Jacob Mantle
York—Durham, Ontario · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, I am rising to follow up on a question I asked the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food about the troubling implications for family farms and the ability to pass family farms on to the next generation.”
“He wanted to pass his farm on to a nephew but could not do so because of the dramatic tax implications. The problem will only compound in the future because right now the average Canadian farmer is in their mid-fifties, and fewer than one in 12 has a successor under the age of 40. This is data from Statistics Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing what the government proposes in the fall. In the last minute I have, I would like to comment on the Speaker's ruling from yesterday. I appreciated the Speaker's ruling but I was deeply disappointed by it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to present a petition on behalf of residents in my riding of York—Durham, particularly those from the town of Georgina and the community of Keswick on the south shore of Lake Simcoe, with respect to a new invasive species called water soldier.”
“The response at the time was an acknowledgement of the problem and a commitment to speak with the Minister of Finance and to come back to the House to inform us.”
“Therefore, residents in my riding are calling on the government to list or otherwise identify water soldier as an invasive aquatic plant under relevant federal law; to nominate a single federal department or agency to take responsibility for the federal government's response to water soldier; and then, to allocate sufficient financial and…”
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“Mr. Speaker, the minister says he is taking this seriously, but his own response to the House tells a very different story. Not only has he failed to hire a single new border officer, but he does not even have a plan to hire any. He has failed to keep the government's promise, failed to hire new border officers, failed to stem the flow of illegal guns across the border and failed to keep Canadians safe, his one and only job. When will the Prime Minister hold the minister accountable and fire him?”
“Mr. Speaker, in the last election, the Prime Minister promised to hire 1,000 new border officers. Now, the Minister of Public Safety, in his response today, suggested they just do not understand the hiring process. Let me suggest to him that he does not understand how promises work; one actually has to keep them. Internal documents from the CBSA last week disclosed to the House that the Minister of Public Safety, responsible for hiring border officers, has hired precisely zero. His number one job is to keep Canadians safe, and he has failed When will the Prime Minister hold the minister responsible and fire him?”
“Second, select a single point of contact for the water soldier working group. Third, provide sufficient financial and technical resources to the water soldier working group so that it can get this under control. I thank the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation for bringing this to my attention.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure of rising today to present a petition from my riding and the residents of York—Durham, specifically the residents in the town of Georgina along Young's Harbour, about a new invasive aquatic species in Lake Simcoe called water soldier. Water soldier was discovered in Cook's Bay last year and has been confirmed by the water soldier working group, which is a group of civil society members, including the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. Water soldier is an invasive species. It threatens human health. It crowds out native species in the lake. Overall, it reduces the enjoyment of our jewel, Lake Simcoe, in Ontario, but there is hope. There are remediation efforts available. The petitioners call on the government, therefore, to do three things. First, identify water soldier as an invasive species.”
“Mr. Speaker, in all that, I did not hear a number, but let me give him the number. The information disclosed to the House by the Canada Border Services Agency says the Liberals have hired zero new officers. It gets worse. Not only have they not hired any officers; they do not even have a plan to hire any officers. My question again is, when will they hire border officers?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was in Mexico this week, and when Mexico decided to get serious about its border, it deployed 10,000 new personnel in a matter of days. At the same time, the Prime Minister promised Canadians he would hire 1,000 new border officers. I have a very simple question for the Minister of Public Safety : How many officers have been hired and are deployed today?”
“Howe Institute estimates it could be $92 billion. Canadians deserve to know how high the deficit will go before the November 4 budget.”
“Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister proclaimed himself a fiscal and policy expert and promised Canadians that Canada would have a “declining level of debt.” However, another expert, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, instead warned Canadians that “the deficit will absolutely” increase because of “additional spending.” Now one does not have to be an expert, let alone a self-proclaimed expert, to know that more spending means more debt, and more debt means higher housing inflation, higher food inflation and harder times for Canadians. The budget watchdog went on to warn that “it's impossible...to assess the likelihood” that the government will meet any of its fiscal anchors. Justin Trudeau's deficit was $46 billion. In the election, the Liberals promised it would only be $62 billion. Now BMO says it might be $80 billion, and the C.D.”
“Therefore, the petitioners call on the government and all parliamentarians to fundamentally reject these recommendations to revoke charitable status, to not include them in the upcoming budget and to strongly affirm the value of these charitable organizations to Canadians across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on the charitable status of religious organizations and those that are pro-life, and on the Liberal and NDP proposal to revoke that charitable status. Petitioners lament that some members opposite are so blinded by their animus towards charitable organizations that they would seek to undermine the good works that these groups do for the most vulnerable Canadians. Moreover, petitioners lament that members opposite seem not to care for the fundamental freedoms protected in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms: the freedoms of belief and religion.”
“Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's honest assessment of the crisis that we are in. It is important. We cannot get to a solution unless we accept the fact that there is a problem, so I thank her for that. I disagree that certain types of housing solutions are from 15 years ago. We can go across the river and see the shipping container village in Gatineau that was opened in December 2024, so that is less than six months ago. I am okay with all types of housing, but I just want a choice, and I want Canadians to have a choice. What I did not hear from the parliamentary secretary was an answer to the question. Is the commitment still to build 500,000 new homes every year? Second, will that commitment be met this year? These are simple questions; yes or no would be fine.”
“Statistics Canada has said that wages in the town only increased 11% in the last census period. Lastly, in the township of Uxbridge, it is $1.2 million for a single-family detached home. Since 2015, the average prices for all housing are up 120%. What this all means is that the average salary no longer buys the average house in the GTA, and almost all across the country. That is not right. In Toronto, for example, the Liberals handed out $471 million in housing decelerator funds and we have 58% fewer housing starts. I want the parliamentary secretary to help me make sense of this. First, can she confirm to the House that the Liberal promise is still to build 500,000 new homes a year? Second, she should tell us whether that promise of building 500,000 new homes this year will be met.”
“According to Statistics Canada, wages in the township have only increased by 9.5% since the last census period. This is if we can find an average-priced house in the township. If the parliamentary secretary were to go on realtor.ca and look today, she would not find any homes that are selling for $989,000. She would find homes, for example on Waterbury Crescent, that are selling for $1.4 million. In the town of Georgina, according to TRREB's May report, the average cost for a single-family detached home is now $808,000. Since 2015, since the Liberals were elected, the average price for all housing types in the town of Georgina has increased by 99.5%. At the same time, the median after-tax salary in the town is $85,000. Housing is 9.5 times salary.”
“If a prefabricated home works for a family, that is excellent. If it does not, people should have a choice. They should not be forced into the government's one-size-fits-all proposal. I want to share with the parliamentary secretary, who I hope will be providing some more enlightened answers this evening, just how bad it has gotten in my riding. In the township of Scugog, according to the most recent Toronto Regional Real Estate Board report from May, the average price of a single-family detached home is now $989,000. Since 2015, since the Liberals were elected, the average price of all types of housing in the township has increased by 208%. At the same time, the median salary in the township of Scugog is, after tax, $92,000. That means housing is 10 times salary in the town.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about housing. I have given notice that the responses the Liberal housing minister provided are unsatisfactory. They are unsatisfactory not just to me but to an entire generation of would-be and prospective homebuyers. I have asked several questions in the House of the minister on housing. I know the Liberals like to say it is a new government, but they have been in power for 10 years and they cannot run away from their record. After 10 years, the reality is that people in the next generation are simply unable to afford a home. The solution that has been proposed is that we can maybe live in modular homes, prefab homes or shipping containers, but what they have not proposed is a real solution to give the next generation of homebuyers choice in their housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would hope that as a former attorney general, the member would choose his words more carefully. This court decision did not compel the Liberals to bring forward a bill of mass chain migration. It addressed a simple issue that there was a Conservative proposal to ameliorate. My colleague criticized us for scaremongering and suggesting that millions of people will come to Canada. Could he tell us what the number is so we can have the facts?”
“It was that minister who said housing prices do not need to come down. The Liberals simply do not understand the housing crisis. I wonder if that is simply because too many of them are profiting from it.”
“Mr. Speaker, over this session of Parliament, I have repeatedly asked the Liberals how they will fix the housing crisis that they themselves have created, and the response has been typical of Liberals. They say that the government will save us and that not one, not two, but three government housing agencies will build homes for people, and they should be thankful about it. The next generation of homebuyers does not need the government to save them. They just want what generations before them had, which is an opportunity to work hard and own a home of their own choosing. The generational unfairness is on display in the House: questions from the next generation of homebuyers, who are shut out of the market, and half measures from the Liberal housing minister turned robber baron, who is profiting from the dysfunction he now oversees.”
“Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague's story of the company in her riding, but the great irony of her speech is that this bill would do nothing for that company because she described a provincial barrier, not a federal one. We have heard a lot about that $200 billion. That is all trade barriers, not just federal ones. Will she give us a real, correct number for what this bill would do?”
“Mr. Speaker, this past weekend in Jackson's Point in the town of Georgina, I attended the 10th anniversary of the charity Men Ending Trafficking, which was founded 10 years ago on the simple understanding that the vast majority of demand for sex trafficking in Canada is sadly driven by men, and we need more men working to end that in Canada. I heard heartbreaking stories of daughters stolen, lost and abused, but also hopeful stories of those who, with help, were able to escape a life of exploitation. Through its safeguard program, Men Ending Trafficking brings together teams of women and men to come alongside victims as they navigate the criminal justice system. I want to thank founder John Cassells and current executive director Trevor Poplar for their tenacious efforts.”
“If we want to build things in this country, we have to get procurement right. If the government is doing all these things to go after GC Strategies, will it do just one more thing, which is agree with the House and pass our motion?”
“Mr. Speaker, I listened to the parliamentary secretary's speech. The issue I want to raise here is his characterization of the Auditor General's lack of any further recommendations. I heard the parliamentary secretary say that, as well as other Liberal members. They seem to be suggesting that because there are no further recommendations, everything is fine. I think that is a non sequitur. It does not follow that because the Auditor General did not make any further recommendations, everything is fine. In fact, the complete opposite is the case. If members had listened to the Auditor General's press conference, she said that an audit is supposed to find only a few errors. In fact, she said that in all of the contracts she looked at, there were errors. She could not make recommendations here because there were errors everywhere.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think it is important, and Canadians probably think it is important, that the Minister of International Trade knows how much in duties Canadian softwood lumber producers are paying. Let me tell him. It is over 46% for Canfor, over 26% for West Fraser and over 34% for all other producers. The Conservative government got a deal done in a matter of months. Why has it taken you nine years, with no deal?”
“Mr. Speaker, I am assuming this is in the minister's bailiwick, though he is not exactly sure what he is responsible for. Last year, his predecessor told the House of Commons that ending the softwood lumber dispute was “a top priority” for her. Does the minister believe the same?”
“Mr. Speaker, does the minister know what colour tie he is wearing? We are not getting a yes or no on anything. Can the minister confirm, yes or no, was GC Strategies awarded any contracts with respect to the CBSA's new e-commerce platform?”
“Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the new Minister of International Trade on his appointment. I know he is a former trade professional, so I look forward to his work on this. Did the Minister of International Trade read the Auditor General's report, released today, on GC Strategies?”
“Mr. Speaker, my generation refuses to live in a shipping container. Oxford Economics reported yesterday that Toronto's housing market ranks among the worst in the world for affordability. At the same time, mortgage delinquency rates in Toronto are now higher than at any time during the pandemic. The financial burden is suffocating the next generation of homebuyers, and history has shown us that if we fail to plan, we are planning to fail. A budget is a plan. My question for the Prime Minister is, when will Canadians see one?”
“Madam Speaker, not only are the employment numbers bad; food inflation numbers are bad. Again, do not take my word for it. Look at the "Food Professor", who put the numbers out this week. We saw things like the price of oranges up 26% and beef up 33% or 34% depending on the cut. The costs are spiralling out of control, and the Liberals' approach is this: “Let us give a few breadcrumbs back, and we will ask you to thank us for it.” I think Canadians will see through that and will see that it is really the job-killing regulation, the industry-killing emissions cap, that is putting people out of work so they cannot afford the groceries that are getting even more expensive.”
“Madam Speaker, I am happy to provide clarification to the member opposite. My comment on that was not about new homebuyers; it was about buyers in general. Many homebuyers start in a condo, and of course, they may benefit in the first instance but not as they move throughout different life phases. For example, someone moving from a small condo, which they had when they were first married and did not need more space, to a home, where they want to have children, would not benefit from this proposal. This is unlike our proposal, the Conservative Party's proposal, where they would have benefited. That is why industry has said that the Liberal proposal will not significantly improve affordability. Those are not my words; those are BILD's words.”
“Madam Speaker, the numbers are out, and they are bad. We are going to hear that because, frankly, that is the truth. Especially around larger urban centres, there is high unemployment, especially high unemployment amongst youth; I believe the latest numbers show that is over 20%. That is troubling because when people cannot get their first job, they cannot get experience and they cannot build confidence, and that is going to be a problem going forward. On that point, the highest unemployment is among youth, but what is interesting is that if we look at the youth vote, it actually all went toward Conservatives. Interestingly enough, for the first time in my life, I can say that the Conservative Party is the party of youth and energy, and that bodes very well for us.”
“Perhaps, in reviewing this bill, and maybe we can propose some amendments to it, they will consider refunding communities like the Chippewas of Georgina Island, which have no alternatives and can only purchase diesel fuel. I think that would really help affordability for first nations.”
“As to the carbon tax, I want to raise an important issue that was brought to my attention during the election. I have two great first nations in my riding. One of them is the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation. It is located on an island in the middle of Lake Simcoe, which is accessible only by ferry. When the carbon tax was implemented, the cost of diesel fuel to run that ferry increased. Even if someone believes that a carbon tax would change the weather, they have to believe that there is elasticity of supply, that if they cannot use one fuel, they can use something else to substitute it. Well, when someone runs a ferry, they cannot do that because it runs on diesel, and it is the only way to get to the first nation. I would like the members opposite to comment on that.”
“Many people start in a condo or a smaller home when they are first married before they have children, and when they move into another stage of life that needs a bigger home with more bedrooms, perhaps for more children, they buy another home. Those people are not first-time homebuyers, but they are still new homebuyers in the sense that they are moving their way up the property ladder. This proposal would not do anything for them because they would not technically be first-time homebuyers. The bill does not go far enough. We are open to what the government has to propose when it is taken from good ideas that are ours. I would encourage the Liberal government to go back and look at those proposals, maybe amend the bill and bring it back. Then maybe we can have a debate on whether it is acceptable.”
“If the act is about affordability, but industry is telling us that this proposal would not do anything about that, then what is the point of it? If the Liberals are going to bring forward a proposal to affect affordability, it should at least achieve the objective they have set out for themselves. By their own measure, they are failing at that. I would suggest that they go back to our platform and read it. I know they were reading it because that is clear. Maybe they could propose an amendment, or we could, to fix it for them and bring it in line with our platform. I know members are keen to learn what we have to say because we have good ideas. It is there; let us bring it in. I will also say that many homebuyers are not necessarily first-time homebuyers.”
“I am from a northern GTA riding, the last GTA riding in York Region and Durham Region, and housing is pretty expensive in my area of the country. Having a GST cut that is only for houses that are $1 million to $1.5 million would not really do enough in my area because many homes are greater than $1 million and, in fact, greater than $1.5 million. More than that, this proposal is only for new homebuyers; it is not for new homes. Let us not forget that there is a difference here. That is why I said that if the Liberals are going to steal our idea, they should steal the whole thing. It is not just me saying this; the industry has said it too. Bild, the industry association, has said that this proposal would affect only a small number of homebuyers. In fact, I believe it said that it would not substantially improve affordability.”
“Trump's actions, whether it was his first action to eliminate the consumer carbon tax, which was signing a document. To this day, I am not sure what that document was. (1405) As any first-year law student will know, the Prime Minister does not have the authority to pass law. Was he signing this to flatter the President? Was he signing it to imitate the President? I am not sure, but he continues to do that. The Prime Minister called him a “transformational” President. That is pretty high praise from a Canadian Prime Minister. We are often accused of being like the President, but it seems that the only one who is acting like him, following him and taking his lead is the Prime Minister. Like many members, I knocked on many doors throughout my campaign, and of course, housing and the cost of living were top issues.”
“I am not sure why the government does not. There is no budget. There is no plan. The parliamentary secretary and anyone else who wants to discuss this bill needs to bring us a budget to talk about affordability, not half measures that do not go the full way. On this new government, which really is not new, it is just the same members and the same ministers, it is almost a little bit worse. The new Prime Minister seems to be pretty close and pretty friendly with the guy south of the border. That is interesting. At least with Mr. Trudeau, we saw there was really no love lost between him and the president. I am not sure that is the case here with the current Prime Minister. The reason I say that is that we often hear that the finest form of flattery is imitation, and we have seen our Prime Minister imitating Mr.”
“Now the Liberals seem to say, “What carbon tax? That was not our carbon tax. What are you talking about?” It is gone, and they are sorry they did a bad PR job, even though, in their view, it was good policy. They did a bad PR job, so they have to cut it, but they will keep the industrial carbon tax and hope that Canadians do not understand the difference and do not understand some basic economics. Canadians will understand it because most Canadians have to budget. When they do their budget, they go through their lines and they figure out their costs, including what it is going to cost this year, how much income they are going to make, what their expenses are, and whether their income is going to be satisfactory for their expenses or if they will have to cut down. Canadians understand those concepts.”
“It defies any understanding of basic economics to suggest that we can keep the industrial carbon tax, but that would not translate down into pricing that consumers pay. It is basic economics. If a producer has to pay more to produce their product, whether that is getting food to the table, refining gasoline or building concrete to build homes, and as members probably know, producing concrete is a large emitter of CO2, so they are going to pay a lot, that is going to directly translate into the costs of building and homes. The Liberals suggest that we can eliminate the carbon tax and that everything will be fine. By the way, it is astounding that, for 10 years, I was told that I was a bad person, or that I did not believe in science, if I did not believe that a carbon tax would change the weather.”
“Jacob Mantle: That could be the case as well. Madam Speaker, I am not sure the new government is really fooling anyone, even its own members. It has the same ministers talking about the same thing. Instead of coming to Canadians with a plan to actually deal with the mess that they themselves created, they have brought half measures, or crumbs. That seems to be the Liberal way, which is that the Liberals are going to overtax and over-regulate, and then give a little back and ask people to say thanks for it. That is not sufficient. In fact, that is why we proposed, in our platform, and again, I encourage the Liberals to take the whole thing, not just half of it, to get rid of not just the consumer carbon tax but also the industrial carbon tax.”
“My apologies, I did want to mention that I will be sharing my time with the member for King—Vaughan . I am still learning the ropes, as members can see. There has been a lot of discussion, in the first week or so, on this bill and from the parliamentary secretary, about this new government, the new Liberals. They are saying it, but there is almost a bit of a wily smile behind it when they say it, as though they do not quite believe it themselves. That is quite understandable when we consider that pretty much everyone in the front bench has returned from the Justin Trudeau government, including the member for Winnipeg North , who we are always happy to hear and see. I am beginning to understand that he is here often and speaks passionately all the time, and I appreciate that. Kelly McCauley: Or he is here passionately and speaks often.”
“Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise in the House to comment on the legislation that we are being asked to vote on and to consider the best interests of our constituents and Canadians. I know this is a bill supposedly dealing with affordability, but if we peel back the onion, it is fairly meagre. There have been a lot of comments asking, “If this was in the Conservatives platform, why won't you support it? Are you going to support it? What's your position?” I would say, if the Liberals are going to steal our ideas, they should steal all of them and go full on with them, not just with half measures. If the Liberals are going to take good ideas, they can take the full good idea. If they take half an idea, well, they will get half the result, or I guess, they get Liberals.”
“Madam Speaker, from one new member to another, I would like to welcome my colleague to the chamber. I am sure that, like any good first candidate, he knocked on many doors in his riding. I want to ask him what he was hearing from young people about housing in his riding and how they are trying to make that work.”
“Madam Speaker, it has been ten years and no bail reform. Why? The Liberals think everything is okay. In Durham, they do not. In 2015, there were 68 cases of sexual assault. Last year, there were 128 cases. At the same time, offenders violating bail and other conditions were up 137%. That is not mere coincidence; that is cause and effect. Will the minister please break this cycle of violence and repeal the “get out of jail free” laws, Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 ?”
“Madam Speaker, Liberal experiments in leniency have led to lawlessness on our streets. Ontario court data shows that major assaults have increased 70% since 2015, from 13,000 cases to over 23,000 cases. That is not just a failure of so-called social justice policy; it is a failure of moral responsibility by the government. Will the Prime Minister put victims ahead of violent offenders and cancel his “get out of jail free” laws, Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 ?”
“Mr. Chair, the minister spoke about a number of the memorandums of understanding between provinces. For example, the Ontario and New Brunswick MOU says that it is not legally binding. Does the minister believe that non-binding commitments are enough to create one Canadian economy?”
“Mr. Chair, in the Confederation discussions, George Brown famously said that going from province to province is like “going to a foreign country.” He said that the Confederation proposal is to “throw down all barriers between the provinces—to make a citizen of one, citizen of the whole”. Does the minister agree with our founding fathers that we should throw down all provincial trade barriers?”
“Mr. Speaker, their own data paints a very different picture, of a Canada where first-time homebuyers cannot hope to buy a home unless their parents owned one before them. In fact, over 40% of new homebuyers relied on a gift or inheritance to make their first purchase, and the average amount of that gift was $74,000. That is not a small boost. That is the only way into the market for people now. Is the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure content with a system where, unless one is born rich, one will die renting?”
“Mr. Speaker, for first-time homebuyers, the dream of home ownership has become a nightmare of debt and default. New Liberal housing data shows that nearly one in five new homeowners has missed a mortgage payment, one in four is using debt to pay for debt and over 60% are concerned they will not be able to make any payments at all. With no budget and no plan in sight, but over half a trillion in new proposed spending, can the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure tell first-time homebuyers how much their mortgage payments will increase because of the government's inflationary spending?”
“Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we will always support tax cuts, even if they do not go far enough and do not give enough relief. I invite the member to come to my riding, walk down the streets with me and see how tough it is. I applaud the Liberals for the tax cut. Let us see more of it.”