Blake Richards
Airdrie—Cochrane, Alberta · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, on June 12, Filipinos worldwide celebrate Philippine Independence Day. As we celebrate, we recognize the rich history, culture and enduring spirit.”
“Mr. Speaker, by moving this motion, the government is shutting down debate about the very underpinnings of our democracy: our elections. There are a number of concerns that I could have raised. There are some positive things in here.”
“The day also reminds us of the value of freedom that inspired the Philippines' independence movement and continues to inspire people everywhere. On behalf of Canada's Conservatives, I wish all Filipinos a happy independence day, and I look forward to joining in tomorrow's celebrations. Maraming Salamat . Mabuhay .”
“Motion for concurrence moved that the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, presented on April 30, be concurred in. He said: Mr. Speaker, I stand today in unity with veterans from all across Canada who have been tirelessly fighting to right a historical wrong.”
“Just a young man, he was sent overseas to fight those responsible for terrorizing not only the people of Afghanistan but also people around the world through horrific attacks like those witnessed on September 11, 2001. It was in Afghanistan where Jess Larochelle made his mark on Canadian history.”
“This example is one that cries for change; it cries for justice. If mistakes were made and new details are brought to light, then mere policy should not stand in the way of honouring a war hero.”
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“Mr. Speaker, by moving this motion, the government is shutting down debate about the very underpinnings of our democracy: our elections. There are a number of concerns that I could have raised. There are some positive things in here. For example, when it comes to foreign influence, there are some positive steps, but it still remains open in terms of so-called third parties being able to bring in foreign influence to engage in partisan activity. Does the member find it ironic that the government is shutting down debate on the very underpinnings of our democracy in an anti-democratic way like this?”
“The day also reminds us of the value of freedom that inspired the Philippines' independence movement and continues to inspire people everywhere. On behalf of Canada's Conservatives, I wish all Filipinos a happy independence day, and I look forward to joining in tomorrow's celebrations. Maraming Salamat . Mabuhay .”
“Mr. Speaker, on June 12, Filipinos worldwide celebrate Philippine Independence Day. As we celebrate, we recognize the rich history, culture and enduring spirit. Filipino Canadians have made remarkable contributions in every field, from health care and education to business, the public service and the arts, and certainly to charitable initiatives, helping to strengthen and enrich our country. At the same time, we acknowledge the grief that many are experiencing following this week's devastating earthquake in Mindanao. Our prayers are with those who have been affected, and we stand in solidarity with those mourning and rebuilding. Being married to a Filipina myself, I have seen first hand the values of hard work, resilience and commitment to family and community that define Filipino culture and enrich Canada.”
“Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for highlighting the importance of recognizing our veterans and heroes. Can the member explain the potential consequences of the government failing to show veterans the respect they deserve, and how this lack of recognition might hinder recruitment into the armed forces?”
“Madam Speaker, I appreciated the member's speech and his comments about the importance of recognizing our heroes. Can the member talk about why it is important for the government to put words into action?”
“What I would ask the member is this: Will he apologize, first of all, for making this political today rather than keeping it about what it should be about? Will he apologize for the debacle that was the Afghanistan war monument groundbreaking and how veterans felt left out? Will he acknowledge that the Afghanistan veterans fought in a war?”
“Madam Speaker, today is not just about the Victoria Cross and Jess Larochelle, but about veterans of the war in Afghanistan. I think they often do not feel recognized in the same way that maybe their World War I, World War II and even Korean War colleagues are, whether that be by the Legion, the general public, the government or the people of Canada. I think we saw that reflected a little recently in the ceremony, where many of them felt like they were an afterthought with respect to the monument that was supposed to be in their honour. Then we heard the member's speech today, which saddened me, because I know there are many members over there who care about this. I feel like this member stood up and gave a political speech. He talked about everything but what it is supposed to be about.”
“Madam Speaker, I certainly want to recognize that this effort was stalled out a bit after the previous Conservative motion was defeated in the House. The member brought forward a petition, which has re-energized this effort, and I thank her for that. I am sure the member has had some conversations internally. Could she speak a bit to the next steps on this, when we can actually expect to see this move forward and what the next steps would be in terms of making this happen?”
“Madam Speaker, I will just say that I do not have time to tell Bruce Moncur's story, but his story is one of bravery and courage. He believes that his life was spared so that he could see this through. We are going to help him to do just that, so that future—”
“I am hopeful that that is what we are going to see, but I will continue to push and to hold the government to account until we do see that action. I hope it is not long before we see it. If it does not happen, I will be the first to be jumping all over the government for its words and not actions.”
“Madam Speaker, the answer to that is quite simple. First of all, I thank the government and the hon. member for expressing openness to this, and I hope they are going to actually take the action. I really do. We have been fighting for this for a long time. I would encourage the member to go back and look at the motion that was brought forward by Conservatives in the past, which the government rejected. It was a very detailed motion. It had a lot of detail in terms of what this should look like, and I would encourage her to go back and look at that. I would encourage the government to have a look at that. It provides a very good instruction manual for what this needs to look like. The key here is that we need to go beyond words. We need to move to action.”
“Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague. The great author and evangelist C.S. Lewis once said, “Since it is so likely that [children] will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” Since it is so likely that Canadian children will grow up facing hardships and hearing about evil in the world, let them at least have heard about brave soldiers and their heroic deeds. Let them at least have heard about Jess Larochelle and Canadian soldiers.”
“Madam Speaker, the apology needs to come from that member and his government because, I can tell members right now, what they did there is very hypocritical. That office is, in fact, closed and has been closed. Not only that, but essentially every office in this country is closed to veterans because what happens now is they must go online and make an appointment. If they just show up at an office, they cannot be received by Veterans Affairs. Many veterans also reported to us that just because maybe one time they got a little frustrated, because they had waited months and years to get action, they were told they can never speak to another Veterans Affairs employee again. The only person who owes an apology is that member, and his government, for what the government does to veterans.”
“Let them at least have heard of Jess Larochelle and the fighting Canadians. I will note at this moment that I will be splitting my time with the member for Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan , and I want to just conclude in French. I want to, if I can, speak to Quebec. (1010) [ Translation ] I hope that the government will not make Canadians wait too long before it finally takes action. The great author and evangelist C.S. Lewis once said, “Since—”
“Let us raise our children with the tales of bravery and sacrifice. The ball is now in the government's court. It has publicly signalled openness to this cause. We thank it for that, but now we eagerly await the details on how and when this review board will be formed, and when the historic injustice can finally be addressed. However, I beg the government to not make Canadians wait for long. The great author and evangelist C.S. Lewis once said, “Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” Since it is so likely that Canadian children will grow up facing hardships and hearing of evil in the world, let them at least have heard of brave soldiers and their heroic deeds.”
“This example is one that cries for change; it cries for justice. If mistakes were made and new details are brought to light, then mere policy should not stand in the way of honouring a war hero. This past week, the government responded to a petition put forward by the member for Nipissing—Timiskaming , and indicated that it is open to examining the formation of this board. The Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, of course, has thrown its support behind this issue, as has the Senate, and we wait for the final and most important step now, which is taking the action that is necessary. All of this effort over the years cannot be in vain. All of the lives touched by the story of Jess Larochelle are inspired, and inspiration is what Canada needs right now. Let us celebrate and enshrine the stories of our national heroes.”
“There is also testimony of retired general Rick Hillier, who was chief of the defence staff and chair of the honours committee when the case of Jess Larochelle came through. General Hillier is a great and well-respected man, but by his own admission, a mistake may have been made when deciding the award for Jess Larochelle. Canada was newly at war in Afghanistan at the time, and the committee was reluctant to give the award as a result, because its members did not know what would ensue, so the Victoria Cross was spared for an event that did not come. Additionally, it took several years for all of the details to come out and to talk more about the battle that Jess fought with the Taliban. Over time, these details emerged, but there was no ability to change the award that had already been given.”
“It is clear that public sentiment on this is that we need to see it happen. Conservatives have been proud to stand with veterans on this issue since day one. We will not allow this issue to rest until it is seen through. The arguments for this review board do not just end with individual examples and historical anecdotes, but also with real-world examples to compare ourselves to. Many of our allies have issued the equivalent of their Victoria Cross to their soldiers. The United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Italy and New Zealand have all issued their highest awards of valour to members of their militaries for actions taken in Afghanistan, and that is despite the fact that several of these nations committed fewer personnel to the war and saw less fighting than Canadians.”
“Unfortunately, that motion was defeated by the government back then, but now there is a renewed interest, thanks in large part to the work of Bruce Moncur and others who are involved with an organization called Valour in the Presence of the Enemy. While Jess was awarded the Star of Military Valour, he was passed over for Canada's highest honour, the Canadian Victoria Cross. Since the inception of this medal, it has never been awarded. There are many Canadians who wish to see this changed, to ensure that our veterans are properly recognized for their deeds of courage. There have now been several provincial legislatures that have voted in support of the creation of a military honours review board, including Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.”
“(1005) Unfortunately, Jess's brothers in arms, Blake Williamson and Darcy Tedford, were killed in this attack, and it was only after Jess helped to carry their coffins into a plane headed back to Canada that Jess finally presented himself for some medical attention. Members should think about that, about what he went through and what he dealt with. Jess was only a young man, 24 years old, when he sustained those injuries, and he carried them for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, Canada lost one of its heroes when Jess passed away in August 2023 due to complications from his injuries. Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole brought a motion to this House that called for the creation of a military honours review board.”
“Just a young man, he was sent overseas to fight those responsible for terrorizing not only the people of Afghanistan but also people around the world through horrific attacks like those witnessed on September 11, 2001. It was in Afghanistan where Jess Larochelle made his mark on Canadian history. Facing an unrelenting Taliban attack on his unit, Jess Larochelle manned a lone position and drove back the enemy, fighting exhaustion, fear and severe injuries. It is a fact that during this fight, Jess was nearly struck by a rocket-propelled grenade that detonated on a wall of his tower, severely injuring him. Jess had a detached retina, a fractured neck, a broken back, massive internal bleeding and a severe concussion. Despite all of this, he continued fighting, drove back the Taliban assault and saved many of his comrades.”
“They showed us as a nation that even when faced with discomfort, hostility and, yes, evil, Canadians can rise as heroes and fight back. The youth in Canada today desperately need heroes. They need Canadians to look up to with pride. They need role models to emulate. These heroes do not wear suits and sit here in Ottawa. They walk quietly as silent heroes among us every single day. Let us raise cases of extraordinary bravery and exceptional character for this generation, to show them that there is still some good in this world and it is still worth fighting for. Let us raise heroes like Jess Larochelle. Jess Larochelle was a Canadian who joined the Canadian Armed Forces at the height of the war in Afghanistan.”
“The people of Afghanistan were met with Canadian ingenuity as schools, institutions and infrastructure were built by Canadians. In the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan, the Taliban forces met Canadian ferocity. Canadian soldiers from decorated battalions across our country brought the fight to the enemy and dismantled it in every engagement that they had. Finally, the people of Afghanistan were also met with Canadian mercy. Wounded members of the Taliban were often treated and saved by Canadian medical crews and spared the cruelty that is often visited upon captives in times of war. In the Afghan villages where children lived in fear, the maple leaf on the shoulders of our men and women stood defiantly against evil. These ordinary men and women joined the forces and became extraordinary.”
“We look at our veterans, and they are the type of people whom we need to see and draw that inspiration from. Veterans are ordinary men and women from all across Canada, from coast to coast to coast, who signed on the line and deployed into some of the most hostile and remote places all around the world. Everywhere a Canadian steps around this world, they carry with them the best values of our people: a love of freedom, a love of democracy and a love of justice. Nowhere did the example of the maple leaf shine brighter than it did in the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan. A land torn by centuries of conflict predating our nation was introduced to a multitude of Canadian actions. The people of Afghanistan were met with Canadian generosity with millions of dollars in aid.”
“These are the kinds of things that we are seeing, and this is another example of exactly that. What we are talking about today is giving Canadians some inspiration and some hope. In Canada, there are a lot of problems that our country faces right now, and especially young Canadians. They look at their future and they do not see a lot of hope. They know when they look at their future that hope does not come from the government. It is not going to be the government that gets us out of this mess, at least not the current government. However, Canadians have the intuition, the skills and the heart to rebuild Canada as the same great nation that we inherited from generations past. Inspiration is needed and many people are seeking inspiration right now.”
“Motion for concurrence moved that the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, presented on April 30, be concurred in. He said: Mr. Speaker, I stand today in unity with veterans from all across Canada who have been tirelessly fighting to right a historical wrong. For too long, veterans have faced these kinds of issues where, first of all, they deal with a cold and heartless bureaucracy. Second, they struggle to even have recognition of their service from government. The Persian Gulf War veterans and the Afghan war veterans are looking for recognition that they fought a war and cannot seem to find that from the current government. They attended what seemed to be a hastily put together groundbreaking for an Afghan war monument that was mired in scandal, and they felt like they were an afterthought at the ceremony.”
“Madam Speaker, I will just say that the member raised a lot of very good questions. They are questions that do not have answers. I think the reason they do not have answers is that the government is deliberately trying to avoid being accountable and being transparent. This is another way, just another way of many, to reward all of its friends, all the Liberal insiders, and it is being done at the expense of Canadians.”
“However, when they go to seek the help they need because of the service they have given to our country and the injury that has caused them, we owe them as a country to make sure we are there for them. We have not been there for them. Under the government, as the member mentions, far too many veterans are homeless, using food banks and cannot get the help they deserve, need and have earned from the government.”
“Madam Speaker, the first thing I would say to that is there is a bit of a premise to the question that I would take disagreement with. The member mentioned the idea of veterans remaining a priority. I would argue that veterans have never been a priority for the government. This budget only further proves that. I mentioned already some of the things that we have seen cut, but the member, very correctly, raises some of the concerns that we see among Canadians more broadly, like food bank usage and homelessness. These things affect veterans, unfortunately, even more acutely than the general population of Canadians as a whole, so they are feeling those things worse than ever.”
“The BPA cuts alone will mean five-year wait times for veterans to finally get the benefits they have worked so hard to deserve. How can the member stand up and try to pretend that somehow we are manufacturing this? I guess all Canadians, veterans and everyone else who is crying about all of these horrible cuts are all rage baiting too, apparently. However, I will tell members right now that it is the government that is mistaken and it will pay the price for it.”
“Madam Speaker, I would be ashamed of myself if I was to stand and ask a question like that. I understand the role that the parliamentary secretary plays to defend a Prime Minister who is indefensible, frankly. However, when he stands up and tries to tell us that $4 billion is for cuts to cannabis, how much cannabis are the Liberals planning on handing out to veterans? That is a heck of a lot of cannabis. Another thing we are hearing from veterans in long-term care is that they are being shortchanged. We hear from RCMP veterans who are having their pensions reduced. We hear about cuts to the bureau of pension advocates, which is the group that helps veterans get their benefits when they are denied by the government far too often. These are the kinds of impacts.”
“Now the Liberals stand before the House, after slashing support for veterans, after years of numerous scandals and after billions wasted on consultants, and ask Canadians to trust them with these new measures that would make it easier for them to abuse taxpayers' funds. I say that is something of great concern to many Canadians.”
“On one hand, when the Liberals are caught trying to sneak in legislative changes to make it easier for them to enrich their insider friends, they tell Canadians that these provisions are actually going to make things better and make the ranks of the military swell with new recruits. However, on the other hand, they make the largest cuts to Veterans Affairs. This cognitive dissonance is not lost on Canadians or on members of our armed forces. Through creative accounting, the Liberals are claiming they are spending 2% of our GDP on the military, despite the fact that they are counting things such as infrastructure spending, personnel benefits, the civilian Coast Guard and other things in their calculations to reach this conclusion, and these are all things that NATO will not count toward the 2% criteria.”
“Most of the provisions in Bill C-31 lay out how the Liberals can spend more money on contracts and consultants, but nothing is mentioned about actual defence procurement. The one area that Canadians do want to see some spending in is our defence and veterans. The Liberals are dragging their heels and are busy trying to bury in legislation ways that would allow them to spend without any oversight rather than really doing the work of building up the military. This same omnibus bill approach, designed to not allow Parliament the proper time to check and analyze the contents, made historic cuts to veterans services just months ago. More than $4 billion was cut from veterans services in this budget.”
“I have heard, in my role as shadow minister for Veterans Affairs, from hundreds if not thousands of veterans who say that while they are proud of their service to Canada, they would never recommend the forces to their children or loved ones, because of how poorly the government has treated them since they left. They often say this with a broken heart, because they love the country they served and want our armed forces to be successful. When our veterans are warning Canadians to stay away, we have a much bigger problem. The Liberal government needs to stop with all the talk and start with some action. The Liberals have been in power a year with the new Prime Minister , and it has been more than a decade that they have been in power in total. The only thing we have to show for it so far is an economic recession.”
“This is especially troubling because the Liberals are so certain that all these new announcements will attract record numbers of Canadians to join the armed forces. That is what we keep hearing over and over again. While the Liberals assume this will happen, they turn around and treat Canada's veterans like they are just a bother, a hindrance to get rid of, rather than treat them like the heroes they are and give them the help they deserve. How can the Liberals expect Canadians to line up outside recruiting offices, when they see thousands and thousands of veterans left injured, homeless, changed by their service and not getting the help or resources they need once they are released from the military?”
“Bill C-31 would grant the new minister of the agency the ability to spend up to $1 billion without any checks and without any reporting mechanisms in place to show Canadians what was purchased for the spending. Clauses in the bill would grant this unnamed minister the ability to purchase shares of corporations using taxpayer funds and to replace members, directors and officers at their own discretion. Once again, this is the government famous for enriching its friends by giving them taxpayers' money and putting them in prestigious positions while the military suffers with outdated equipment and Canadians line up at food banks. The loss of trust does not end there, though. It also deeply affects veterans in Canada.”
“Are they really suggesting that there is too much accountability in spending and that that is what has prevented the government from investing in the military? I doubt they can make that argument. If that is not their argument, then why introduce these provisions buried in the back of a division in an omnibus budget bill? This reeks of corruption, and Canadians are not satisfied with the answers they are getting. (1835) There are ample examples in the bill of the new agency's being granted the power to bypass procedural fairness in contracting and procurement processes, but to what purpose could that be? How can avoiding open competition for procurement projects and being able to sole-source contracts without explanation possibly result in the best use of taxpayers' funds for our military?”
“How can Canadians who are eager to see investment in and rebuilding of our Canadian military feel secure that Liberals will establish a new agency and grant the minister of this agency so many powers, to take loans, advance payments, give government financial guarantees, give grants, establish corporations and buy shares, and do this all with no oversight in place? The Liberals have done absolutely nothing that would warrant the trust of Canadians, yet they are marching ahead with new ways to pay themselves and their friends, and they are trying to shroud it as defence spending. I wonder if the Liberals could give the House even one example of past military procurement projects being held up or drawn out due to transparency in funding.”
“The division also provides extremely loose definitions of what would be counted as defence spending under this new agency. It would allow the minister untold powers to sole-source products and materials, even when they are only just very remotely connected to matters of national defence. Canadians need to have a clear understanding of what the Liberals are setting up in this agency, especially after they have misused so many taxpayer dollars on so many other occasions. The Liberals use what can sometimes be seen as good causes, and this would certainly be one of those, and they claim they are in the national interest, but then they use them to pay out their friends and to turn projects into slush funds. They did this with things like the green slush fund, the ArriveCAN app, SNC-Lavalin and, most recently, PrescribeIT.”
“There are provisions in the bill that would give this new minister immense power, to, for example, sole-source contracts on a wide variety of things without any oversight. Based on the sheer number of spending scandals that have been tied to the Liberal government over the past more than a decade, how can Canadians feel even remotely comfortable with the Liberals giving their ministers more power to spend without any oversight? Division 16 would allow the Liberals' new agency the authority to spend on more consultants, despite the record number of bureaucrats they already employ to do the same work. It is well known that Liberals have abused the use of contractors and consultants to pay their own insider friends, and people are left to wonder how this would be any different.”
“There is concern around this so-called Defence Investment Agency. The express purpose of this agency is to expedite the process for procuring new materials and new supplies for the Canadian Armed Forces, but the new agency has been announced with no real framework on how it would work. This bill attempts to address the powers of the new minister who would oversee this agency, but it leaves an awful lot to be desired. It leaves many grey areas that have members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and Canadians more generally, very concerned. To start, there are many grave concerns about accountability. This seems to be a troubling pattern with the Liberal government. There seem to be some real, grave concerns about the accountability of this new agency, and the Liberals refuse to indicate who this new minister would be.”
“Madam Speaker, before we get too much into that debate, the members over there who are heckling right now should understand that that is exactly what happened. The members over there are taking a very hypocritical action. That is for sure. I stand today to address Bill C-31 and division 16 of that bill. I cannot help but feel a sense of concern among Canadians about what we are seeing here. It seems that the Liberal government makes announcement after announcement, and plan after plan, but it never actually implements anything. At times, people have been tempted to see some promise in some of the announcements and things that they hear, but Canadians are now starting to realize that once those announcements are made, nothing happens afterwards. The fear here is that this pattern is going to continue.”
“Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the member something that is absolutely related to this. We hear this talk about the investments that we have yet to see that the Liberals claim they are going to make in our Armed Forces. They claim that it is going to mean huge increases in recruitment for the Canadian Armed Forces, but we see the way they treat our veterans. We see the massive cuts that have been made. I know that the member represents many veterans in his area. I wonder whether he would like to comment on what he hears from veterans and whether they would recommend that people get involved in our Armed Forces, based on how our veterans are treated by the government.”
“Mr. Speaker, all veterans get from the Liberal government are excuses and cuts. The Liberals slashed billions from veterans services, leaving veterans facing longer wait times and fewer supports, and now they are covering up the fact that the housing minister hid $3 million they cut from homeless veterans, claiming they could not find any. Unfortunately there are thousands of homeless veterans in this country. Rather than covering up these cuts, why did the Liberals not spend their time trying to find veterans they could help, and why does the Liberal government always seem to find money for Liberal insiders but never for veterans who fought for our country?”
“Mr. Speaker, do you know what Albertans see as the problem with the Liberal government? Every promise of change has turned into another charge on the national credit card. Canadians are now paying more: more at the grocery store, more for housing and more in taxes, all to cover for reckless Liberal overspending. When will the Liberal Prime Minister get serious and end his costly credit card budgeting so that Canadians can afford to live?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister sold himself as a financial expert, but since taking office he has doubled the deficit and he is adding $1 trillion to the debt. Despite the illusions, it is more cost, more taxes, more debt, more on the national credit card and more of the same that we got from Justin Trudeau. Canadians are paying more for groceries, housing and everything in between. When will the Liberal Prime Minister stop the credit card budgeting so that Canadians can afford to live?”
“We also raise the issue of MAID being pushed on veterans who are seeking help in living their life. To all people who serve Canada and have been lost to suicide, I say that we honour their service to Canada and we mourn their lives. Let us act now to prevent the loss of more Canadian heroes.”
“Mr. Speaker, I table the Conservatives' supplemental report to the veterans affairs committee's report on suicide prevention. Suicide among veterans is an epidemic in the country and is claiming more lives than many of the conflicts that have happened in this century. Despite all the cries of broken-hearted spouses, parents and siblings, the government is still failing to do enough about this. Although the report is a step in the right direction, the calls for action need to be stronger and more precise. Therefore, Conservatives have outlined in our supplemental report a road map for ensuring that veterans are no longer retraumatized by their own government and that they are able to access timely care so they can find peace before it is too late.”
“Veterans should not have these kinds of things done to them when they are seeking help to live their lives. They should not instead be offered medical assistance in dying. That is what the bill would do. It is all it would do. I hope all members will support it, because it is right for veterans and right for all Canadians.”