William Stevenson
Yellowhead, Alberta · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister is the only G20 leader to take his nation into recession, and Canadians are paying the price. The average family now works 160 days a year just to pay taxes. It means people will work until this week just to pay the government before they can actually start earning for themselves.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G20 country with a prime minister to take the nation into recession. Full-time workers are living in RVs and trailers because they cannot afford homes. Families are spending more on food and rent than they are earning. People are making impossible choices just to survive.”
“Mr. Speaker, the hon. member brought up riding size as an issue. He said that his riding is about 20,000 square kilometres. Mine is 83,600 square kilometres, so I feel that it is an even worse situation. The hon. member said he wanted all the votes to be equal. Would he endeavour to have the review a little more often?”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sorrow for a community in Yellowhead. Two men and two children lost their lives on O'Chiese Road last Friday. While the RCMP investigation is ongoing, local leaders have warned for years that a tragedy like this would happen on that road.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families, their loved ones and all those affected by this tragedy. There can be no more procrastination. I call on the Liberal government to work with Clearwater County and the Province of Alberta to finally provide its share of the funding needed for O'Chiese Road to be made safe.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition today on behalf of fellow chartered professional accountants and other tax preparers who are concerned about how the Canada Revenue Agency authorizes its tax representatives.”
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“Mr. Speaker, years of poor forest management contributed to fires that devastated a third of the homes in Jasper last year. Parks Canada red tape, controlled by the Liberal government, is delaying the construction of new homes. Its process has just exacerbated the housing crisis in the region. Despite the Liberal government allocating $160 million, its solution seems to be treating Jasperites like inmates and housing them in ATCO trailers, as in a remote work camp. Is the Liberal solution to housing shortages to put people in sea cans for storage?”
“Mr. Speaker, yesterday a devastating rockslide on the Banff Icefields Parkway near Bow Glacier Falls resulted in the loss of a life and injured many. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family who lost their loved one, and I am wishing a speedy recovery to all those who were injured. We are grateful for the heroic efforts of our first responders, including Parks Canada staff, local firefighters, the RCMP, Alberta Health Services and STARS air ambulance for their swift and courageous efforts to provide emergency care and ensure public safety under difficult circumstances. This is a stark reminder of the unpredictable power of nature, even in places we cherish most for their beauty and tranquility. Emergencies like this highlight the need to improve our cellular and communication services in remote areas.”
“Mr. Speaker, unlike the member opposite, I do not like spending a whole lot of time listening to my own voice here. It has been a long time. The member has stated a lot of things, and I did not see where he was going with it. He did state that he has been a member in the House, feeding at the trough, for a very long time. However, he did not seem to tell me how long he has been part of the Liberal government and when this dumpster fire had started. He still wants to go back prior to the last 10 years. If he can tell me, when are the problems he is fixing actually being addressed?”
“Mr. Speaker, in regard to the member looking at the reports, did he find any evidence that the Liberals went in any other direction, looked at any other reasons for technology to save on efficiencies, or is it all about just going electric, not about other savings or other types of efficiencies?”
“Madam Speaker, I heard my colleague say that he is from a rural area. My rural area is the third largest in Alberta, 83,000 square kilometres. There are sections where there are signs telling people to make sure they fill up because there are 200 kilometres before there are any services. When there are not even services for any kind of vehicles, how are people in rural areas going to be able to handle that? For me, as a farmer, how am I going to pull my stock trailer with an electric vehicle?”
“Mr. Speaker, it has been five years since the Liberal government pushed through its order in council targeting responsible firearms owners with a confiscation scheme. Zero individuals have had their firearms bought back, yet gun crime has gone up 116%. As a person with an RPAL, which, by the way, if the minister still does not know, is a restricted possession and acquisition licence, I am baffled by the statistics. Why will the Liberal government not focus on criminals, make our streets safe and leave our responsible firearms owners alone?”
“Mr. Speaker, timing seems to be everything. The Liberal government tried to get ahead of it. It announced Friday, just before it was going to be caught with its pants down, that it would be banning GC Strategies, but it probably already had advance notice of what it would be doing. Dealing with GC Strategies needed to be brought forward right now. This is one of the audit reports. It was only one of nine. There are a lot of other damning issues that we need to address, but this is just the beginning. It is a start with regard to that one audit report.”
“Mr. Speaker, from our end, this is a beginning. This is in regard to one aspect of where the government mismanaged its spending in the past. We know this recent spending means the Liberals are going to have an extra $26 billion in contractors. We cannot continue with that without some better oversight. As we have said before, we need a budget to actually look at some of that spending. We all need to look further at all the government's spending.”
“I am sorry, Mr. Speaker. As I was saying, my constituents were very much onside with the opposition here, and we want to send a strong message to make sure the last 10 years of fiscal mismanagement are corrected. We hope the government will follow suit in the next little while.”
“Mr. Speaker, the decision by the electorate on April 28 gave us a minority government, so there was not a strong mandate for the government on that end of it. The constituents in my riding sent a pretty strong message, with over 69% of them saying they were very much in favour of the—”
“They want a government that confidently says where public funds were spent and on what. Canadians across the country demand and deserve responsible government and responsible spending. The Auditor General's report regarding GC Strategies is a wake-up call. It exposes serious flaws in the ways that government contracts are awarded and managed that cost Canadians millions and undermine faith in public institutions. I stand with this motion because taxpayers deserve to be repaid. The Liberal government must implement strict measures, including a lifetime ban on those responsible, to prevent this from ever happening again. I urge all members of the House to support this motion and send a strong message that the waste and mismanagement must end now.”
“This means we must strengthen parliamentary committees, empower the Auditor General with better resources and more independence, and demand timely responses from ministers when failures are uncovered. This is not about political point scoring; it is about restoring integrity to our democratic institutions. Lastly, I want to remind the House that the stakes for Alberta are especially high. Our province has been hit by economic uncertainty from energy sector challenges, inflation and cost of living pressures. Every dollar wasted by the federal government is a dollar that could be invested in Alberta's infrastructure, health care and programs to support Albertans. Albertans are watching, Canadians are watching, and they are demanding action. They want a government that respects their contributions and uses public funds responsibly.”
“People begin to question whether their voices matter, whether their hard work is respected and whether their government truly serves them or just serves special interests. Rebuilding that trust is a long and difficult process. It requires not only ensuring the money is returned and punishing those responsible but also changing the culture within government. It requires shifting away from complacency and secrecy to transparency, accountability and respect for the taxpayer. As a new Conservative MP, I also want to emphasize the critical role Parliament must play going forward. Holding the government to account is not simply an opposition duty; it is a duty to every Canadian. It is our responsibility to shine a light on mismanagement and to ensure that public money is spent wisely and for public good.”
“Tax dollars are not unlimited; they represent the hard work of Canadians. When funds are wasted, it means fewer resources for other areas, such as health care, infrastructure and education. The Auditor General's findings are alarming and unacceptable. Taxpayers deserve to have their money returned swiftly and fully. It is unacceptable that it has not yet happened, and it needs to be a priority of the House. This scandal underscores a much larger problem of the government's mismanagement and lack of accountability. When Canadians hear that millions of tax dollars have been handed out with no proof of work done, it confirms their opinions that governments waste their tax money.”
“(1745) When it comes to the Liberal government, when it is caught doing things wrong there are no consequences. As an MP from Alberta, a province that often feels ignored or sidelined by federal decisions, I want to stress the gravity of the issue for my constituents. Albertans are hard-working people. They pay their taxes diligently and often in greater amounts relative to the other provinces, only to see their money squandered by a government that lacks fiscal discipline. Over and over again, Albertans get the short end of the stick when it comes to federal funding. This only highlights the countless ways the Liberal government has, time and time again, irresponsibly wasted taxpayer money. As a CPA, I saw first-hand how a business could be destroyed by poor fiscal management. The same principle should apply to the government.”
“Sometimes that was an issue, but most often, CRA staff were required to follow a checklist. If someone did not fill in the details required, they would not go any further. Those staff would say we could not continue without checking all the boxes, or the CRA employees would say without proof of someone's expenses, those individuals were guilty of putting the onus on taxpayers. There should be no difference in the procurement process. Vendors should prove they have done the work. As a new MP, I am learning I cannot ever make assumptions that the Liberal government and departments will follow the rules and the checklist. This is a bit hypocritical when it comes to the government demanding Canadians follow the rules and punishing them if they do not.”
“The government seems to be taking that as it does not have to start something new to follow the recommendations. The problem is that there are rules, but the government is not following them. All the government has to do to avoid a scandal is simply follow the rules. There should not have been any shortcuts to fast-track funds to Liberal insiders. It seems that the government did not follow its own rules when it came to GC Strategies. Is anyone in the Liberal government going to be responsible for its mismanagement? Is the reason for the lawsuit against GC Strategies that the government can deflect its responsibility? As a CPA, I had to deal with the CRA on a weekly basis. Sometimes we had agents who were experienced and knew what they were doing. Often, we would get agents who were relatively new and inexperienced.”
“A lifetime ban would send a strong message that this behaviour will not be tolerated. Moreover, it would protect contractors who operate and interact with our federal procurement system with integrity from being undercut by companies that engage in such reckless practices. Public contracting must be a level playing field built on trust, performance and accountability. Throughout the speeches today, I have heard members from the other side consistently say they will implement previous recommendations for better rules to make processes more transparent and accountable. I see two problems with that. First, the Auditor General's recommendations have been around for a few years. What is taking the Liberals so long to implement the plan? Second, the Auditor General states there do not need to be any new recommendations.”
“The Liberal government has already proven itself incapable of that task. The motion calls on the government to get taxpayers their money back within 100 days. I would argue it is just the first step. The government must commit not only to recovering these funds but also to continuing to conduct full and public audits of contracts awarded from today onward and going back during the pandemic. The misuse of funds here is not an isolated incident. The motion also calls for a lifetime contracting ban on GC Strategies, its subsidiaries, its founders Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony, and all affiliated entities. I support this wholeheartedly. The government has an obligation to protect taxpayers from repeat offenders, entities and individuals who have proven themselves untrustworthy and have abused public funds.”
“I spent 26 years as a chartered professional accountant ensuring that every dollar was tracked, justified and accounted for. Governments should be held to the same standard, if not a higher one. What we see here is a government that appears to have turned a blind eye to due diligence. How could a contract that was originally supposed to be worth $80,000 turn into tens of millions of dollars being paid out without clear evidence of work being completed? It was done without proper security clearances and without going through the proper bidding processes. Where were the checks and balances? The Auditor General's report paints a picture of complacency or worse, wilful neglect. Canadians deserve better. They deserve transparency, accountability and a government that can manage its own spending.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time. As a chartered professional accountant, now the proud representative of Yellowhead, I rise today to speak in opposition to the government's blatant mismanagement and disregard for taxpayer money, specifically relating to the shocking findings concerning GC Strategies and the ArriveCAN contracts. The Auditor General's report revealed that GC Strategies, a contractor for the ArriveCAN app, was paid an astonishing $64 million by the Liberal government. However, in many cases, there was no proof that any work was even completed. This is not just a minor administrative hiccup; it is a fundamental failure of oversight, responsibility and transparency. It is a betrayal of Canadians' trust and abuse of public funds. Accountability is non-negotiable. When public funds are wasted, taxpayers suffer.”
“Mr. Speaker, from my perspective, I do not think it is possible that these costs are not going to be passed down to all Canadians. The only ones that are not going to be seen are with foreign companies, and we are not going to get the benefits in our industries here in Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, with my 26 years in public practice, I have seen a lot of tax changes that had very little effect. I intend fully, over the next Parliament, to help in whatever committees I can to encourage meaningful tax changes. Bill C-4 has a few that are starting, but they are a long ways from actually having an effective change for individual Canadians, so I think we have a long way to go. This has just barely tipped the iceberg, and I hope that we can have lots of co-operation to make further cuts to benefit Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think I stated in my speech that my family has actually homesteaded in Alberta since the 1880s. After I finished my university degree, I moved to the family farm and raised cattle for 10 years. At a certain point, I moved to being just an accountant, but I know and appreciate the hard work of the farmers who live off the land and take all of their income from the land, and how hard it is for them, so I can have that appreciation. Also, over the last 26 years, I have been doing taxes for a lot of my local farmers, so I can appreciate everything that they have to offer our communities.”
“Mr. Speaker, as a CPA who has dealt with a lot of taxes for the last 26 years, I have witnessed many occasions when the government makes a big announcement, just like a lot of these ones here. They make a lot of hay out of how much it will change things, but in the end, it really makes little difference. On the GST, if the Liberals actually have some stats on how many people are new homebuyers who are buying a brand new home, I am sure they would find that it is very few. The effect they are touting is not going to be very effective.”
“I want to reassure the constituents of Yellowhead, as well as all Albertans and Canadians, that I will continue to defend the rights of firearms owners. I will work with groups such as the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights and the Canadian Shooting Sports Association to ensure these rights continue to be respected. Responsible firearms owners have faced unbelievable pressure and uncertainty under the Liberal government, which has continued, over the last lost decade, to impose outrageous restrictions that do nothing to improve public safety. (1825) As I take my seat in the chamber, I do so with a clear purpose to put Canadians first, defend their values, build this country and ensure Yellowhead has a robust voice in shaping Canada's future to make our country the best place to live, work and raise a family. God bless Yellowhead.”
“I will advocate for our veterans to give them the respect and support they deserve after they have dedicated their lives to our country, and I will protect the rights of responsible firearms owners, hunters and sports shooters, by opposing the unrealistic overreach restrictions that have been imposed on them over the last decade. As a responsible firearms owner, a sports shooter and a hunter, I would like to highlight the six shooting ranges in Yellowhead and how proud I am of their ongoing efforts to ensure that responsible firearms owners have a place to call their own. Firearms are part of our heritage. They help people like myself put food on the table, and they are the backbone of numerous international renowned sporting events.”
“We understand what true stewardship of our natural resources means for responsible resources and conserving our beautiful lands and wildlife, yet too often rural voices are overlooked and policies are crafted without consideration for the impact on their way of life. This must change. It is my priority to advocate for the rights of Alberta and provinces, develop the resources, oppose any regulations and taxes that would harm rural Canadians and support the agriculture sector, which is facing rising costs and federal overreach.”
“We need to ensure that our nation's tax system works for everyday Canadians and not against them. As a proud Conservative, I stand for the principles that have long guided our party: free enterprise, individual liberty and the rule of law. I believe in a small government that serves the people, not one that grows at their expense. Canadians deserve low taxes, fiscal responsibility and the unwavering protection of their rights and freedoms, including property rights. In Yellowhead, we understand the value of hard work. Our communities are built by farmers, ranchers, energy workers, outdoorsmen, forestry workers, small business owners and tourism operators.”
“There have been many members since him who have served my riding with dedication and integrity, including Jim Eglinski, the Hon. Rob Merrifield, Gerald Soroka and Cliff Breitkreuz. I am also proud to be serving many of the communities that were previously represented by Louise Feltham, Earl Dreeschen and the late Myron Thompson. I would be remiss not to mention my current colleagues who represented parts of the new Yellowhead riding in previous parliaments, including the member for Foothills and the member for Airdrie—Cochrane . I look forward to working closely with them. As a chartered professional accountant, I look forward to using my 26 years of public practice experience with personal and small business tax to help shape reforms to the tax system.”
“I thank them for their unwavering support. They are what truly fuels my dedication to this role. I could not have done it without them, and I am incredibly grateful for their patience and support. I especially want to thank my wife Bev. We first met at a political event for my MLA Carol Haley in Crossfield, where Stockwell Day, then the provincial treasurer of Alberta, was our guest speaker. Since then, Bev has been by my side through everything for the past 26 years. I would not have made it here without her love and support. I thank her. I also want to acknowledge my predecessors who represented the people of Yellowhead and the communities within Yellowhead's new boundaries. The Right Hon. Joe Clark was the first member of Parliament to serve for Yellowhead in 1979. He also served as prime minister.”
“Our riding is an economic powerhouse, with businesses both big and small employing thousands in the agriculture, forestry, mining, energy and tourism sectors. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to each person who helped me get elected, from those working behind the scenes on the campaign, to the volunteers who were at the doors putting up signs. (1820) I want to thank Kalee, Linda, Sadiq, Leigh, Paul, Colleen, Roland, Ralph, Bruce, Jeff, Gordon, Glen, Dino, Judy, Barry, Angela, Patti, Barb, Peggy, Carole, Bob, Jim, Nancy, Rob, Curtis, Tony, Dale, Doug, Wally, Sue and so many more. Their hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed, and I deeply appreciate everything they did and continue to do. Of course, I especially want to thank my family, my daughters Ashley and Emily, my parents Mary, Mike, Ross and Margaret, and my nephews.”
“Madden is home to my local Lions Club, where I have been a member for more than 20 years, and I want to congratulate its members on the great work they do. I have a long history in this area, since my family homesteaded near Crossfield in the 1880s. Yellowhead is also located on Treaty 6, 7 and 8 lands and includes the indigenous peoples of the first nations of Bearspaw, Chiniki, Goodstoney, O'Chiese, Sunchild First Nation, as well as the people of the Métis nation of Alberta. These communities in Yellowhead make Alberta and Canada such an incredible place to live, work and play. Every year, millions of people travel from around the world to come see the breathtaking nature Yellowhead has to offer.”
“My riding consists of many communities made up of hard-working Albertans, including Springbank, Rocky View County, Banff, Canmore, Exshaw, Dead Man's Flats and the Bow Valley. Going north on the Cowboy Trail, there is Waiparous, Cremona and Sundre. We have the hidden gem of David Thompson country, which includes Clearwater County, the Municipal District of Bighorn, Caroline, Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg. Even further north, there is the Yellowhead County, the namesake for my riding. There is also Edson, Hinton, Jasper, Grand Cache and the parts of the Municipal District of Greenview. Last but not least, we have Mountain View County, Rocky View County, Carstairs and Crossfield, where I, along with my loving wife Bev, have raised my two incredible daughters on our farm near the hamlet of Madden.”
“It is an honour to represent the thousands of people who call Yellowhead home, and I am committed to doing everything I can to help make life affordable for my constituents. As a father, I want to ensure the future generations can continue to call Yellowhead the best place to live, work and raise a family. I can confidently say that we live in the most beautiful riding in the entire country. At more than 83,600 square kilometres, Yellowhead is bigger than the province of New Brunswick and the entire country of Ireland. It stretches from the Rocky Mountains following the Cowboy Trail, from the Willmore Wilderness area and Grande Cache in the north to Kananaskis country in the south, and everything in between, including Canada's crown jewels, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park.”
“There is a meagre attempt made in Bill C-4 to gaslight Canadians by saying the Liberals are eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes, but it would impact such a small segment of the market, that proposed changes would not create any real change at all. The proposal included in the bill would help fewer Canadians than what our party campaigned on during the last election, and the Liberals actually want to cap this in six years' time, whereas we would have made it permanent. The Liberal government copied our Conservative policies, but only in half measures: the reduction in personal income taxes was less; the proposed GST rebate on new homes is less; and the impacts of this bill do not go far enough when addressing the affordability needs of Canadians today.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time. It is with the deepest humility and honour that I rise in this chamber as the member of Parliament for Yellowhead for my maiden speech. It was a privilege to witness His Majesty King Charles III deliver the throne speech in the Senate chamber. However, a throne speech is more than who delivers the words. It is a promise made by the Liberal government to Canadians. The promise to make life more affordable for Canadians needs to be our immediate focus. This was the number one concern I heard from voters during the last election. The removal of the consumer carbon tax was the first step in addressing the economic disaster the Liberal government created over the last lost decade. The industrial carbon tax must also go. Millennials and gen Z cannot afford the costs of home ownership.”
“When will the current Liberal government repeal the “no more pipelines” bill, Bill C-69 , cut the red tape and finally give Canadian energy workers the respect and recognition they deserve?”
“Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate you on your recent promotion. I look forward to working with you, as well as my colleagues in this coming Parliament. It is an honour today to rise for the first time on behalf of the constituents of the beautiful riding of Yellowhead, Alberta. I, too, would like to recognize some of my town and county councillors in Ottawa today. Considering that this week's throne speech made no mention of Canadian oil and gas, no mention of Canadian pipelines and no mention of the necessity of getting Alberta's world-class energy to new markets, it is clear that the current Liberal government is no different from the last. Canadians need a government that works for powerful paycheques, not a government that continues to support job-killing laws.”