John Barlow
Foothills, Alberta · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, the president of Grain Farmers of Ontario warned that we cannot have affordable food if farmers cannot afford to farm. Fertilizer prices are crippling, and suppliers are now telling farmers they may not even have enough supply for next season. Canada is the only G7 country that has a tariff on fertilizer imports.”
“We have not had an opportunity to even talk about that and why it is exempt from their Canadian free trade agreement, when they are closing down seven critical research centres and experimental farms, which again will impact food affordability and food production here in Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, Foothills families are shaken. A local man was charged with more than 500,000 pieces of child exploitation material, and he was released. Ten-year-old Grace asked me why this man was not in jail. She does not feel safe playing outside with her friends, and that is not right.”
“Madam Speaker, it is great to see you back in the chair today. It is a sight for sore eyes. In my colleague's comments, he was talking about trade, not just north and south but east and west, even though our trading partner to the south of us is the most important trading partner for our economy, and the Liberals are turning their backs o…”
“Mr. Speaker, well, that is no answer from the minister. We have 30 more of those. I sure hope they upped their game with the answers. The CEO of Farm Credit Canada last year, Justine Hendricks, spent more than $213,000 just on travel. She spent another $53,000 on hospitality, including one meal for more than $6,500.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is clear they are not taking any lessons from the business leaders in this industry. The CEO of Cenovus was crystal clear that building a new pipeline and expanding oil production to fill it is “unfinanceable”.”
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“The amount that we are talking about here is, in the larger scheme of things, really quite insignificant. We are not asking for those recreational fishers to be able to take more fish out of the water. We are just asking for more flexibility around the days they could go out on the water. We would still have accountability and transparency, while enforcing the rules. There is some enforcement as part of this bill. That is something the Liberals have failed to do in the more than a decade they have been in government, despite the engagement and cries for action from fishers from coast to coast to coast. Overall, Bill C-237 would just expand and strengthen the overall management framework for Atlantic fisheries in Canada.”
“In contrast, my colleague has gone from one community to another in his riding, consulting with commercial and recreational fishers, asking them what they need to grow this industry. All he is asking for in this bill is some flexibility. I have travelled across Alberta and into Saskatchewan and B.C. to do some fishing, which I enjoy. I know I would be extremely disappointed if I had travelled all the way to Newfoundland and Labrador to go fishing on one of the designated days as a recreational fisher when I can go out onto the water, to find out that the water was too rough, or there was a storm blowing in, and it was just unsafe. However, I would not have been able to postpone my trip until the next day because of some arbitrary rules around opening the recreational fishing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
“All my colleague is asking for is to expand the opportunities for the growth of recreational fishing in Newfoundland and Labrador. I found it interesting that my colleague from Prince Edward Island talked about the importance of enforcement. The Liberal government has had more than a decade to follow through on enforcement on fisheries right across this country. In fact, a previous Liberal fisheries minister lost her job because she failed so miserably in enforcing the laws around the Fisheries Act. I will just briefly touch on the elver fishery issue in Nova Scotia, which has ripped communities apart. All that has been asked for is that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Liberal government, stand up and enforce the rules that are in place, something it has failed to do for more than a decade.”
“That is why it is important to talk about the impact that the recreational fishing industry has on small rural communities like mine and certainly like those in Newfoundland and Labrador that my great colleague represents as well. I was doing a bit of research on some updated numbers about the impact that the fishing industry has had in Alberta. We are talking about more than $250 million in revenue just from the fly fishing industry in Alberta. I know that is very similar to Newfoundland and Labrador. There are almost 6,000 businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador that are reliant on recreational and commercial fishing. That is a huge part of their economics and certainly of their rural community economy as well.”
“Whether it is the Bow River, the Highwood, the Sheep or the Oldman River in the very southern part of my riding, tens of thousands of people come from all over the world to experience fly fishing in southern Alberta. I know how important this industry has become to my constituency and the businesses in my riding. More than 4,000 people are employed in the fishing industry in southern Alberta. A number of very successful businesses rely on the tourists who come to southern Alberta as part of the fishing industry. I think of Flys Etc. in High River and Oldman guiding down in Crowsnest Pass. Many of these businesses have become successful by attracting fishermen from across North America to come and experience western Canadian hospitality.”
“Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to get up and speak to my colleague's private member's bill, Bill C-237 , an act to amend the Fisheries Act. It is probably a little surprising to some of my colleagues that a member of Parliament from southern Alberta would get up to speak to a bill on Canada's Fisheries Act. Many people in the House may be surprised to learn that my riding, in southwest Alberta, is one of the top destinations in North America for fly fishing. I want to compare the issues we are facing in southern Alberta to what my colleague is trying to raise here in the House with his private member's bill. In fact, southern Alberta is one of the top destinations in North America for fly fishing.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadian farmers are worried that an announcement by Beijing today means there is no deal to reduce tariffs on canola. On January 16, the Prime Minister said that he was engaged in a “new strategic partnership” with the People's Republic of China. He stated, “By March 1...Canada expects that China will [reduce] tariffs on Canadian canola seed to a combined rate of approximately15%.” Today Reuters said that Beijing has delayed a decision on canola tariffs until March 9. No decision means no deal. Why did the Prime Minister mislead Canadian farmers about having a deal to reduce canola tariffs for Canadian farmers?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is wild to hear the foreign affairs minister claim that they support science when the Liberals are literally attacking agricultural research. They are shutting down research centres in Lacombe, Indian Head, Guelph, Quebec City, Portage la Prairie and Cumberland County. Meanwhile, they spend $19 billion on consultants, $33 million on a prison farm and $22 million on beans for women for empowerment in Congo. Why is the Prime Minister dismantling the foundation of Canadian food security just to fund his foreign virtue signalling?”
“Madam Speaker, I think that is an excellent point. This is the difference, in terms of why the Liberals were willing to throw their principles away and get rid of the consumer carbon tax. They made the mistake of actually having it on receipts and bills, where Canadians could see it. That is why they have no problem increasing the industrial carbon tax and the fuel tax. They are right. They can say it is imaginary because consumers cannot see it, because it is not on the bill. If they want to do it right, put it on the—”
“Madam Speaker, my colleague's question gives me an opportunity to comment on another point made by my colleague, the whip of the Liberal Party, who talked about how he does not like to hear from the food professor. They only like their experts, but not ours. I want to articulate the fact that when we quote the food professor, we are many times talking about the food price report. As my colleague mentioned, energy was an issue in there, related to the cost of food and the reliance on energy. We need to ensure that we have more options when it comes to energy security, which means food security, but the food price report was written and put together by dozens of different scientists from across the country. This is not just one expert whom we are quoting.”
“Madam Speaker, perhaps Canadian consumers would wish the Liberals had stopped at the consumer carbon tax, but when we have a consumer carbon tax, and then we add an industrial carbon tax, a fuel standard tax, a P2 plastics ban, bulk labelling on fertilizer and now new labelling rules that, as I said, add $15 billion to the cost of producing food, that is why we see food inflation go from something that may have been manageable to now being 6%, or twice the rate of the United States, which does not have the same regulatory regimes and uncompetitive tax policies.”
“Science takes time, so it’s likely going to be years before we can fully quantify [the impact of] what this loss means for the country. At a time when the Liberals are talking about supporting research and science, they are closing down seven critical research centres in Canada, going back to tired Liberal policies like a GST rebate that did not lower grocery prices last time and is not going to lower the price of a single item at the grocery store this time either. They need to support our motion, an actual plan to address affordable food in Canada.”
“In my last minute, I want to mention that yesterday the Minister of Foreign Affairs made a comment that at a time when certain countries are cutting research, at a time when academic freedom is under attack, we believe in science and we believe in research. I found that hilarious, as the Liberals have announced that they are shutting down seven agricultural research centres across Canada, and there is not a region of Canada that is not being targeted: Indian Head, Saskatchewan; Lacombe, Alberta; Quebec City, Quebec; Nappan, Nova Scotia; and Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. There is a great comment in the National Post, which I thought encapsulated this very well: On large scales and long timelines, public agriculture research translates into more affordable, more secure food.”
“No industry is going to absolve or absorb those costs. Let us go through a very simplistic supply chain. That product, and everything that makes that product, is going to be transported by train, car and/or truck, processed, packaged and then transported to the retailer. Every step along the way, it is paying that tax. Thus, those taxes will be passed on to the consumer, driving up food prices. Now the average Canadian family is going to be spending almost $18,000 on groceries, double what the weekly grocery bill was under the Conservatives. It was $160 a week; now it is $340 a week. Those are facts, not imaginary, and they are a result of these taxes that are put on by the Liberals.”
“I can guarantee that Shell, Esso, Petro-Canada and Costco are not eating that 17¢ a litre. It is going directly to the drivers who drive the food, farmers who grow the food, processors who process the food and certainly retailers who sell the food. The United States also does not have a plastics ban on food packaging. The United States also does not put tariffs on fertilizer that it imports into the United States. The United States also does not have new bulk labelling rules on fertilizer. Canada is bringing in those new rules. With just the P2 plastics ban, the bulk labelling on fertilizer packaging and the new plastics labelling rules, experts in the industry say those three things combined will add $15 billion to the cost of products in Canada. That is not imaginary. Those are very real numbers that will be passed on to the consumer.”
“I do not know of any economy on the planet where they increase taxes and expect it not to also increase the prices of the products that economy produces. That is number one. Number two is the fuel standard tax. We say it is a hidden tax, but the Liberals say it does not even exist, that it is imaginary. Well, how do the Liberals have an imaginary tax in their budget? Maybe their budget is also imaginary, and I am sure many Canadians wish that were the case. In the Liberal budget, it says it will cost Canadians 7¢ a litre on gas and diesel, a tax that will go up to 17¢ a litre in four years. Again, I would ask any economist: If taxes on fuel are increased, would they not expect that to also increase the cost of products at the end of that production line? Well, of course they would.”
“The Liberal whip was proselytizing earlier today, saying that this is a global problem, and how dare the Conservatives and Canadians blame the Liberals for this issue. If it is a global problem, why is it that in Canada, food inflation is at twice the rate of the United States, our closest neighbour and most active trading partner? The U.S. is not facing these same problems. (1605) Let us take a look at what we have in Canada compared to what they have in the United States. Why is Canada facing food inflation at a rate far outpacing our nearest neighbour? Number one is the industrial carbon tax. Does the United States have an industrial carbon tax? No, it does not. An industrial carbon tax increases costs on every link in the supply chain.”
“As the Leader of the Opposition said earlier in his speech, I found it very interesting that before the Prime Minister got up and made his announcement, all the grocery prices were removed from the shelves behind him. It was probably the first time he has been in a grocery store and had to actually look at the prices. He said during the election campaign that he did not grocery shop for himself and did not know the price of strawberries. He has people who do that for him. Real Canadians are facing a real problem, which is their inability to afford groceries. What has happened as a result of Liberal policies is that Canada now has the highest food inflation in the G7, twice that of the United States.”
“That has been implemented, and every single expert we have talked to has said that the grocery code of conduct was never designed to lower food prices. Every single time the Liberal government stands up and talks about its promise to Canadians to lower and stabilize food prices, it is another promise broken. Therefore, members will have to excuse me, my colleagues and certainly many Canadians when the Prime Minister got up in front of a grocery store and once again brought out the same tired Trudeau GST rebate that did not work the first time and tried to sell it to Canadians once again as the salve for their inability to afford grocery prices.”
“We are talking about another big issue, certainly, for families in Foothills and right across the country, which is food inflation and the inability of families to afford to put food on the table. I would like to go back to where this debate actually started, which was before Thanksgiving of 2023, when the now finance minister got up in front of the House and said that he would stabilize food prices by Thanksgiving. That did not happen. Then Prime Minister Trudeau got up and announced the GST rebates, once again to stabilize food prices, and that was the second promise broken. The Liberals got up and said they had this grocery code of conduct, which would be a vital tool that, once implemented, would lower grocery prices.”
“Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, whom I called in a bit of a panic last night. One of these hockey players was from Alabama, and his family members were beside themselves about how they were going to deal with this tragedy and get their son home. He called me immediately last night and walked me through the process, which I shared with the family. From my residents, I share a heartfelt thanks to the ambassador. Finally, on behalf of the entire Foothills community, we send our deepest condolences to the hockey organization, the families, the people and the volunteers in Stavely and all of southern Alberta. We are with them in this time of unimaginable sorrow. Now it is hard to move on, but I am very thankful for that moment.”
“They were more than just athletes; they were outstanding young men who epitomized the values of southern Alberta: commitment, hard work and dedication to community. The residents talked about these hockey players volunteering at the senior centre, playing shinny on the street with young local kids, or going out of their way to clean up the arena after a hockey game. To the families of those hockey players, and certainly the driver, who was not at fault, I want everyone to know that our thoughts and prayers are with them. I want to thank all the colleagues in the House who have approached me today with their condolences as well. I would say to the Southern Alberta Mustangs hockey organization, the billets, the families and the volunteers, that we share their grief. I would also like to take a moment to thank U.S.”
“Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the outstanding member for Regina—Lewvan . Before I get to the essence of my speech, I would ask for the indulgence of the House for just a couple of moments. In small towns like ours, hockey is the fabric of life. Unfortunately, in my riding yesterday, that fabric became frayed. Heartbreak struck southern Alberta yesterday when three members of the Southern Alberta Mustangs were killed on their way to hockey practice. J.J. Wright and Cameron Casorso of Kamloops, and Caden Fine of Birmingham, Alabama, were killed on Highway 2. Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak to a number of residents of that community and hear about those hockey players.”
“The second it was politically viable, they threw their principles out the window and eliminated the carbon tax, only to put in an industrial carbon tax and a fuel standard tax that picks up right where the other left off.”
“Madam Speaker, my colleague was talking about honesty and how important it is. I recall sitting in the House over the past 10 years or so. At some point, the Liberals were telling Canadians and members about opposing the carbon tax while the world is burning. I remember the former health minister asking how Conservatives would dare go on a summer vacation with their kids in the car while the planet is burning. However, the second it was politically advantageous, the Liberals got rid of the carbon tax. Who is really being dishonest with Canadians? Is it the Conservatives, who talked about the impact the carbon tax was having on Canadians financially, or is it the Liberals?”
“Mr. Speaker, this is going to hurt the Liberal member, but under a Conservative government, the average weekly food cost was about $160 a week. Now it has more than doubled under the Liberals to $340 a week. The fact is that Liberal policies are driving up food prices to Canadians. The fact is that 2.2 million Canadians are using a food bank every single month. The reasons for the food prices are not secret: It is an industrial carbon tax and a fuel standard tax, driving up the costs on food, fuel, fertilizer and farm equipment. Again, will the Liberals support a real food affordability plan, a Conservative plan, or will they continue to drive up food prices?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are literally the definition of insanity. Three years ago, the finance minister promised Canadians that the Liberals would solidify food prices. Today, he is tabling the tired Trudeau policy that failed the first time. The only results of Liberal policy are that Canada has the highest food inflation in the G7, twice that of the United States, and Canadian families are paying almost $18,000 a year just on food. Will the Liberals support a real affordability plan and cancel their hidden taxes on food, or will they continue with this insanity?”
“Mr. Speaker, this did not happen yesterday. A decade ago, when the Liberals took office, the average weekly food bill was about $160 a week. A decade later, it has doubled to $340 a week. That is $17,500 to feed a family of four. That is unbelievable in a country like Canada. Canadian food banks cannot manage the load. These are not just strangers. These are friends, families, co-workers and neighbours, all relying on food banks. Why is the Prime Minister sticking to his ideology, increasing taxes to grow the food, transport the food and buy the food, instead of lowering those taxes so Canadians can afford a meal?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said he should be judged by the price of food at the grocery store. The food price report gave the Liberals a failing grade. It confirmed that food prices are going to increase by $1,000 a family next year, a cost they simply cannot afford. Canadians did not need a report to tell them that. They are experiencing it every single day. Canadian food banks are on the brink. In Foothills, the Okotoks Food Bank served more than 21,000 families last year. That is unbelievable. Why is the Prime Minister forcing Canadians to food banks instead of reducing taxes on farmers, fuel and food?”
“It is rising 48% faster in Canada than it is in the United States. It is time to end the misery. Will the Liberals not end the hidden taxes on food so Canadians can afford Christmas dinner?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by “their experience at the grocery store”. Well, what Canadians see on the shelves now is Liberal failure. The food price report confirms what Canadians already know: Food prices are out of control and are going to get worse. In 2015, when the Liberals took office, the average weekly food bill was about $160. In a decade, it has doubled to $360. That is $17,500 to feed a family of four in Canada. That is unbelievable. The food price report told Canadians that it is going to get worse with the largest increase ever, another $1,000 a year for a family of four. Instead of lowering prices, the Liberals are piling on taxes that make it more expensive to grow food, transport food and buy food. Food inflation in Canada is 50% higher than the Liberals' own target.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians will have a very different point of view. They know that these food price increases, as is in this report, are a direct result of the Liberals' industrial carbon tax, fuel tax and inflationary spending. The Prime Minister himself said that he should be judged by the price of food. By his own metrics, he has failed. When the Liberals came to office, the annual food budget was about $8,300 a year. In a decade, it has doubled to $17,500 a year. Will the Prime Minister get rid of his taxes on food, so Canadians can afford a Christmas dinner?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians that he should be judged by the price of food at the grocery store. Well, the verdict is in and the Liberals have failed. Canada's food price guide said Canadians will spend $1,000 more on groceries next year, the highest increase in years. When the Liberals took office, the average weekly food bill was about $160. In a decade, it has more than doubled to $340 a week. Why is the Prime Minister breaking his promises to Canadians and increasing taxes on farmers, on food and on fuel?”
“Madam Speaker, I would say to my incredible colleague from Cariboo—Prince George that I could not agree more. The message being sent to Canadians, especially in the forestry and energy sectors, is that the Prime Minister , at one of the most critical times in our history, just does not care. I think that says all there is to say.”
“My colleague from northern Alberta talks about human trafficking and human slavery. I think we would all support cracking down on those issues.”
“Madam Speaker, I just want to touch on a couple of things in my colleague's question. I think he has highlighted very well that the budget is about what is not there. What is not there is the details. The Liberals talk a lot about spending, but the success of a budget is not about how much we spend; it is about the impact that spending is going to have. We do not see anything about expanding ports, repairing highways, diversifying trade or how we will get our products to market. To the member's first point, yes, the biggest issue with the budget is not what is missing; it is a lot of fanfare and no details. On the member's second question, I would agree. I have not had a chance to read the bill he mentioned. It is something the Bloc is very passionate about, and certainly I think all of us are.”
“Every time the Prime Minister goes somewhere, when he comes back, it is worse, except that he somehow gets great deals for Brookfield and enriches his own pockets.”
“Madam Speaker, my short answer is that I do not. Every time the Prime Minister goes away, it gets worse for Canadians. I will talk just about agriculture. The Prime Minister goes to India, and India puts 30% tariffs on Canadian yellow peas. He goes to the United States, and the United States increases tariffs for Canadians. The Liberals send a delegation to China, and what does China do? It increases tariffs on Canadian agriculture products from 25% to 100%. Canola, peas, pork, beef and seafood are now all being tariffed at record rates. The Prime Minister goes to the United Kingdom, and what does he get? Absolutely nothing. We get zero beef and pork imported by the United Kingdom and the European Union. However, what comes the other way? Beef imports into Canada from the United Kingdom are up 150%.”
“Conservatives are willing to get that work done, and that is why we cannot support the budget, because the Liberals are certainly not willing to make those sacrifices.”
“I just want to name a few of the projects that would certainly impact everybody across Canada. The Teck frontier mine, the northern gateway pipeline, energy east, the Saguenay LNG project and Pacific NorthWest LNG have all been shelved as a result of the Liberal government. Imagine the jobs that Canadians would have, had these projects gone ahead. Finally, I want to mention this: The Liberals continue to say they are in a trade war, but we cannot be in a war if we have already surrendered. They have backed down on everything. Conservatives stand ready to work with anyone who is committed to getting Canada back on track and unleashing our resources like agriculture, mining and energy to provide Canada with the tools we need to face these challenges, to be successful and to have hope.”
“Nutrien is one of the largest potash producers in the world, based proudly in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but one of Canada's crown jewel industries is not investing in Canada. It is investing in the United States because of a regulatory regime in Canada that is unnavigable and because of high tax rates. It simply cannot carry the burden. That is just the latest warning sign that we have seen as a result of Liberal taxes and a regulatory regime that are driving investment away. In fact more than $50 billion in investment has fled Canada since the Prime Minister was elected last spring. Since 2015, and this is a staggering number, 670 billion dollars' worth of resource projects have been either shelved or delayed as a result of the high taxes and regulatory regime of the Liberal government.”
“It is actually connected to inflation, so the Liberals cannot even say how high the escalator tax is going to be when it hits on April 1. It says in the budget that they are going to maintain the Liberal fuel standard, which adds 17¢ a litre for farmers who grow the food, truckers who move the food, and certainly the retailers who sell the food. In the budget, the Liberals also say they are going to strengthen, which means increase, the industrial carbon tax, which increases the cost of literally everything. It not only increases those costs but also drives investment and industry out of Canada. As my colleague from Saskatchewan mentioned earlier, we have seen the consequences of that when a $1 billion new potash terminal is going to be built in Vancouver, Washington, not Vancouver, British Columbia.”
“The food banks are now becoming a primary source of groceries for too many Canadian families, when they are supposed to be the source of last resort. This is a new reality Canadian families are facing. I want to touch on a subject about which the Liberals are really gaslighting Canadians. They are trying to say that the hidden taxes the Liberals have put on food prices are imaginary. They are not imaginary. In fact Canadians are seeing the impact of these taxes every single week when they try to go to the grocery store and put food on the table. How can these taxes be imaginary when they are actually included in the Liberal budget? In the Liberal budget, the Liberals say they are going to maintain the escalator tax on beer, wine and spirits.”
“It is unbelievable that four out of five Canadians now list food security as their number one financial burden. How does that happen in a country as wealthy as Canada, or seemingly as wealthy, until the Liberals got out of control with their spending? This is hitting all of us in our ridings. For example, at the Okotoks Food Bank, in one of the largest communities in my riding, food bank use is up 200%. In the first seven months of last year, it had about 15,000 users; it now has more than 45,000. In my small hometown of High River, more than 100 families are using the food bank every single week. That is absolutely unbelievable in a country like Canada. Food banks were never designed to be the backbone of a social safety net, but that is exactly what has happened under the Liberals.”
“I would like to mention some headlines that have come out since the budget was released. We have, from the Toronto Sun, “[The Prime Minister's] budget as unsustainable as a Trudeau budget”; from the National Post, “Liberals should be kept far away from the economy”; from The Globe and Mail, “The Liberals' growing deficit of trust”; and from the Liberals' favourite publication, the Toronto Star, “Once again, [the Prime Minister] doesn't quite live up to the hype”. These warnings are coming in when Canadians are struggling as they never have before. (1130) Food Banks Canada reported that more than two million Canadians are being forced to line up at food banks every single month. That number has more than doubled over the last five years.”
“For Canadians who are standing in line waiting for a family doctor or waiting hours on end in the emergency, I want them to think about the fact that we have solutions for those problems. However, instead of funds going to solve those problems, they are going to pay down just the interest on Canada's credit card as a result of the Liberals' out-of-control spending. As typical Liberals, they promise one thing during an election and do the exact opposite once they are elected. During the election, they promised transformational change and generational investment. However, what they have delivered is intergenerational debt, and it will take generations of Canadians to try to pay this back. Canadians are not fooled. Even some of the Liberals' best friends are not fooled.”
“It is incredible how things have changed on the Liberal benches and how easily they will twist themselves just to ensure that they win an election. To put this in perspective, the cost of just maintaining that debt is more than $50 billion a year. That is more than what the federal government is transferring to provinces in health care. Instead of building hospitals, hiring doctors and nurses, or expanding ports and repairing highways, more than $50 billion in taxpayer money is going just to service the Liberal debt. That is an incredible number. I hope Canadians who are watching here today understand the consequences and ramifications of those kinds of numbers. For Canadians, it is very hard to fathom that.”
“Under the previous Conservative government, we had the wealthiest middle class in the world. We had a balanced budget. We were respected by our most important and trusted trading partners. For the most part, Canadian families had hope. Instead, the Liberal government has chosen to burden and throw gas on the inflationary fire, with $90 billion in new spending and a $78 billion deficit. Unbelievably, the Liberal government's deficit is twice that of the previous prime minister, Justin Trudeau, with a deficit and reckless spending that sent his finance minister packing. I find it incredibly interesting that only a year ago, the Liberal members were scrambling, outraged at the reckless spending of the predecessor, but now they are standing and cheering deficits and spending that are twice that of Justin Trudeau.”
“I would warn the Liberals that they cannot build the Canada of tomorrow, which all of us want to see, if they are mortgaging the future. This is exactly what the budget has done, with almost $80 billion in additional debt burden on the backs of Canadian taxpayers. As a result of this, our standard of living is eroding. That is a concern for an entire generation of young Canadians, who are starting to accept that this type of debt and deficit is becoming the norm. Others have certainly noticed. For example, out of the 48 countries tracked by the OECD, Canada is expected to rank second worst in per capita growth from now until 2030. Canada has the worst per capita growth in the G7, with more than a 10% drop in investment per worker. A decade ago that certainly was not the reality for Canadians.”
“Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise in the House on behalf of the constituents and families in Foothills, my farmers, my ranchers, my agri-food processors and certainly my families and entrepreneurs. Bill C-15 , the budget implementation act, is anything but a plan for prosperity. It is a blueprint for higher taxes, higher debt, higher inflation and higher costs for the people who feed and power this economy. I could probably summarize the Liberal budget in two ways: It is a budget of over-promising and underdelivery. In the previous election, the Prime Minister promised Canadians fiscal restraint, transformational change and fiscal discipline. Once again, the Liberals failed to deliver on any of those things.”