Todd Doherty
Cariboo—Prince George, British Columbia · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition signed by the residents of Prince George and hand delivered by members of city council, who are all deeply concerned about repeat offending, court delays and the growing impact of property crime in our community.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my thanks to the hon. member, as my colleagues have done. I was elected with my friend in 2015. As many know, we go through highs and lows in this job. She has always been resolute in her faith. She is a strong supporter of her colleagues.”
“Mr. Speaker, $38 million spent, 1,000 deliberately set fires in just four years and businesses closing and leaving town are the true devastating costs of Liberal catch-and-release and mental health policies in the city of Prince George. Prolific offenders are arrested and released the very same day.”
“Many times I do not know whether a person is alive. It is unbelievable. What does it say when a food bank has become a permanent part of household budgeting? This is not the Canada that previous generations built. Housing tells a similar story. For generations, home ownership represented the Canadian dream.”
“Whose fault is it when committees are given insufficient time to hear witnesses and review evidence? Whose fault is it when Canadians are not heard? The answer is obvious. Governments control their legislative agenda and control the timing of legislation. Governments determine when bills are introduced.”
“The larger the bill, the greater the need for committee review. The more spending involved, the more questions are needed. The more power that is granted to the government or the ministers to make decisions without scrutiny, the more oversight should occur. Instead, the government is proposing exactly the opposite.”
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“We will lower taxes, fight inflation, cut red tape, build more homes and produce more Canadian energy, so we can stand on our own two feet. We are united for hope. We are focused on results, and we are ready to make life more affordable for the millions of Canadians who work hard and deserve better than what this guy is promising.”
“Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are united for hope. After 10 years of Liberal failure, Canadians are struggling just to get by. Groceries cost more, housing is out of reach, energy bills are up and crime is out of control. The Canadian promise that if someone works hard and plays by the rules they can get ahead has been broken. Conservatives are united to restore that promise. While the Liberals offer slogans and photo ops, Canadians are demanding real results, but the Prime Minister 's rhetoric does not match reality. Food inflation is higher than ever, housing is out of reach, dozens of mills have closed across British Columbia and no new resource projects have been approved or built. Conservatives are focused on delivering real solutions.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are hemorrhaging jobs at a staggering rate in B.C. Over the last two weeks, thousands of British Columbians have lost their jobs because of the Prime Minister . The pipeline will create jobs and make our economy self-reliant. We need this. Our nation needs this, but the Liberals cannot get their story straight. One MP says no pipeline without B.C.'s consent, and the member for Victoria says he is “decisively not in support.” They say one thing to one group and another to another group. How can Canadians take the government seriously when it cannot get its story straight and cannot get its caucus in line?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians he would build now and move at unimaginable speeds, but eight months later, all we have is a questionable MOU that punts the pipeline proposal down the road. It does not create jobs and it does not boost the economy. All it does is give Premier Eby another excuse to keep saying, “over my dead body”. The Constitution is clear that B.C. has no veto, so why are the Liberals stalling? Will the Liberals admit they were wrong and vote for our motion to approve a pipeline like the Prime Minister said he would?”
“Mr. Speaker, they say they stand with the workers who have lost their jobs. Have they stood with them in the unemployment line? Have they stood with them in the food bank line? Have they stood with them when the bank forecloses on their home? Have they stood with them when they have lost their business? That is the reality our families are facing. I am not sure the member fully understands the dire situation we are in. Entire communities are drying up in the province of British Columbia. When will the Prime Minister get serious about forestry, protect our families, grow a spine and stop caving to Donald Trump?”
“Mr. Speaker, last week, the Drax pellet plant in Williams Lake announced it was shutting down. This week, Domtar pulp mill in Crofton announced a permanent closure. That is over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs lost and another 1,000 families that are facing financial uncertainty. It has been 10 years, and the Liberals have failed to negotiate a fair softwood lumber agreement with the U.S. The Prime Minister is now in Washington for a third photo op, this time for FIFA. Will he stand up for our devastated forestry families, or will he once again kneel before Donald Trump?”
“I truly believe that if an agreement had been in place long ago, we would not be where we are right now, seeing the incredible numbers in job losses. That is a failure that falls squarely at the feet of the Liberals.”
“Mr. Speaker, that is probably one of the most frustrating things that we see and hear. In our regions, our forestry workers are proud by nature. Canadians are proud by nature. They do not want handouts, EI or welfare; they want a job. It is really frustrating. Imagine being 55 or 56 years of age and having worked a lifetime in an industry only to wake up one day and be told that job is no longer there. In many cases in my riding, a lot of these people started right out of high school. It is the only job they know, so they may or may not be retrainable. What are they going to do? There is not another job coming behind to backfill that or a well-paying job available for them. While the handouts are appreciated, especially at this time, what they really want to see is jobs.”
“Mr. Speaker, the simple answer is yes. It is going to be higher because the Prime Minister does not answer to Canadians; he answers to the shareholders of Brookfield. For sure that spending is going to go higher. He has to answer to the shareholders of Brookfield.”
“Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the member has been spewing the same talking points from the government side. For nine years, he defended their track record in terms of bail and not jail. Ten years, and now all of a sudden it is a priority for him. We will take no lessons from that colleague. There are 170 other members of Parliament on the other side. I dare any one of them to stand up.”
“I know they are going to stand up and say Canadians have never had it so good. We now spend more servicing our debt than we do in health care transfers. It is shameful how far we have fallen. I wish I had 20 minutes because I could go on and on about the failures of the government. It is absolutely shameful. I will cede the floor for questions.”
“I cannot imagine anyone who would want to be part of that team. I cannot imagine being on the doorsteps in their ridings, trying to defend their record. For 10 years, we have listened to the promises and listened to the garbage being spewed from the other side. They have failed every step of the way. That is being witnessed and experienced in our ridings today. Last week, it was 300 jobs in my riding. That brought the total to over 3,000 jobs lost. Today, there were 1,000 layoffs at Algoma Steel. I am sure that, by the end of the day, we are going to see more jobs lost. That blame falls squarely at the foot of this front bench and the Prime Minister . The Liberals campaigned by saying they had a plan. They sold a bill of goods to Canadians once again. Today is not a day for celebration at all.”
“We had a bill that passed in the last Parliament; it should have been law by now. It would have given protection to those who protect us, yet at the dissolution of the past Parliament, it fell off the Order Paper because of these guys' playing silly buggers, because of the games that they are playing. The Senate unanimously passed Bill S-233 . We brought it back here three weeks ago to try to do the same, to give assurances to those who stand for us, our silent sentinels, those who run into burning buildings, those who hold our hand as we take our last breath. We tried to tell them that we are fighting for them just as they fight for us, that violence is unacceptable and it is not part of their job description. However, the other side is playing political hot potato with them as well.”
“Members know the budget was 500 pages long, yet mental health was mentioned once. We have an opioid crisis; over 50,000 Canadians have died since 2016, which is more than in World War II, yet there was not one mention of that in the budget. The Liberals have spent $1 billion in the last 10 years on their safe supply, perpetuating addiction, killing people and killing Canadians. Can members imagine how many beds that $1 billion could have created? How many recovery centres could it have funded? I know the one guy they allow to stand up, out of the 171 members they have on that side, is going to talk about this being a generational budget and talk about bail reform. We can look at the violence against nurses, health care workers and first responders that is being perpetuated every day.”
“The budget does nothing for that. (1625) We have a Prime Minister who shrugged his shoulders two weeks ago and said, “Who cares?” when asked when he last spoke with Trump. He said, “Who cares?” To him, it is not a “burning issue”, and it really does not matter. That was a flippant, arrogant answer, but it should not surprise any of us. We see that every day when he is here. It so frustrating, to hear families on the other end who are crying and emotional, with mayors and councils who are wondering what is going to happen when the other shoe drops. Members should believe me; that is going to happen. Today, Algoma Steel announced 1,000 job layoffs. We have more to come in the forestry industry. At this time of year, it is hard to hear. It is hard to sit here and listen to the garbage being spewed from across the way at us.”
“It is hard for me, because I want to think that everybody has the best interests. I want to see the good in people. It is really hard when I stand up and raise the issue, and we have colleagues across the way who heckle us and tell us that we are making it up, or who laugh and say that it is feigned anger or feigned outrage. It is real. It is real disappointment, because Canadians put their trust in these guys across the way. The calls I have taken have been absolutely heartbreaking. There are communities such as 100 Mile, where the loss of West Fraser is $1 million out of its tax base. Its budget is $3 million, so 30% of its municipal tax base is gone. What happens when those families leave? They do not come back, so we have communities all across our province that are drying up. That is no BS; it is the truth.”
“In the last three weeks, I have raised the issue again. For the first time since I have been a member of Parliament, and perhaps ever, we had an emergency take-note debate on forestry. It was the first time ever. While I applaud the Speaker for allowing us to do that, it is shameful, because these are real jobs. This impacts Canadians from across our country at a time when we cannot afford to lose more jobs. We can never afford to lose more jobs, but the Prime Minister campaigned on being the man with the plan who could get a job done, which is what Trudeau did in 2015. He then told us all, Canadians and the families and communities that depend on forestry, that he could get a job done within 100 days of the new U.S. administration, and here we sit 10 years later.”
“The last couple of weeks have been absolutely devastating for my riding of Cariboo—Prince George, with the loss of West Fraser in 100 Mile and the loss of the Drax pellet plant in Williams Lake. Not only that, but I know there are more closures yet to come in our province of British Columbia. I know that a significant closure will be announced later today. I have been on the phone non-stop with mayors and councillors. I have been on the phone non-stop with British Columbians who have lost their jobs, and they are facing uncertain times. It is really frustrating for me. For 10 years, I have been in this House and worked collaboratively across party lines. For 10 years, we have been hearing that forestry matters from members on the other side and that they would get a softwood lumber agreement in place, yet they have not.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am going to start with a happy bit. It was five years ago on Sunday that I stood in the House and announced to the whole nation that my daughter's water broke and I was going to be a grandfather for the first time. This past weekend, we celebrated my granddaughter Ren's fifth birthday. She is the light of my life, and I never knew that someone's heart could grow so big. She is incredible. I know she watches when I am up speaking, so I just want to say happy birthday to my granddaughter Ren and that Papa loves her. I have an incredible team, and they prepared these speaking notes for me, but I am going to go off-script, as I often do, and I am just going to talk about home.”
“Mr. Speaker, five years ago, in December 2020, the House came together to support my motion to bring a simple, life-saving idea to Canada: A three-digit suicide prevention crisis line, or 988. One thousand days later, 988 launched in November 2023. Since that time, over a million calls and texts have been made to 988. Every one of those calls or texts represents someone reaching out instead of giving up, but sadly, 12 Canadians die by suicide each day and a further 200 attempt suicide each day. That is 73,000 Canadians. This is why 988 must be the beginning, not the end. As we enter the Christmas season, we must remember that many Canadians suffer silently and fall through the gaps. If someone is struggling, I ask them to please reach out. Help is only a call or text away, regardless of where they are. They can dial or text 988 24-7.”
“Madam Speaker, if they want a flipping idea of what to do, the could get a flipping deal done. It has been 10 years. It is another week, and there has been another mill closure in my riding. That is 100 direct and indirect jobs lost. That is hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes for our municipalities. That is $1 million of taxes from our community of 100 Mile House. Do the Liberals want to know who matters? It is the families that lost their jobs. They are the ones who matter. I ask the Liberals to get the job done and get an agreement. Will the Prime Minister come to our region to tell them? Will he look them in the eyes and tell them that they do not matter?”
“Madam Speaker, in 2006, our Conservative government negotiated an end to the longest softwood lumber war. We negotiated a 10-year agreement with a one-year grace period, which the government squandered. The Liberals have failed to do this in 10 years. This is thousands of jobs. Over 30 mills have closed in the province of British Columbia. The Prime Minister ran an entire election on the false premise that he was the man with the plan, that he could get the job done. Now he says, “Who cares?” as our lumber industry is crippled and communities are decimated.”
“Madam Speaker, here is my concern with having yet another layer of bureaucracy, which I am sure my colleague can appreciate. This building, this hall and parliaments all across our country are filled with studies and commissioner reports saying that government does not listen. If the government has ministers at the table speaking directly with leadership from all across our country, maybe they can come to some agreement on how we move forward.”
“Madam Speaker, I will go with the words of our colleague from Skeena—Bulkley Valley , who was the chief councillor for the Haisla Nation for six years and was a councillor for eight years. During that period, he was the treaty chairman and also led his community through massive economic projects, like the one with LNG Canada. He stewarded them through economic prosperity. Obviously, there are first nation proponents and first nation opponents to these projects, but that is all the more reason we do not need an agent of the government to sit at the table. We need the ministers of the government to sit at the table and listen to the concerns so we can find a path forward for all of Canada.”
“Madam Speaker, I will take no lessons from the hon. colleague across the way. For nine years, he stood behind a leader who dismissed the first female indigenous attorney general and absolutely ran her right out of his government. When first nations protesters came to one of his events, the previous prime minister yelled at them and said, “Thank you for your donation.” At every turn, he pitted first nation against first nation and first nation against non-first nation, and he hid behind reconciliation for all his misdeeds. I will take no lessons from that colleague.”
“We do not need another level of bureaucracy and we do not need more red tape. We need the people at the heads of these governments to sit down and do their jobs right now.”
“We do not need another level of red tape or another commissioner, who will likely be a friend of the Liberal Party and get a high-paying job. We do not need that. They need to fix this. They need to listen to the people who are affected and do the right thing. I stand here today embarrassed. I was proud of the leadership of the first nations from my hometown who came to this town to present their vision for their community and our region. What I have seen is them being snubbed by the Liberal Party time and again, being passed down and being told, “I want to finish my coffee before I meet with them.” Yes, that is a direct quote; that was said to me. I work through these issues in a non-partisan way whenever I can in my community. I am proud to bring people to our region. I will offer this.”
“It means the federal government and the ministers making sure that Canadians are not caught in the crossfire. It means both levels of government recognizing that their decisions have real consequences: Families wonder if their land will still be theirs, businesses are unsure if they should invest or expand and communities are left uncertain about their future. Passing the buck is not leadership. Creating new bureaucracies is not leadership. Ignoring the people directly impacted is not leadership. The people of Canada deserve better. Our governments, provincial and federal, need to stop sidestepping responsibility, start doing the hard work and bring all parties together, with no more delays, no more excuses and no more hiding behind the process. They need to fix this.”
“It is another way for the Liberals to say this is not their problem while pretending they are solving something. It is another way for them to have plausible deniability. We all know what this really means: more delays, more red tape, more confusion and more people left in the dark. Ranchers in Chilcotin are not asking for anything unreasonable. They are asking for transparency, for respect and to be heard before decisions are made, not after. Landowners are not the enemy and indigenous communities are not the enemy. The real problem is governments that refuse to communicate and refuse to lead. This does not have to be a fight. These issues can be resolved through real partnership. That means the province doing the job it is responsible for.”
“It is time for Ottawa and Victoria to get their act together, sit everyone down at the same table and finally build a process that delivers justice, certainty and stability for all. We have ministers of the Crown. Can they not meet with these first nation leaders and come up with a solution that is acceptable to all? Rather than stepping up and taking responsibility, the province is shifting the burden onto everyone else. There are landowners in the Chilcotin who have waited 10 years to find out whether their farms, ranches and guide and outfitting businesses are worth anything. The province is shifting the burden onto everyone else, and the federal government, instead of bringing leadership, clarity and support, is floating the idea of yet another bureaucracy. It is another layer, another office and another department.”
“The sad truth is that people are asking these questions because governments at every level have failed to bring clarity, failed to lead and failed to protect the people caught in the middle. Let us be clear. Indigenous rights and title matter. They must be respected, but respecting indigenous rights and treating landowners fairly are not mutually exclusive. The problem is governments that refuse to do the hard work. The governments that need to resolve these issues before they explode into uncertainty and anxiety for everyone are failing. Instead of stepping up, the province is dodging responsibility. The federal government is talking about creating new bureaucracies, with more layers, more delays and more confusion. British Columbians need leadership, not another game of pass the buck.”
“government right now in my province. (1005) What we are seeing play out across British Columbia right now should concern every single one of us. The latest court rulings, including the Cowichan decision that threw long-established land titles in the city of Richmond into doubt, have sent a shockwave through communities and should send a shockwave across our nation. Families that worked their whole lives to build something are waking up wondering if the land they bought in good faith is still truly theirs. Why are we at this point? It is because successive governments have abdicated their duties. Ministers of the Crown have passed on their duties and responsibilities and abdicated them to their agents.”
“We need the ones who have the jobs to do their jobs. What is happening right now in Williams Lake and around the province is unacceptable, full stop. For decades, families, ranchers and long-time landowners have been living in limbo because of unresolved land claims. People deserve clarity, they deserve honesty and they deserve a seat at the table. Instead, they are getting brushed off while decisions that directly affect their livelihoods are made behind closed doors. Indigenous land claims are serious matters historically, legally and morally, and no one disputes that, but when governments mishandle them, when they communicate poorly and when they ignore the people whose homes, businesses and generational lands are in the middle of it, they create fear and distrust. That is exactly what is going on with the B.C.”
“member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes , who, like the member for Edmonton Northwest and the member for Battle River—Crowfoot , stepped up, changed his schedule and took the time to listen. Communities like Lheidli T'enneh, Nazko, Lhtako, McLeod Lake, Cheslatta and Williams Lake First Nation are working hard. They are building economies, creating jobs and planning for the future, not just for their community but for our regions. However, the federal government keeps tripping over its own departments. It picks winners over losers. As I said earlier, it pits first nation against first nation. It has endless delays, points fingers and makes promises with no follow-through. However, instead of fixing anything, the Liberals want yet another office on Wellington Street to tell us what the government is not doing. We do not need more bureaucrats.”
“When they asked to meet with the Liberals, the government, the people with the ability to get things done, it truly was like pulling teeth. I know there are others on the other side, one of whom I am looking at right now at the centre of the Liberal caucus, who stand and say, as he does every day, that they have done this and that, but the reality is that the experience our leaders felt this week was less than desirable. Maybe if the Liberals spent less time creating new bureaucracies and more time actually listening, they would be in a better position to move our country forward on a whole host of issues. I want to thank our shadow minister for Crown-indigenous relations, the hon.”
“What I have seen in the last 10 years is the leadership on the other side standing, dabbing a fake tear, putting their hand on their heart and saying they really care, but what we have seen under the guise of reconciliation is that they have pitted first nation against first nation and first nation against non-first nation. When Chief Willie and the council from Williams Lake First Nation asked to meet with our leader, the member for Battle River—Crowfoot stepped up immediately. He changed his schedule, took the time to listen, asked questions and worked to understand the path forward. That is what a real leader does. That is how we build trust. That is how we reconcile differences: leadership to leadership, not an agent of the government to leadership of first nations.”
“They came looking for partnership, especially on the reconstruction and redevelopment of the St. Joseph's Mission, a residential school in my hometown. They want real action, not more red tape, and who can blame them? In fact, when they asked to meet and discuss their plans, it was the Conservative Party that stepped up and said yes immediately. The shadow minister for indigenous services, the member for Edmonton Northwest , worked diligently to accommodate them, listen to them and make sure they had everything they needed. Reconciliation has to be about more than words; it has to be a partnership.”
“Madam Speaker, I am going to be blunt. The relationship between the Crown and indigenous peoples is not built on fancy titles or shiny new offices. It is built on honour and keeping our word, and the Liberal government has a real problem with that. Bill C-10 is just another level of bureaucracy that is not needed. We do not need another office in Ottawa to tell us again that the government is not doing what it promised to do. We do not need a commissioner to point out failure. We can see that from here. We can see that in our communities all across our country. In my riding of Cariboo—Prince George, indigenous leaders are living this each and every day. Just this week, Chief Willie Sellars and the Williams Lake First Nation council were in Ottawa. They did not come here looking for a handout.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for our colleague across the way. We have done a lot of work together on mental health. He spoke about mental health in his intervention. What a garbage question from a Liberal colleague. It just shows they are afraid of actually asking tough questions, because they know what is going to come back to them. Over 50,000 Canadians have died in the opioid crisis since 2016. It is a generational crisis, yet there is not one mention of it in this budget. I would like to hear my hon. colleague's comments on that.”
“Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague spoke a lot about indigenous youth and other Canadian youth. I believe that if he really wanted to help, he would know that Canadian youth are experiencing record-high, 30%, unemployment. He would know that almost everything he has voted for in the government has made things worse for Canadian youth and that Canadian youth, both indigenous and non-indigenous, do not see a future. They do not see an opportunity to own a home, have a great job or get a great education. Why should anybody believe a word the member says?”
“Mr. Speaker, our colleague mentioned health care workers and our frontline workers, who, as he has said, seem to have been forgotten since COVID. He is new to the House and to Parliament, so perhaps he does not know the work I have done over the last 10 years in standing up for the people who stand up for us, save us and are there to heal us. There is a bill before us, Bill S-233 , that is the exact version of my bill that passed unanimously last Parliament and passed unanimously in the Senate but fell off the Order Paper because of the dissolution of Parliament. I wonder if the member would support a unanimous consent motion to have Bill S-233 pass at all levels so we can send a message to the people who stand up for us that violence is not part of their job description.”
“Madam Speaker, I think we heard very clearly the attitude the Prime Minister has toward Canadians, when this past weekend, when asked about the ongoing trade discussions with the U.S., he said, “Who cares?” He said it is not a burning issue and that it does not matter. I have been very clear that it matters in my riding, where yet another mill announced a closure yesterday, with the loss of 100 more jobs. There is blatant arrogance and a dismissive attitude toward all Canadians from the Prime Minister when we bring up these issues. Can the member comment on that?”
“Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague broke out “check yourself before you wreck yourself.” I want to say how rich that was coming from our colleague from Winnipeg North , who never misses a chance to gaslight anybody who opposes any Liberal policy. He is a good Liberal soldier. Make no bones about it. Although we may differ on policy and suggestions, I respect that he is always here, every day, fighting for the other side. I do not always like it, but he does the job for the other side and he does it well. The Liberals and the Prime Minister trumpeted this budget as generational, when all we see is generational debt. I wonder if we can give the member an extra 30 seconds or so to talk about how this budget, the lack of support and the debt are going to impact his riding.”
“Madam Chair, it has been 2,900 days since the then trade minister stood up and said that the Liberals would have a framework or a deal within 100 days. It has been 2,900 days. We have had 10 years of failure, of their promising that “the cheque is in the mail”, telling us they can do this and we should just wait and see. They wonder why we are so frustrated.”
“Madam Chair, the reality is that the government cannot say it is standing with the forestry workers. Our hon. colleague mentioned something very appropriate: When one job is lost, the multiplier is that three to five jobs are affected. In my riding, it does not impact just Quesnel or 100 Mile if a mill goes down. It impacts our whole region. It impacts the car dealerships. It impacts the food and grocery stores. It impacts real estate. It impacts schools. It impacts the tax base for those municipalities. The government abandoned the $10 billion that was left at the border by our forestry producers. It is the producers' money that the government abandoned because of some great strategic chess move, checkers move, or whatever it was. The government thought it was going to outsmart the guy down south, but the tariffs have tripled.”
“Madam Chair, it is typical of a Liberal to deflect, put the blame on everybody else and ask, “What would you do?” The Liberals have been in government for 10 years. They have done nothing for 10 years. In 10 years, we would have gotten a deal done. We did in our previous Conservative government. In 79 days, we got a deal done. Not only did we get a 10-year deal, but we negotiated a one-year grace period in between, which the Liberals squandered. The failure lies squarely at their feet. They can deflect all they want and point fingers all they want. Those are weak arguments.”
“We will hear from all our colleagues who are here tonight taking part in this and that they are all affected by it. It is very real. I appreciate the gentleman from Madawaska—Restigouche who spoke about the impact on his riding. The fact of the matter is that it is his government. They can blame anybody they want, but the reality is that it falls squarely at the foot of the Prime Minister , the previous prime minister and the government, in terms of why we do not have a softwood lumber agreement in place. Whether it is the regulatory burdens that they have also done or the duplication, it is absolutely ruining this once proud industry, and that is shameful. We have absolutely decimated a cornerstone industry within our country, once proud and now absolutely devastated. We need to fight for it. They care. Forestry matters.”
“This past weekend, the Prime Minister looks in the camera and says, “Who cares?” He does not have a “burning issue”. This is a burning issue. It has been a burning issue for 10 years. We were promised a deal, under the first Trudeau administration, within 100 days. We heard of a new-found bromance between the Prime Minister and the new administration south of the border. There have been three administrations, and it has not been a priority. Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost. Over 200,000 jobs hang in the balance. We have the other side saying not to worry, that the cheques are in the mail. Where is the job? That is what they want. They do not want charity. My riding is made up of proud families. There are a lot of families right now in communities all across our province.”
“What we are seeing now in the 10 years, and where our frustration lies, is that we have somebody who has been here for a minute trying to say that we have selective amnesia over this. I believe he is from downtown Montreal. We have people in our ridings and within our communities who are absolutely devastated. I spoke of Lucas at 100 Mile Elementary School. These families are financially ruined. They do not have a job to go back to. These mills are our major producers. They are the major tax base for our communities. When these mills leave, these jobs leave and the families leave. Why are we angry? Why am I frustrated? It is because for 10 years, I have stood in the House and pressured these guys. The importance of softwood has not even been on their radar.”
“Madam Chair, I am going to pick up where our hon. leader just left off. It always comes down to home for me. It is friends and families and it is the communities in Cariboo—Prince George or across our country that are affected by the tens of thousands of jobs that have been lost. I have some information for my colleagues across the way. I worked in logging. I ran skidder, and I ran chainsaw for a time. I bucked for a time. I am proud to, maybe, be one of the only ones in the House who knows what it is like to have white bread sandwiches with chain oil on my hand and go out to the blocks early in the morning. I remember a time when our communities were dotted with signs that said that the families there were proudly supported by forestry.”