawa North, comment on that, as well as our youth unemployment?”
“Instead of gifting Canadians a Griswold-style Christmas bonus full of empty promises and hollow announcements, the Prime Minister should give Canadians real relief this holiday season by removing unjustified hidden taxes on food and ensuring that moms and dads can feed their families this—”
“Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Liberal government, Canadians' grocery bills look less like a Christmas list and more like Clark Griswold's electricity bill. The Prime Minister told Canadians that he should be judged by the costs at the grocery store. Well, eight months later we are feeling even more uncertainty and facing even higher grocery bills. Today's food price report shows that grocery prices are still climbing, and it is only getting worse. When the Liberals took office in 2015, the average weekly grocery bill for a family was $159. Today it has doubled, totalling over $17,500 each year. Now Canadians are being warned to brace for another $1,000 next year just to feed their family.”
“Mr. Chair, I wonder if the member could comment on that uncertainty a bit more. That uncertainty, according to the auto manufacturers and the auto workers I have talked to, is because of the EV mandate and the fact that we have policies at home that are hurting us. Would the member agree that these policies are hurting our auto workers and that the Liberals right now could do something about that?”
“Mr. Chair, I am so grateful that the member here just mentioned my riding of Oshawa. He can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that very close to his riding, the V8 engines that are being manufactured are for the Silverados that are built in my riding. I wonder if the member can speak to the camaraderie and the solidarity that auto workers have in all the different places where we have assembly plants, whether it is GM or Stellantis or Ford or any others in the area. How is this affecting the auto workers in general? How do they feel when their neighbours and friends are losing jobs in other areas of the country? I wonder if he would just give us some more comments on that.”
“Mr. Chair, I want to thank the member for his speech and for his passion. He cares a great deal about Canadians. It is very clear to see every time he stands in this House how much he is looking out for the residents who live in his neighbourhood. I wonder if he could take a few moments and talk a bit about the contradictions we constantly see coming from the other side of the House. Out of one side of their mouths we hear them asking if we have not heard there is a trade war. Out of the other side of their mouths, they say, “We have the best deal ever.” Which is it? If the trade deal is not the problem, and they say they cannot fix that right now, what can they do right now? They can take care of the EV mandate. What does the member say to that?”
“Mr. Chair, I am not quite sure the member understood what I said. I certainly did not say that we should get out of the way. We are standing for auto workers. We called this debate tonight because we care about what is going on. If anyone needs to get out of the way, I would say the Liberals should get out of the way so that Conservatives can get the job done.”
“Yes, Mr. Chair, it does send a dangerous message, and the message is that their jobs really do not matter. They are scared, worried and uncertain. When we speak to anyone in the auto sector right now, their comments are simply that if we could deal with the uncertainty, we could invest more in Canada. We have bad deals abroad and terrible policy at home, or no deals abroad, with the U.S. or anywhere. No matter where the Prime Minister flies around the world, he does not seem to be getting good deals for Canada, Canadian jobs and Canadian workers. Brookfield is getting some, but I do not know about Canadians.”
“It would be great, Mr. Chair, if we could get a good deal. What the Prime Minister told us in April was that he was the guy who could do it. He told Canadians to elect him to be Prime Minister because he knew how to handle Donald Trump and how to negotiate a deal, yet he has failed over and over again. When he is asked to make a call or if has he spoken to the U.S. administration, he says, “Who cares?””
“Mr. Chair, yes, I would agree. We are negotiating from a position of weakness. I mean, we were told in the last election that the Prime Minister was the man with the plan and would negotiate a deal by July 21. It is now December. We do not have a deal. Clearly, Canadians were sold a bill of goods and did not get what they supposedly wanted when they elected this minority Liberal government. For 10 years now, the Liberals have known that the auto industry was at risk. This is Trump 2.0, not Trump 1.0, so they might have seen this coming, had they been paying attention a little more closely. What makes this worse is the fact that we are creating policies at home that are doubling down on the harm to our auto sector, policies like the EV mandate. I do not understand it. The Liberals need to scrap that immediately.”
“Here is the truth: If the Prime Minister thinks thousands of Canadian auto jobs are not a burning issue, then he is not paying attention to the country he is supposed to be leading. If the Prime Minister cannot be bothered to fight for Canadian auto workers, then he has no business speaking for them. Canadian auto workers will fight. Oshawa auto workers will fight. Conservatives will fight, because these auto jobs matter, and our auto industry matters. Canada deserves a government that acts like it.”
“It matters before another Canadian auto worker is told their job is disposable. It matters right now. Conservatives believe in our resilient Canadian auto workers. We believe in keeping the auto industry strong here at home in Canada. We believe in fighting for Canadian auto jobs, not watching them disappear without a fight. Auto workers helped build the modern Canadian middle class. They built strong, proud communities like my home town of Oshawa. They built an industry that helped shape this country. Yes, it does matter. It matters to Oshawa; it matters to every auto worker across this country, and it matters to every Canadian who is tired of being told their job does not count.”
“Is that not a burning issue? There are entire communities bracing for American tariffs. Is it still not a burning issue? If the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of Canadian families do not qualify as a burning issue to the Prime Minister , then I do not know what does. Auto workers cannot shrug this off the way the Prime Minister did. Whether they are in Oshawa, Brampton, Windsor, Oakville, Ingersoll or any other auto town, they are living with fear today. Their families are sitting at kitchen tables tonight, uncertain how they will get through the next few months. The Prime Minister also said he would speak to Trump when it matters. It matters before more pink slips goes out. It matters before more production moves south. It matters before families lose the stability they worked their whole lives for.”
“It is disappointing that the Prime Minister does not seem to share that belief, because today he appears more committed to protecting American auto jobs than Canadian auto jobs. Let me speak plainly about what is coming in Oshawa. In January, GM Oshawa's third shift is set to be cut, and nearly 1,000 auto workers stand to lose their jobs. Anyone who knows this industry knows and understands the ripple effect: supplier layoffs and reduced shifts in parts plants. More than 2,000 supplier jobs now sit on the edge. These are parents trying to keep their homes, young people just starting their careers, and families who have given everything to keep this industry alive. The Prime Minister said there was not a “burning issue”. Nearly 1,000 Oshawa jobs are at risk. Is that not a burning issue? There are 2,000 supplier jobs in jeopardy.”
“Mr. Chair, who cares? Can members believe that is what the Prime Minister said when he was asked when he had last spoken to the President of the United States about tariffs like the ones threatening thousands of Canadian jobs? “Who cares?” Well, Oshawa cares. Canadian auto workers care, their families care, Conservatives care, and every community shaped by the sweat and determination of this great industry cares. I come from a city built by people who always cared. R.S. McLaughlin was one of them, a Canadian auto pioneer who built General Motors of Canada from a patch of dirt in Oshawa and helped turn this country into an auto leader. Colonel Sam believed in Canadian auto workers. He believed in our talent, our grit and our future.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is not my job to stand here and decide whether or not a premier of a province is right or wrong, unless it is my own province. It is my job to stand here and tell the government what we think about its budget implementation act. This is what we are discussing here today.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am very thankful that my colleague brought this up, because that is something that is near and dear to my heart. I believe Oshawa is the centre of the heart of auto in the country. I believe our folks in Oshawa are very concerned about their jobs. We are looking at 1,000, possibly 2,000 more on the supply chain, auto jobs that are being lost next month at Christmastime. Everyone is worried. Everyone is scared. They do not know if the government really cares, and it does not help that we have a Prime Minister who says things like, “Who cares?” and that he will go talk to the President about trade “when it matters.” Someone today said, “Don't you know? There is a trade war.” I said, well, we would not know it listening to the Prime Minister, who says, “Who cares?” and that he will talk to him “when it matters”.”
“Mr. Speaker, well, I am happy to contradict the governor of the central bank sometimes, especially when eventually he might become our Prime Minister, like the one we have right now. Canadians are not stupid, and they are getting tired of being treated like they are. Listen, the truth is this: We know that with a carbon tax on the big emitters, that cost will be passed down to the consumer. It was a simple bait and switch. Canadians will not be gaslighted any longer. We now have just simply made the consumer carbon tax a hidden tax, which we are paying for anyway. It is just being passed down to the consumer, and Canadians are tired of it. I hear it every day.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am not quite sure if that is true. I ask that the member provide me, maybe at a later date, some proof of this. I would love to see it. However, that still misses the point. Canadians are tired of being placated with words. They need action that will actually make a difference for them. My last name is Kirkland, which means it is deeds, not words: facta, non verba . I sure would love to see the government provide a scenario where we are taking care of deeds and not words. Announcements mean nothing.”
“It is time for a government that focuses on results and not rhetoric. It is time for a government that puts Canadians first.”
“They reveal what a government values and whom it chooses to prioritize. Families want affordability, stability and opportunity, but instead they get higher prices, higher taxes and fewer chances to get ahead. Canadians are tired of struggling. They are tired of being ignored. They are tired of broken promises and failed policies. They want a path forward, and this budget does not provide one. Canadians deserve a plan that brings down costs, supports workers, strengthens communities and restores hope. They deserve a government that respects their struggles and delivers real solutions. They are not getting that from this Liberal government or from its budget. Canadians deserve better. It is time for a government that values the people who built this country, feed this country and keep this country going.”
“The more the government spends, the more inflation rises; the more it taxes, the more families struggle; and the more it intervenes, the worse the outcomes become. Canadians are simply asking for a government that understands their reality, a government that knows the difference between a press release and a plan, and a government that measures success not by how much it can spend but by how much better life becomes for the people that it serves. Canadians deserve better. They deserve a government focused on lowering costs, not raising them. They deserve a government that respects taxpayers, not one that treats them like an endless source of revenue. They deserve a government that listens, understands and acts. Budgets are more than financial documents; they are moral documents.”
“When we raise taxes on the people who produce food, the cost of food goes up, period. It is that simple, but this government still refuses to accept it and continues to try to gaslight Canadians into thinking that somehow our food prices going up has nothing to do with the industrial carbon tax and food packaging tax, which clearly are driving up the cost of food. Canadians expect their government to make responsible choices. They expect spending to be targeted, not wasteful. They expect tax dollars to be respected, not taken for granted. They expect leadership, not excuses. Nothing in this budget reflects those expectations. Instead of offering relief, the government continues down a path that has weakened the economy and punished the very people it claims to help.”
“Some of these vehicles are needed by our farms and our workers. They need their trucks, and these trucks are now in the category of luxury, but they left the tax on that. The cost of living crisis is not an accident. It is the predictable result of policies that have made everything more expensive. The industrial carbon tax increases the cost— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Rhonda Kirkland: Mr. Speaker, I see that I am getting some heckles, and that means that I am touching on some points that they do not like too much. The industrial carbon tax increases the cost of transporting food, growing food and processing food. It increases the cost of heating barns, operating tractors and running food production facilities. Farmers feel it, truckers feel it, food processors feel it and families feel it every single time they shop for groceries.”
“They want a government that understands the basics and focuses on the essentials. This budget does none of that. Instead of giving parents real relief so they can afford to feed their own families, the Liberals point to a national food program, which may sound helpful on paper but does nothing to fix the affordability crisis. Moms and dads want jobs, and they want the ability to feed their own children. They do not want to have to rely on a national food program. It does not get better than this: Of all the taxes the government could have reduced or eliminated in this budget, it chose to eliminate the luxury tax on yachts and private jets. I guess this is for the Liberals' elitist friends. Instead, the luxury tax remains only on vehicles. It might as well be a car tax or a vehicle tax.”
“Families who have never needed help before are now walking into the food bank. Even long-time donors cannot give anymore because they themselves are struggling to get by. One mother said her kids sometimes miss school because she cannot afford to pack a lunch. Imagine a parent having to make that choice in a country as blessed as ours. (1655) These are people this budget was supposed to help, but once again, they have been left behind. After a decade in power, the Liberal government has perfected the art of announcements, yet it has completely abandoned the art of delivering outcomes. The Liberals talk about priorities, but their priorities are not the priorities of Canadians. Canadians want lower food prices, they want lower taxes and they want stability and certainty.”
“Affordability is not an abstract policy challenge. It is a crisis in real time. It is a mother standing in the grocery store, putting items back because the total is already too high. It is a senior, sitting in the cold because they are afraid of what their heating bill will look like. It is a young person working two or three jobs, not to get ahead but simply to avoid falling behind. Despite what I have heard from some older Canadians, I believe that our young people, specifically gen Z, are possibly among the hardest-working of all generations. They simply want good jobs and an affordable life, and they are ready to work hard to do it, but they need the jobs and the job security. In Oshawa, Simcoe Hall Settlement House recently shared heartbreaking news with me.”
“These numbers represent real people with real stories, real anxiety and real hardships. When I speak with young families, they tell me they buy less fruit, less meat and fewer healthy options because they simply cannot afford them anymore. Seniors are telling me that they are skipping meals to stretch their pensions. Parents tell me they go without so their children do not have to. This is not the Canada they grew up in, and it is not the Canada they want to leave to their children and their grandchildren. Instead of acknowledging these struggles and presenting a real plan to fix them, the government has gone forward with another costly budget that makes life even more expensive. It spends more and delivers less. It ignores the daily reality of Canadians who are already making impossible daily choices.”
“They had a chance to lower food costs for Canadians by scrapping the industrial carbon tax, a policy that increases the cost of fertilizer, fuel and farm equipment. Instead, of course, they chose to increase it, making food even more expensive and pushing families into hardship. The numbers speak for themselves. Beef is up 16.8%, fresh or frozen chicken up 6%, seafood up 8%, apples up 4%, oranges up 7%, fruit juice up 7%, carrots up 11%, and the list goes on. Even infant formula, something no parent can go without or goes without, is up nearly 6%. These are not just statistics. They are the quiet sacrifices of families who put back fruit because it no longer fits the weekly budget. These are parents splitting chicken breasts to stretch them across multiple meals. These are seniors choosing between nutritious food and essential medication.”
“They are tired of hearing promises that never turn into results, and they are tired of being told that everything is fine when they are the ones standing at the checkout counter, wondering what they can no longer afford. They are tired of being told to wait, to be patient, to trust a government that has repeatedly shown that it cannot deliver what Canadians need most. Every week, my neighbours in Oshawa reach out to me and tell me the same thing. They are doing everything right. They budget carefully, shop around, choose generic brands perhaps, and stretch every dollar as far as it will go, but the price of everything continues to rise faster than their paycheques. Instead of offering relief, the Liberal budget has asked them to keep paying more. Year over year, food costs have increased 3.4% under the Liberals.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise this afternoon on behalf of my wonderful neighbours in Oshawa and speak to the recent Liberal budget and Bill C-15 , the budget implementation bill. As a mother of two, a 21-year-old and a 15-year-old, I cannot help but look at the direction of our beloved country with some deep concern. In fact, it is why I decided to run and why I stand here today; it is because I am concerned so much for my children's future and for the next generation. I hear these same worries from parents in my community every single day. They are raising their children in a Canada that feels less secure, less affordable and less hopeful than the one they grew up in. That truth weighs heavily on families across the country. Canadians are tired of working harder while falling further behind.”
“It should pass swiftly through the House and through committee and on to the other House, where I would like to see this bill pass very soon so that we can see real change for women, children and families who are suffering. Victims deserve more than words and promises. They deserve action and a Canada that protects them, believes them and makes their safety a priority. As a mother, I want every child to grow up free from fear in a country where justice is real and violence is never tolerated. Bill C-225 would move us closer to that Canada.”
“That is why stronger sentencing provisions matter. Because a woman's risk of harm increases when she seeks help, The people at The Denise House believe that Bill C-225 's risk assessment mechanism would have the potential to save lives, especially considering the 43 femicides recorded in Ontario in the past year. Ultimately, the people at The Denise House shared that Bill C-225 would be a meaningful and necessary step forward in improving safety and accountability for survivors. Their perspectives are essential. They are the ones on the front lines. Victims are falling through the cracks and legislative change is so urgently needed. This bill should be bipartisan.”
“Most of the women seen at The Denise House have experienced repeat violence, and Durham regional police continue to see intimate partner violence calls rise by about 25% each year. The people at The Denise House also told me that ensuring repeat perpetrators are held in custody is essential because it allows women and children to remain safely in their homes, reduces pressure on overcrowded shelters and prevents the destabilizing displacement that often follows violent incidents. They also stressed that too many offenders are released on bail or receive sentences that do not match the seriousness of their crimes or their actions, creating a dangerous disparity compared to similar offences outside intimate relationships. When weapons are involved, the risk of a woman's being killed increases five-fold.”