Richard Bragdon
Tobique—Mactaquac, New Brunswick · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, where are the results? New Brunswick families are feeling the effects of this Liberal recession every day. Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. GDP has shrunk for three of the last four quarters, and unemployment is the second highest in the G7.”
“Mr. Speaker, according to that member on that side of the House, everyone should just be happy. That member is getting an announcement. Another member is getting an announcement. Another member is getting a commission. Members are getting rhetoric. Guess what? There are still no results. Canadians want results. Show us the results.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, a report of the Canadian section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. [ English ] This report describes the group's congressional visit to Washington, D.C., from March 17 to 19.”
“Mr. Speaker, today, the Prime Minister arrives at the G7 as the only leader who has driven his country into a recession. While families struggle through this full-blown recession, the Liberals continue to offer announcements instead of results.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, four reports of the Canadian section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. [ English ] I had the privilege of leading several of these missions alongside the Hon.”
“The fourth concerns IPG's participation at the CSG's South Southern Legislative Annual Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, from July 19 to 23, 2025. The fifth concerns IPG's contributions to the Pacific Northwest Economic Region's 34th annual summit in Bellevue, Washington, from July 20 to 24, 2025.”
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“I offer a special thanks to my colleagues, as well as our staff, the volunteers and all the attendees who are praying with us either in person or from across the country. This event would not be possible without them. We pray that Canada will continue to be the true north, strong and free. As our beloved national anthem declares, may God continue to “keep our land glorious and free”.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today as the chair of the 60th annual National Prayer Breakfast. This is truly a historic event that takes place on the Hill each year, where we gather in the spirit of Christ and pray for our country. This non-partisan Christian event is the highlight for many of us, and I am pleased to say that we had a record attendance. This year's theme is that we are not alone, for we are assured that God is with us and that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, as is stated in scripture. It is a message that calls us to remember those who came before us, the enduring role of faith and the role it has played in shaping Canada's history, institutions and sense of service.”
“Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, four reports of the Canadian section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, or CEUS. [ English ] The first concerns the IPG's participation at the Council of State Governments, CSG, in South Carolina, at the South Southern Legislative Annual Conference, from July 8 to July 12, 2023. The second concerns the IPG's participation at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Annual Summit, known as PNWER, in Boise, Idaho, from July 16 to July 20, 2023. The third concerns the IPG's participation at the annual meeting of the Council of State Governments Western Legislative Conference in Los Angeles, California, from November 12 to November 15, 2023.”
“Mr. Speaker, tell that to the producers and farmers in Victoria, Carleton and York counties in New Brunswick, who are being hit by the Liberals' newly renamed carbon tax, the clean fuel standard, which adds seven cents a litre. At the same time, the Liberals have raised the industrial carbon tax on steel, aluminum and farm equipment. All this is driving up costs for dairy, beef and poultry producers in my region and throughout the country. These costs are imposed here at home. I will ask again. When will the Liberals end their era of self-sabotage and remove the policies that are making life more expensive for all Canadians?”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians know we cannot control what happens abroad, but the government controls the policies here at home. Under the Liberal government, Canada now has the worst food price inflation in the G7 and the only shrinking economy in the G7. Our families, seniors, workers and those who transport our food have no alternative but to use fuel. These costs are imposed here at home, not abroad. When will the Liberals end the era of self-sabotage and remove the policies that are driving up costs here at home?”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition, as many people have reached out to my office and contacted me repeatedly from various faith communities concerned about Bill C-9 . This petition calls for there to be free expression, and the protection of freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of belief, which are fundamental rights. I cannot help but think of Canada's 13th prime minister, Sir John G. Diefenbaker, when he said, “I am Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold—”
“I want to commend my colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador for listening to their people, those who are most impacted by this decision. It takes a member of Parliament who is connected to his or her region to make sure that those concerns get brought to this floor and are debated. I know these colleagues well. This young man would not have brought this bill forward if he did not feel this was important to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Let us listen to what they are saying, hear their concerns, support this bill and get it to committee. I appreciate the members' time and attention.”
“Let us allow this bill to get to committee to have that discussion. Let us talk about the future of the cod fishery. Let us talk about the health of the cod stocks, and let us hear from Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, those who live in our coastal and rural communities who are most affected by these types of decisions. Let us give this bill a chance and get it to committee. That way, we would bring cohesion to Atlantic provinces, so we would not be pitting one province against another, having one set of rules for Prince Edward Islanders, another set for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, another set for Nova Scotians and another one for New Brunswickers. No, let us make sure that they come into the equation and that there is consistency. This bill would go a long way to establishing that.”
“It gets really rich when, for the last 11 years, the government has done absolutely nothing about the biggest predator, the overwhelming risk to the health of the cod stocks for years, which is the explosion of the pinniped population in that part of our country. There has been study after study. I have been on the fisheries committee, and I have heard the fish harvesters who have come in. They have given testimony about what is quite literally the elephant in the waters, and that needs to be addressed if we want to protect all kinds of fish stocks and their futures. The government has not done anything about that for 11 years, but it would single out recreational fishers who want to recapture part of their way of life. I think it is a misplaced priority. In fact, I know it is a misplaced priority. Let us get back to common sense.”
“Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are passionate about making sure that the cod fishery is sustainable and endures for as long as Canada does. We want this to be not only a part of Canadian heritage but also a part of Canada's future. That happens by taking this step, bringing this bill to committee, letting us study it and getting to the bottom of it. (1130) It does get a bit rich when I hear the opponents of this bill stand up to talk about how we have to protect the resource and how these families going out to fish five cod a day would be detrimental to the health of the cod stocks.”
“It would behoove those who represent Canadians from all parts of the country, from coast to coast to coast, to do our due diligence and listen to those voices that would be most affected by this bill. Those who would be most impacted are Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and they are saying that they would love to see this bill enacted. They want it brought in. They want fairness restored. They want access to a fishery that was a tremendously overwhelming part of their lives and heritage for a long time. It is only right that we, as the people's representatives here in the House, listen to those in Newfoundland and Labrador who are saying, “Pass this bill. Allow us to gain access to this fishery. Let us do what we enjoy doing.” They are, trust me, more invested in the health of the cod stocks than any of us in this room.”
“If those who are most affected by this are feeling that this is something important to them and would be good because it would put more people on the water and allow them to regularly monitor the health of those stocks and how they are doing, that would be a good thing. It could unify the region. It would cause a ceasing of the disparity between one Atlantic province and another. This bill would go a long way to levelling that playing field, and we should pursue it. I commend my colleague, the member for Terra Nova—The Peninsulas for his hard work on this. He worked with his colleagues, the members for Long Range Mountains and Central Nova , to make sure that this is a reflection of what Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want.”
“What they are asking for is not something that is unreasonable. They want to be put on par with other Atlantic Canadian provinces. There is a huge disparity. When Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have different sets of rules than Newfoundland and Labrador, that is an inequity that needs to be addressed, and it should be addressed expeditiously. This bill goes toward that. It is to restore fairness when it comes to the recreational fishery and obtaining access to the cod that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians so love and are most acquainted with. If there is a group of Canadians that is fully invested in the health of the stocks of cod, it would be Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”
“They have paid a huge personal price to protect the species that are risk, including, and namely, cod. We are in a circumstance where this is coming from those very communities that are very much connected to the waters. Many that are connected to the commercial fishery are on those waters, and they recognize when stocks are rebounding. They know when stock quotas are improving, when the health of a certain stock of fish is coming into a better zone and when there are more plentiful resources available to people. They want to be able to enjoy that resource again. It is a part of their way of life. It is a part of what they have done as families for years. Not only have they made their livings off the water, but it has also become a means of food security for many families. They want to be able to gain meaningful access again.”
“Madam Speaker, it is an honour to once again rise here in the people's House, this time in support of the member for Terra Nova—The Peninsulas 's bill, Bill C-237 , which brings to the floor of the House a concern that originated in a local community. The rural parts of this country are the often overlooked regions that far too often get neglected when it comes to policy considerations, including the formation of policies around fisheries. Too many times decisions have been made that have had devastating consequences for local communities and those communities where livelihoods depend upon access to stable resources and fisheries. They have been willing to make sacrifices to conserve the species that were at risk, and they have proven that. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have proven that time and time again.”
“They are the very ones who helped build this country, and they will be key to our nation's comeback. When the House puts forward serious, effective ideas that truly help Canadians, Conservatives will work in good faith to fast-track those results, because we believe in Canada, and we will always put our fellow Canadians ahead of politics.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians are a resilient people who believe that if they work hard, care for their neighbours and contribute to their communities, they should be able to build a good life. Canadians are now feeling overwhelmed and weighed down, wondering how they will afford a home, put food on the table or plan for tomorrow, but hope is not lost. It is found in our foundations as a nation, in the shared values that bind us together, and in the enduring belief that a better country is built through hard work, good policy and steady leadership. Conservatives are united by our belief in shared dignity and opportunity. We believe governments should let Canadians thrive. We need to let the farmers farm, let the producers produce and let the workers work.”
“Mr. Speaker, yes, we in New Brunswick, and in my part of the country that I represent, appreciate the hard work of our friends in Alberta and those, in particular, in the oil and gas sector, who help produce the fuel to fill up the trucks, fill up the ships and fuel the trains that transport the food from that part of the country to our part of the country and the energy from one part of the country to the others and also produce the revenues through which our regions of the country that sometimes struggle fiscally have the means to feed, work, build schools, build hospitals and maintain things. If we want to build a country that has food security, economic security and energy security, we had better work together and appreciate all regions of this country, and that includes our oil and gas producers.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is a bit beyond rich when recipients of transfer payments that come from the oil and gas sector, to the tune of $13 billion to $14 billion a year, then turn around and say to that very sector that it is the cause of food inflation. I say no. If they are so principled against those who produce our oil and gas, they should say no to the transfer payments, and we will redistribute it to the provinces that appreciate it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I always thank my hon. colleague for his many hours here in the House. He works tirelessly. I must say, though, he is profoundly wrong in this regard. Canadians are not saying to me, at least in my constituency office, that they have never had it so good, that it is so wonderful how well they are doing, that they have never had more money in their pocket. No, it is the exact opposite. They are frustrated because of the policies of the government. Ladies and gentlemen, it is like saying to the arsonist, go put out the fire you started; we will trust you. It was not this side of the House that said no to pipelines. It was not this side of the House that put carbon taxes on our farmers. It was not this side of the House that erected interprovincial trade barriers. It was that side of the House.”
“We must reverse course, stop putting the boot on our producers and on our farmers, and address the food inflationary challenges that every Canadian is facing right now, by getting out of the way and removing some of the regulatory and tax burdens that are overwhelming our farmers, our producers and our citizens. It is time to get back and fix the foundation.”
“It is time we check our foundation, get back to what works and get away from the things that are detrimental to the growth of the very sectors of our economy that built this nation into the greatest nation there is. This great nation we live in is facing a great challenge, and it is because we have expanded in the areas we should be pulling back from. We have retreated in the areas we should be growing in, which are the areas of our future prosperity and the same as our past prosperity: the sectors of farming and natural resource development, and our fuel and oil and gas sectors. The ones that helped build the country are the ones that are going to help restore the country's prosperity.”
“It is a difference in governments and the approach and fiscal policies they undertake. When we consider that our food banks are being overrun, we have a situation that no longer is just an urban issue but has also spread into our rural communities. I have talked to the food bank workers in our areas. They are exhausted. They work harder and harder and put in more and more hours. They give out more food than ever before. With these growing challenges, 2.2 million visitors go to food banks every month. These are historic numbers, and they are troubling numbers. When we consider that food processing costs have continued to soar and that the input costs on our farmers have continued to soar, we realize we are expanding in all the wrong indicators and at all the wrong times.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to draw our attention to one of the big challenges we are facing. We have gotten away from our foundation, which is the affordability of food. When we look at the cost of groceries affecting each and every Canadian right now and their households, when we look at the fact that Canada now has the highest food inflation in the G7, that is not bad luck. That is just plain bad policy. Food inflation is twice as high now as when the Prime Minister took office. After nearly a decade of Liberal rule, life costs more, not less. Food inflation is said to now be double that in the United States, and it is obviously more than in all of the other G7 countries. They face the same weather and climatic changes that we do. They face the same global supply chain challenges and shocks that we do. What is the difference?”
“However, what we have seen since that time is an ever-expanding growth in government, and a dependency upon government and growing its programs, without growing, developing and ensuring that the economics upon which they are built and established are firm and successful. Those are the very sectors that provide the revenue and the strength to sustain those programs. Too many times we are looking to another new and expansive government program that costs Canadian taxpayers more and more money—”
“Mr. Speaker, as I was stating, it is so important at a time like this that we check the foundation. If we just continue to build and build, without making sure that the foundation is right and the thing upon which we are building is sound and secure, many times we are going to have even more problems. Canadians are demanding that we check the foundation to make sure we get it right. The foundations I am talking about are the very sectors that helped build this country in the first place: the foundations of farming, forestry, fisheries, the fuel sector and natural resource development. Those things help provide food security and economic security for our people.”
“It is time to check the foundation, to get the country back on the right foundation, to stop building on sand and to start building on a firm foundation.”
“Speaker, I am starting to feel a bit comfortable, but I have to wind down because I am going to get interrupted. I will be giving colleagues a high-five and doing all that good stuff here in just a second. If we are going to address the faulty foundation, we have to deal with the four Fs. I will get into them in my second segment. I am just warming up. Let us talk about the cost of food and the soaring input costs that farms are facing. We must also talk about fuel, because fuel is what drives and gets our food to market and on the grocery shelves. When the price of fuel goes up, the price of food goes up, so we have to address fuel. Once we get beyond fuel, we had better check the foundation so we can build a future of prosperity and affordability for every Canadian.”
“As a result, it began to falter when pressure came. (1355) Now, we can curse the wind and blast the storms. We can holler at them and say they are terrible, awful and unjust, or we can look at the foundation and say, “It is time to fix it and make sure we are building on the right place.” We have a choice to make. We could continue to build on sand and grow the size of government, grow programs and spend more money. At the end of the day, we can spend and spend and never solve any problems if the foundation does not get fixed. It is time we fixed the foundation and addressed the real issues at the core of the challenges we are facing as they relate to affordability, which Canadians are struggling with. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Richard Bragdon: Mr.”
“We are not ranked number one in the G7 for food inflation without having responsibility for that. It is easy to scapegoat or point the finger at some vast, outside influence causing it, but we have to check within our own house and see what needs to be fixed. I would humbly present before the House that we must start with the foundation. I was reminded of an ancient story, and perhaps some members will recognize it. It refers to those who were wise about where they built. They chose to build upon a rock, and when the winds, adversity and trouble came, their house withstood those storms because their foundation was firm. The foolish builders decided to build on sand, and when the winds and rains came and beat against the house, the structure looked similar. It looked great and wonderful, but what was underneath the structure was faulty.”
“It is a reality that families are experiencing day in and day out, and we are hearing about it. I am sure that my colleagues on the other side of the House get the same types of call I get. We do not even have to wait in our offices for a phone call. We can just visit the local grocery store and talk to those who are purchasing groceries. They recognize that the problem is not with the farmer, because it is not the farmer who determines the price. It is also not the trucking company that determines the price. Domestic government policy and the government's priorities are impacting the price of food. It is time we put the priorities straight and put the cost of living first and foremost on the priority list of the government. We must not be distracted. We must address the root cause of soaring inflation in this country.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House today and speak to this important motion that our party's leader brought forward. We recognize that the challenges Canadians are facing are serious and very real. Canadians do not have to look at an economics chart or study statistics to realize that the cost of putting food on the table is going up exponentially each and every month and year. In fact, we have seen, just this year, that the average cost of groceries to feed a family of four has hit over $17,000 per year and is expected to go up another $1,000 in a year. I have a feeling that many Canadians look at this and wonder how they are ever going to make ends meet. We have to look at it holistically and realize that this pain is real. It is not just some table or statistic.”
“Mr. Speaker, people in my riding and across this country are tired of the Liberals taking far more money out of their back pockets than they are putting in their front pockets. Food banks now see 2.2 million visits every month. Food prices are rising twice as fast as when the Prime Minister first took office. The Liberals' own reports admit that fuel standard taxes add 7¢ a litre today and are rising to 17¢, hitting rural Canadians the hardest. Again, will the government finally act to remove these taxes, increase grocery competition and support farmers, or will it keep forcing Canadians to pay the highest food inflation in the G7?”
“Mr. Speaker, food security is national security. Statistics Canada confirms food inflation has hit 6.2%, the highest in the G7. It now costs $17,600 to feed a family of four, $1,000 more than last year, with food prices rising twice as fast as in the U.S. Canadians know why. The industrial carbon fuel and packaging taxes drive up the cost of farm equipment, fertilizer and trucking. Will the government move now to eliminate these taxes, boost grocery competition and cut the red tape on farmers, yes or no?”
“It is because they have misplaced priorities for years and talked down the best of the Canadian economy. Let us get out of the way and let Canada do what it does best: produce and work.”
“Madam Speaker, that is a great question. Liberals have totally missed the mark when it comes to delivering results for Canadians. They make promises without being grounded in reality and in tangible, measurable results for Canadians. The Liberals cannot talk down the very sectors that have helped make Canada the greatest country in the world historically. They cannot keep talking down those sectors and then expect, all of a sudden, to turn on a dime, say they are champions for Canada now and invite everyone to do business here. Canada is the highest tax jurisdiction in the advanced economy. They have put more regulations and taxes on our energy sector than in most other economies, then they wonder why they are not effective or delivering results.”
“Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Quebec. It is a pleasure for me to speak about the budget again here in the House of Commons. [ English ] The member raises a very valid point. The priority of Canadians is cost of living, and the last thing they need is another grandiose announcement, a big promise that sets expectations high, with results never to be seen for years, oftentimes even decades. The Liberals say that someday or tomorrow they are going to do this and they are going to do that, sometime in the future, but after a while, a promise without delivery leaves people feeling hopeless and desperate. Canadians need results and action, not just more spending and announcements. They need real results, not rhetoric. What we intend to do on this side of the House is deliver results for Canadians.”
“Madam Speaker, I find my hon. colleague's question somewhat perplexing. I think many Canadians share in being confounded by that, in that it is a lot like voodoo economics. Spending is spending is spending. We can call it investment, or we can call it this or that, but spending is spending, debt is debt and deficits are deficits. What we need is a government that is going to prioritize the needs of Canadians, unleash our private sector, stop standing on the backs of our industry, stop standing on the backs of our farmers, stop standing on the backs of our oil and gas sector, unleash that potential and build the infrastructure necessary to get Canadian goods to market. Then we will turn the economy around and be much more self-reliant in doing so.”
“Madam Speaker, they are first-class, hard-working, wonderful people who feel forgotten by their government. However, I am glad to say that there is an awakening across rural Canada. People are recognizing we need change and are looking for this side of the House to stand up for them, and we will continue to do that.”
“It promised for years to increase broadband access and Internet access in rural and remote areas, with very little headway being made. I still hear and receive phone calls all the time at our office from those who are frustrated with the lack of coverage, because, again, the government has not been proactive in addressing this. We have to prioritize the needs of rural Canadians, because it was rural Canada that built this country, and it will be rural Canada that is key to our comeback. It is time their voices are heard and considered when it comes to aspects of our budget and economic security and viability. (1605) An hon. member: Oh, oh! Richard Bragdon: Exactly. They are not second-class citizens, and they should not be treated that way.”
“As many of them will tell us, firearms ownership is a deterrent to rural crime. We need to stand up for their rights. The next F I want to talk about in the pathway forward to prosperity and overcoming the challenges that this budget has presented for Canadians is to make sure that we address the challenges we are finding in the area of rural connectivity, broadband access and mobility access. When budgets are put together, oftentimes an urban-centric slant is put on them, with very little consideration for those who grow our food, manufacture our goods, truck and haul our goods and develop our natural resources. Much of our nation's GDP is harnessed by those in rural Canada, but they are an afterthought when it comes to the policy decisions the current government is making.”
“Their way of life is oftentimes not considered when it comes to policies such as EV mandates, which take away the choice of the kind of vehicle they need and want to drive in in the areas in which they live. The government attacks their way of life and traditions in hunting and fishing, with over-regulation and especially with firearms legislation that punishes the law-abiding firearms owner, hunter and sport shooter. The government misplaces the priorities of rural Canadians and says it is going to tackle crime by doing this. No, rural crime is soaring under the Liberals' watch, because they have neglected the issues that matter most. If we want more security in rural areas, we need to make sure law-abiding firearms owners have the ability to protect and stand on guard for their homes and properties properly and lawfully.”
“The last Conservative prime minister we had was able to reach a deal in 80 days that lasted for 10 years. It has been over a decade that the Liberal government has been in power and there is still no relief for our forestry sector. We are seeing mills close all the time in our country, and people are losing good jobs across this nation. It is time we reprioritize. Canadians are looking for a government to put the priority on our forestry sector again. That brings me to the consideration of rural Canadians, who are oftentimes the most overlooked and most forgotten segment of our nation. Those who live in rural and remote communities are oftentimes forgotten by the government in place now.”
“The government cannot talk those sectors down for 10 years, telling everybody we have dirty oil and dirty gas, and then expect those sectors to continue to produce at a high level when it has maintained policies that have been detrimental to their progress and prosperity, policies such as tanker bans, pipeline bans, overtaxation and industrial carbon taxes. When these sectors are put at a regulatory and taxation disadvantage, the investment dollars for them are going to flee our country, and it is very hard for a country to move forward on the pathway to prosperity when those who generate our fuel are overcome. Emission caps and production caps are absolutely detrimental to the future prosperity of this country. The next F I want to talk about is the forestry sector.”
“They would say to take care of our farmers and would tell us to make sure we get out of their way so they can do what they do best, which is to plant, grow and produce good nourishment for Canadians and literally people around the world. An hon. member: Don't muzzle the ox. Richard Bragdon: Madam Speaker, do not muzzle the ox is exactly right. We should feed the horse that is hauling the cart, not starve the donkey bearing the burden. We need to make sure we are taking care of our farmers, and they will take care of Canadians. It is time we prioritize these things. The next F I want to talk about in moving Canada on the pathway forward economically and to a future of prosperity is about making sure we deal with those in our fuel sectors, our oil and gas sectors.”
“I must go further, to the source of food, and look at the increased burdens the government has brought upon our farmers. I have the privilege of serving on the agriculture committee, and trust me, we hear directly from our farmers and producers about soaring input costs. We put our farmers at a competitive disadvantage when they have to pay for things like the industrial carbon tax, the fuel standards tax and packaging taxes. All of this over-regulation and increased taxation is causing an undue burden on those who grow our food and generate food security for not only our country but countries around the world. (1600) If we were to hear the voices of farmers, they would say, if we want to find a pathway forward, to take care of those who grow our food.”
“I always love alliterations, so I am going to give a few Fs for the pathway forward in Canada. F number one is making sure that we make food affordable again. It is hard to work, carry out obligations or provide for a family if someone is struggling to put groceries on the table every week. We have seen under the Liberal government that the cost of groceries has doubled in the last 10 years. We are even seeing an expected increase of $1,000 more per year in the next fiscal year, on average, for Canadian households to put groceries on their tables. We are expecting feeding a family of four to cost $17,000 this year, and it will go to over $18,000 next year. For many families, that looks like an insurmountable mountain they must climb when they try to balance that cost with other needs in their households.”
“We cannot be ever-expanding the load and burden upon fewer and fewer taxpayers. We cannot neglect the sectors that produce the wealth to generate the programs we rely upon, and then continually grow that level of dependence without expanding, rapidly growing and prioritizing the things that fund and fuel the economy. I challenge the government to reprioritize, to look at the budget and say that maybe there are some things out of order. We are growing the burden on the taxpayer without growing the taxpayer base. We are growing the expectations of future generations of Canadians without growing the economy that will be able to fuel the very mechanisms of government that we are expanding. To crystallize this, I want to talk quickly about a few categories.”
“Let us bring that to terms we can relate to. When we grow the size and scope of government, the cart, the deliverer of services, without ever prioritizing the needs of the horse, Canada's economy, which funds, fuels and hauls the cart of government from one objective to another, we have something that has misplaced the priorities that should be at the top of any government's priority list. When the priority is growing the size and scope of government while neglecting the very thing that funds and fuels the government, we are going to have a problem. For 10 years, we have called out and criticized oil, gas, energy, agriculture and the many sectors that have helped to make Canada a truly amazing country. It is no wonder that people are frustrated and think we have our priorities wrong, or that the government has its priorities wrong.”
“Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Fundy Royal for his great remarks. He brought up so many relevant subjects that need to be considered when we consider the implementation of this budget. In preparation for my remarks today, an old saying came back to me, and I think it bears relevance today. I do not know if fellow members have heard the expression “Don't put the cart before the horse”. When it comes to the government's budget, I have to say that it is a superior example of putting the cart before the horse. What do I mean by that? We are investing tremendous amounts of taxpayer dollars into building an elaborate cart, expanding the cart, growing the cart, making the cart larger and have many compartments and increasing the storage and capacity of the cart while at the same time totally and entirely neglecting the horse.”