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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“I asked the government earlier if the same regulations and non-competitive rules would be imposed on energy imported into eastern Canada from places like Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. It would not answer that question. A renowned energy analyst, Dr. Ron Wallace said, “A federal regulatory requirement to decarbonize western Canadian crude oil production without imposing similar restrictions on imported oil would render the one Canadian economy act moot and create two market realities in Canada—one that favours imports and that discourages, or at very least threatens the competitiveness of, Canadian oil export production.” We cannot say we want to build projects and then put metrics and bars so high that Canadian energy projects and Canadian investment cannot actually reach that bar.”
“The Prime Minister keeps talking about how only national projects within the government's own interest would be approved, and that they must include decarbonisation of oil. What does decarbonisation of western Canadian oil and gas mean, compared especially to oil and gas imported into eastern Canada? For example, in 2023, eastern Canada imported, on average, about 790,000 barrels of crude oil per day, valued at almost $20 billion. Those imports were from the United States, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia for the most part. By implying that western Canadian energy has to be decarbonised, it would have to be produced and transported under very different regulations, making it uncompetitive with what is imported into eastern Canada.”
“Those are the things that would actually make an impactful difference to ensure that projects get built in Canada. I want to give an example. The Prime Minister first came out saying that we are going to be building pipelines and national projects, and that we are going to have a free trade agreement in Canada by July 1. What is now being said is that we will have pipelines if there is national consensus, that the projects probably will not actually include pipelines, that provinces will have a veto and that we are not really going to have a free trade agreement by Canada Day because there is a difference between federal interprovincial free trade and provincial interprovincial free trade. As we have a chance to look at Bill C-5 , we see what is going on. I want to give an example.”
“It has been said many times that the most lucrative free trade Canada could have is the one we do not have within our own country, but as we walk through the process and as we listen to the Liberals, we can see that they slowly walk down on what they have promised and what they can actually deliver. Bill C-5 clearly shows that what they are promising is very different than what they would deliver. Canadians will notice that the Liberals are building a house on a shoddy foundation, because nothing will get built unless they listen to the opposition members and make some amendments to the bill to ensure that we get things built, like repealing Bill C-69 and Bill C-48 , eliminating the production cap on oil and gas and repealing the just transition, Bill C-50 .”
“Mr. Speaker, imagine that we are renovating an old house and we do not worry about the shoddy foundation, the rotted joists or floorboards and the rusted plumbing; we just hope that the new buyer does not notice that we have put some lipstick on a kind of an ugly pig. That is very similar to what the Liberals are trying to do now; they are trying to put forward legislation without dealing with the root cause of the rotten consequences of bad Liberal legislation that has gotten us into this position. We all want the one Canadian economy act to pass. We want it to succeed. As Conservatives, we want pipelines built. We want energy projects completed. We want to see interprovincial trade barriers torn down and removed to grow Canada's economy.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for recognizing the consequences of bad Liberal policy, like low Canadian productivity, which is at 71% of that of the United States. As part of Bill C-5 , the Prime Minister said that only projects that are low-carbon or decarbonized would be approved. Canada imports about 500,000 barrels of oil from the United States, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria a year. Would those imports be under the auspices of the same new decarbonized or low-carbon rules and regulations that would be put on Canadian energy projects?”
“Mr. Speaker, I was here in 2017 when the Liberals touted their Canadian Free Trade Agreement, which had more pages of exemptions than it had of things where interprovincial trade barriers were removed. The Prime Minister is at it again. He says that we will have free trade in Canada by July 1, and now Liberal members are quantifying that by provincial and federal. Would the member say this is just another example of the Liberals saying one thing and doing something completely different, over-promising and under-delivering?”
“Mr. Speaker, this is just like the Liberals. Typically, they will say one thing during an election and do something completely different once they have been elected. They refuse to repeal Bill C-69 and Bill C-48 , the shipping ban. Also, the minister is talking about all the jobs this bill would create, but at the same time, they refuse to repeal Bill C-50 on the just transition, which will cost 200,000 jobs in energy, 290,000 jobs in agriculture and 1.4 million jobs in construction. Why will the government not send a clear signal to investors and working Canadians by repealing Bill C-50 , Bill C-69 and Bill C-48 and truly show Canadians that Canada is open for business?”
“Mr. Chair, he should be focused on this. This is lost jobs and revenue for Canadians because of the government's ideological position on Canadian LNG. Does the minister believe that to reach consensus, any province, territory or group has a veto on a national infrastructure project?”
“Mr. Chair, Japan has signed a long-term agreement for LNG with the United States, our number one competitor. What would the value of that have been to Canadian taxpayers and revenue to the federal government had that agreement been signed with Canada?”
“Mr. Chair, the answer is Japan, if the minister cannot answer those questions. What would have been the revenue to the Canadian federal government had it signed those LNG agreements with Germany, Japan, Greece and Poland?”
“Mr. Chair, that is interesting, because according to a memo from his own department, the minister has said that the just transition will cost 200,000 jobs in energy, 290,000 jobs in agriculture and 1.4 million construction jobs. That is from his own ministry. That is 2.7 million jobs in Canada that will be lost to the just transition. Does the minister support a bill that is threatening 13.5% of Canada's workforce?”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling to put food on the table now, and it is because of the Liberals' inflationary spending. We all knew these were going to be the same old tax-and-spend Liberals, but we had no idea the Prime Minister was going to be worse. He promised Canadians he would cap increased spending at 2%; he has gone over 8%. That is putting Canadians in trouble, and they are the ones paying the price. We now have the highest food inflation in the G7. Will the Prime Minister table a budget and end his inflationary spending so Canadians can afford to feed their families?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that he will be judged by prices at the grocery store shelf. Judgment has been rendered, and by his own metrics, the Prime Minister has failed. For the third month in a row, food prices have skyrocketed. Apples, oranges, rice, chicken and beef are all up by more than 20%, and the Prime Minister's response is to pour more fuel on the inflationary fire, with half a trillion dollars in new spending. That is more than Trudeau. Will the Liberal minority government listen to the majority of this House and put a budget on the table, so Canadians can put food on theirs?”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague made an excellent speech. According to Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, a professor at Dalhousie who is among the national leaders in food pricing, Canada's food inflation is the highest in the G7. This is not a global issue; it is a Liberal-made issue. I would ask my colleague what impact Canada having the highest food inflation in the G7 is having on her constituents and the families in Oshawa.”
“Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that the member is the one who was questioning the data that is coming from Statistics Canada and Farm Credit Canada, the Liberals' own Crown corporation and their own agency. The statistics are coming from their own government. If they do not believe those statistics, maybe they should make some changes within their own bureaucracy. It is interesting that he is the one who talks about misinformation.”
“Mr. Speaker, absolutely, I would argue that it is going to get worse. An $800 tax cut is wiped away by food inflation that is going up every single month; it has done so three months in a row. It is only going to get worse when the Liberals implement their policies like the front-of-pack labelling and the P2 plastics ban. Those two policies alone will increase food costs, potentially, by $14 billion. Those are additional costs that are going to be put on produce growers, manufacturers and retailers. They will pass on those costs to consumers, which will continue to drive up food costs. We are in a food security crisis here at home, and the Liberals need to step up and do something about it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I know that this is going to be shocking to my colleague from the Bloc, whom I respect a great deal, but the Liberals say one thing during a campaign and do something very different once they have been elected. The Liberals like to say that they are not ready and that it has been only three months. The cabinet has been there for 10 years. It is not like the Liberals just came into a new House of Commons and have no idea what has been going on for the last 10 years. They have caused all the problems. Their overspending, high taxes and bad policies have put Canada in this financial situation. I would argue that the Liberals do not want to table a budget because Canadians would be frightened to see the financial situation the Liberals have left us in.”
“Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Liberal member's rattling off just about every policy in the Conservative campaign that the Liberals took, and I would encourage her to take all of them. Why stop with just a few? Why take the GST off new homes for first-time buyers only? Why not take the GST off new homes for every buyer so we can have more accessible homes for all Canadians, not just those who are buying a home for the first time? Do not just go halfway; if you are going to take the Conservative platform, take it all. We will support you the whole way.”
“We are ignoring our most important allies, who have come to us wanting cheap, affordable and sustainable Canadian LNG, but the Liberal government has said there is no business case. We are eroding our reputation as a trusted partner to our G7 allies. However, a lot of these things could be resolved if the Liberal government repealed its ideological policies and tabled a budget so Canadians can actually see the financial picture they are facing. If the government is not willing to do it, I suggest it steps aside, because the Conservatives are ready to do just that.”
“In 2024, total farm operating expenses in Canada increased to $78.3 billion, a 2.4% increase from the previous year. These increases are coming from fertilizer, feed and machinery. Fertilizer prices soared by more than 50%. Feed costs are up 20%. Machinery expenses and fuel are up by 53%. I cannot stress this enough. These are very real consequences of ideological and punishing policies by the Liberal government that are putting the economic viability of our farmers at risk and driving up food costs for Canadians. Every single month we are seeing this. I have to ask whether the discussion in Alberta next week at the G7 will be whether Canada actually belongs in the G7, when we are a partner that is punishing our farmers and putting food security, not only here at home but also globally, at risk.”
“The Liberal government wants to reduce fertilizer use by 30% and crop protection products by 50%. These losses would lead to losses for farmers exceeding $50 billion and to a reduction of crop yields by 14 million tonnes. Last, the impact of the Liberals' inflationary spending and regulations is taking a toll on the economic viability of Canadian farmers. I know that my colleague from Winnipeg North is going to hate this, but it comes from Statistics Canada and Farm Credit Canada: Last year was the most expensive crop in Canadian history. The results that just came out show that in 2024, Canadian farmers experienced a 25% decline in realized net income, a total loss of $3.3 billion. Farmers are losing about $3,000 every single month. This is the worst loss in realized net income since 2018.”
“It will increase food waste by 50%. At a time when Canadians are wanting to support Canadian growers, Liberal policy is bankrupting Canadian producers. More than 44% of growers of fresh fruit and vegetables in Canada are already selling their products at a loss, and this is before the new ideological policies are being implemented. An hon. member: Where do you get your numbers? John Barlow: Mr. Speaker, I just said “Deloitte”. I think that is pretty reputable, as are Farm Credit Canada and the CEO of Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada. The Liberals do not like to hear the numbers. They do not like to hear those stats because they are a direct result of punishing policies being implemented by the Liberal government. However, my colleague across the way is going to love it, because the Liberals are not done yet.”
“Michael Graydon, the CEO of Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada, stated at the agriculture committee last year that the Liberals' nonsensical front-of-pack warning labels will cost the industry an additional $8 billion and that manufacturers will have no choice to pass on those additional costs to the consumers, driving up food prices at the grocery store. An in-depth report by Deloitte stated that the impact of the Liberals' P2 plastics ban on Canadian producers and produce growers will be catastrophic; it will increase the cost of produce another 35%. That is over and above the inflationary increases that we are already seeing as a result of the Liberals' out-of-control spending. It will reduce the availability of fresh produce by 50%. It will cost growers and producers more than $6 billion in additional costs.”
“Not only are the Liberals breaking these promises; they are shattering them with this type of spending, and they refuse to hold themselves accountable, with their policies driving up food costs. If anything, the policies they continue to want to implement and continue to champion would only make matters worse. Ideological policies like front-of-pack labelling, a P2 plastics ban, a tariff on fertilizer, fertilizer and crop protection reductions and industrial carbon tax will all make life more difficult for farmers, manufacturers, truckers and retailers. All those costs get passed down to the consumer at the grocery store shelf. (1235) I want to give a few examples of the incredible consequences these ideological policies will have on consumers.”
“However, despite the Liberals' refusal to table a budget, it is Canadians who are paying the price. They are paying the price at the grocery store shelf every single day. The current Prime Minister said during the election that he was going to be different. Clearly, in only a couple of months, he is different; I would say arguably worse. He said that he would keep spending increases at 2%, that he would cap that, but his first group of estimates shows that he has increased spending more than 8%, by half a trillion dollars in more deficit spending. At a time when inflation and food security are top of mind, the government is continuing to throw gas on the inflationary fire.”
“I would expect that Canadians would want the government to follow their lead and actually have a budget showing Canadians where their tax dollars are going and just how bad the fiscal situation that the Liberals have left us is. The Liberals are great at blaming someone else for their problems. The parliamentary secretary is still blaming COVID. I am sure the Liberals are going to be blaming Harper later today. However, the Prime Minister was the financial adviser for the previous prime minister, Trudeau, for more than five years. This is not a new group. The finance minister has been there for 10 years. The former finance minister has been there for 10 years. It is not like the Liberals do not have some data to go by. These are not new Liberals.”
“I admit that I rise today with some frustration, as certainly all of us in this House are hearing from our constituents who are frustrated with the price of groceries at the grocery store shelf, given the promises by the Liberal Prime Minister . It seems to us that they are the same old Liberals with the same old promises and the same old promises broken. The average family is now spending close to $1,000 more a year on groceries: close to $16,000. These prices continue to rise: oranges are up more than 20%; apples, 20%; beef, more than 30%; rice, 14%, and the list goes on and on. As a result, Canadians are having to make very difficult choices every single month when they do their household budgets.”
“As the Conservative shadow minister for agriculture and agri-food, it is my duty to stand here and represent and be the voice for the hard-working farmers and ranchers and producers right across this country, as well as for those Canadians who have gone to the grocery store shelves over the last few months and have questioned how this could possibly be getting worse. People are asking this because the Prime Minister stated emphatically that he would be judged by the prices at the grocery store shelves. The Prime Minister said that, not the opposition. By his own metrics, by the Prime Minister's own statement, he has failed Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House today. Since this is my first opportunity to give a speech in the House since the election, I want to thank the constituents of Foothills and the families in southern Alberta who once again elected me to represent them in the House of Commons. I am honoured that we received the second-highest number of votes in the country, almost 55,000. Only my colleague from Ponoka—Didsbury was able to surpass the wonderful people of Foothills. That certainly goes to show that our message as Conservatives standing up for Alberta resonates with my constituents in Foothills. I want to state that I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Cloverdale—Langley City . I welcome back to the House of Commons such an outstanding colleague here with me.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague said something that tweaked my memory. He said that the government is going to spend less so Canadians can invest more. That sounds really familiar to the previous regime, which was using a word salad to try to convince Canadians of something that was not true, like when it said, “The budget will balance itself,” and “We are taking on this debt so Canadians do not have to.” Does the member's definition of the estimates, where the government is increasing spending by 8%, meet his definition of the government spending less? It certainly does not meet mine.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister may be meeting, but he sure is not listening. While he dawdles, the opportunities to unleash Canadian energy pass us by because of the Liberals' anti-energy legislation, which blocks infrastructure and blocks investment. The provinces want to build and Canadian workers want to work. Canadians want energy independence, but Bill C-69 blocks pipelines and Bill C-48 blocks shipping. The job-killing carbon tax and the industrial carbon tax are punishing our energy sector. Will the Prime Minister end his attacks on Canadian oil and gas and repeal his anti-energy legislation today?”
“Mr. Speaker, when knocking on doors, I met Foothills families whose members were in tears because they are losing their jobs and losing their businesses because of the Liberal attacks on Canadian energy. These are small business owners who employ hundreds of thousands of Canadians right across this country. They need real action and no more political games. Like the provinces, they want to build because pipelines mean paycheques, a growing economy and energy independence. Why are the Liberals the only holdout? The Prime Minister is meeting with premiers in Saskatchewan today. Will he approve a pipeline at that meeting?”