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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“I send my heartfelt thanks to him. Furthermore, I cannot speak to Bill C-12 , about strengthening our borders, if I do not recognize and talk about Brianna MacDonald, whom I have talked about in this House before. At 13 years of age, she lost her life in a homeless encampment due to an overdose. She turned 13 on my son's birthday last year, on July 15, and she was found deceased on my daughter's birthday, a month later, August 23, in Abbotsford in a homeless encampment. Her parents did everything to try to get her off the drug and get her off the streets. She was 13. We cannot talk about this bill or any bills when we are talking about strengthening our borders or making our communities safe without mentioning Brianna or Tyler Dunlap, or the nephew of our colleague, who mentioned her nephew passed away from an overdose.”
“Paul Hills, is in Ottawa today and has been here for the last week. I have worked tirelessly, shoulder to shoulder, with him to stand up for our first responders, who face threats of violence and violent acts each and every day. I am just honoured to call him a friend. I know that we are not allowed to acknowledge people in the gallery, so I will not look up to the gallery, but perhaps my colleagues could do me a favour and just provide a round of applause. He has worked tirelessly to get Bill C-321 passed. The bill would change the Criminal Code to recognize, at the time of sentencing, that if the victim of violence is a health care worker, a nurse or a paramedic, that would be an aggravating factor in sentencing. He has been here working tirelessly with our Senate and with all of our colleagues on all sides.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are here to talk about Bill C-12 . I am going to focus my speech. As many of my colleagues in the House know, I do a lot of work with our first responders and our veterans. I do a lot of work dealing with mental health throughout our country, so I will be spending a majority of my time talking about fentanyl and how it has had just an incredible, devastating impact on our country. I would be remiss if I did not do this first. We have first responders all across our country who put their uniforms on every day to run into burning buildings, to run toward danger. Whether it is a nurse, a paramedic, a firefighter or a police officer, they are there to serve us and our families. They are there to make our communities safe. One of my very good friends, somebody I deeply respect, Mr.”
“Conservatives are calling on the Prime Minister to do what he promised, which is to get a deal on softwood and protect our hard-working loggers, truckers and mill workers. Forestry families matter.”
“Mr. Speaker, since 2015, 11 mills have closed in my region. That is over 2,700 jobs lost, with 2,700 families that cannot feed their kids, cannot pay their mortgages and cannot pay their hydro bills. Vanderhoof lost 500 jobs. Prince George lost 1,000 jobs. Williams Lake lost 1,070 jobs. Quesnel lost 150 jobs, and 100 Mile House lost 160 jobs. British Columbia used to be the largest producer of softwood in our nation, but since 2015, over 30 mills have closed and thousands of British Columbians are out of work, with communities destroyed and families unable to put food on the table. The Prime Minister promised a deal with the U.S. Instead, tariffs on Canadian softwood have tripled.”
“Those who are struggling are not alone. If they or their loved ones are in crisis, help is available 24-7. They can call or text 988. Remember that it is okay not to be okay. Our world is a better place with them in it.”
“Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, on World Mental Health Day, let us remember that there is no health without mental health. Every day, 12 Canadians die by suicide and a further 200 attempt suicide. That is 73,000 Canadians per year, and thousands more struggle in silence. Earlier this week, I received a message from the wife of a first responder who died by suicide. She asked me to remind my colleagues that the brave men and women behind the badge are someone's husband, father, daughter, brother, friend or colleague. They put their uniforms on every day to serve us and our families and keep us safe, and we are failing them. Whether it is our brave police officers, paramedics, firefighters, nurses, correctional officers or even the PPS officers here on Parliament Hill, they are all someone's loved one and they matter.”
“Mr. Speaker, I take this very seriously. I believe the member for Winnipeg North is a veteran, so I understand he has skin in the game, too, and takes it seriously as well. For the last 10 years, I have been here, working respectively across all party lines. We know the government filibustered the defence committee for three months. We know the Prime Minister's Office covered up the investigation on former minister of national defence Harjit Sajjan. How, for 10 years, have they allowed this injustice for the victims of sexual assault to go on? The member says they have been doing something, but we know they have not been, because we have heard it. We heard it first-hand from the victims of sexual assault, those who are still enlisted and those who have left the service because of the trauma caused by MST.”
“Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Winnipeg North has been here long enough. He knows he needs to be directing his comments through you, the Chair. He continues to answer and go through and say “you” and use those terms. I ask that he show respect to you, Mr. Speaker.”
“Mr. Speaker, I appreciate our colleague for the work that she has done on these committees. During the 10 years I have been here, she has been a stalwart supporter of victims of military sexual trauma. I am going to ask the same question I asked earlier on. How will the victims be protected by CAF structures as they wait for justice? It is a concern as both systems have been split and we still have victims who are still serving to this day.”
“Would the minister commit to giving us an update on where they are with requirements that were laid out within Bill C-211 , the legislation that passed in 2017, that deals specifically with post-traumatic stress disorder, our members and our veterans, through their service?”
“Mr. Speaker, I was going to ask a question about Bill C-11 today, but the minister brought up a number of points regarding veterans, Canadian Armed Forces members and personnel, their service and the PTSD related to their service. In 2017, I passed a bill here in the House, Bill C-211 , which made Canada the first country in the world to develop a national framework with respect to post-traumatic stress disorder. I had assistance from all sides of the House to do that. It has been eight years, and we have not received an update from any of the ministries responsible for that.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our hon. colleague for his service to our country. I know this member very well, and I know this is near and dear to him because of the time he served on the committee. He listened to the testimonies of the victims, as I have. Our hon. colleague Is a veteran, a committee member and a friend and colleague to some of these victims; I want to know just how important this is to him, his friends and his former colleagues.”
“Mr. Speaker, I know my hon. colleague has done a considerable amount of work on this. I sat through a lot of testimony when I served on the national defence committee and the veterans committee. All of the testimony was absolutely horrific and hard to hear. Many of the victims are still in the CAF as we speak. They were when they brought their cases and complaints forward. How do we ensure these victims are protected under the current CAF structure when they bring these accusations forward?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised bail reform, and he has broken that promise. Last fall, a senior in my riding, Bob Hubbard, returned home to find his home being robbed. When he tried to stop the perpetrators, they ran him over, dragged him down the road and left him for dead. They were caught that same day and released hours later, while Mr. Hubbard lay in hospital with life-threatening injuries. This is the Liberal government's legacy. Conservatives are proposing a solution. Will the Prime Minister scrap his failed bail policies or get out of the way so we can do it?”
“Mr. Speaker, business owners in my province feel like they are under siege. There are break-ins, theft, arson, smashed windows, extortion and open drug use. Prolific offenders are wreaking havoc on our streets. In Kelowna, a recent report reveals that just 15 criminals were responsible for over 1,300 police reports in 2024. The Liberals' catch-and-release Bill C-75 forces courts to release violent career criminals at the earliest opportunity under the least onerous conditions. Will the Prime Minister scrap his failed hug-a-thug policies and adopt our jail not bail bill, or will he get out of the way and let Conservatives do it?”
“Madam Speaker, I have a tremendous amount of respect for my hon. colleague. I will finish the way I started, with a simple question: Do our communities and our country look the same as it did in 2015 when the government took power? The answer is no.”
“Madam Speaker, total violent crime in our country is up 54% to 55%. Homicides are up 30%. Sexual assaults are up 75% to 76%. Total firearms crime is up 130%. Extortion overall for our country is up 330%. In my home province of British Columbia, it is up 481%. Overdose in my province is the leading cause of death for youth and young adults aged 10 to 18. That is under the Liberal government. That is its record. That is its legacy. It is disgusting.”
“Madam Speaker, as a matter of fact, when the town of Williams Lake, the mayor and council, wanted to declare a state of emergency it was actually over one prolific offender. When four to five or five to six prolific offenders are in jail, the crime rate goes down. When they are out of jail, the crime rate goes up. That is the reality. The member does not want to believe it. He does not want to agree to it. That is his job, to be a good soldier, a lap dog, to just stand there and say all the talking points of the government. I say shame on him. He has made a good career of it, but shame on him. I quoted the owners of CrossRoads Brewing, who said they were under siege. Those were not my words but those of my constituents. If he does not believe it, he can be woefully blind and go merrily along his way, but it is just wrong.”
“The reality is that Bill C-75 codified the principles of release to the point where there were three grounds to deny bail. Primary grounds are ensuring that the accused appears in court. The reality is that people with extensive previous counts of failing to appear are not being detained. There are good points in Bill C-75 , but time and time again we are seeing that the most violent offenders are released, only to reoffend, cause death, assault. No one stands for the victims. The criminals have more rights than the victims. Where are the voices for the victims? That is what our Conservative team is doing today, standing up for the rights of the victims of crimes, and we will continue to do that.”
“He was in the hospital the night before, getting his stomach pumped from an overdose. His parents, like Brianna's, pleaded with the doctors and the system to get their child help, to keep him in the hospital. I am not sensationalizing this. These are real families who have lost loved ones because of the Liberals' failed drug policies. That is shameful. It is maddening. What about the first responders? Every day, they have to respond to another overdose and bring somebody back from death only to have that person back on the street and overdosing later the same day. What about my brother? He has been on the street gripped in addiction forever, a criminal, an addict. He is not a toss-away, nor are any of the Canadians who are living on the streets and who are just trying to exist, trying to get their next fix.”
“The member for Winnipeg North is likely going to stand up and again, in his loud voice, complain about me reading these events into the record. He is going to say that I am sensationalizing. Hon. Kevin Lamoureux: You are. Todd Doherty: Madam Speaker, he is heckling me right now, and he is laughing. He is laughing at the suffering of those in my riding. It is gross, yet he continues to do this time and time again. I can just say, shame on him. Madam Speaker, 53,000 Canadians have lost their lives in the overdose crisis since 2016. I will mention Brianna MacDonald, a 13-year-old who, last year, lost her life in a homeless encampment. She turned 13 on July 15, my son's birthday, and she was found deceased on my daughter's birthday, August 23. I will also mention Tyler Dunlap, 17 years of age.”
“He is a repeat offender with a long rap sheet: 19 court appearances since 2021, and 27 criminal charges since 2006, including assaults, death threats, breach of probation and even a sexual assault. He is committing these heinous crimes in our community. He destroyed a long-standing brewery in our community, and the owners, Daryl Leiski and Cindy Zurowski, had this to say: That one act destroyed our business, displaced 50 employees, and disrupted the lives of hundreds more – families, partners, community members, and neighbours.... We are under siege.... We built it downtown because we believed in this city.... And it was lost in a reckless, deliberate act of arson. They continued: Give us back our streets. Give us back our sense of safety. Without it, businesses like ours cannot survive, let alone rebuild.”
“Hubbard's name into the House once again. Bob Hubbard, a senior in my riding, returned home last fall only to find his house being ransacked and robbed. Mr. Hubbard tried to stop the perpetrators of this crime, but they stole his car and ran him over. They dragged him down the driveway and left him for dead. Those criminals were picked up within hours, and they were released within hours. They left a man for dead, and they were released within hours. (1800) We have had a number of fires in our town of Prince George, all done by criminals. A headline reads, “‘Under siege’: Owners of Prince George brewery lost to arson urge [government] to act on street disorder”. The perpetrator of this fire, I happen to know. I grew up with him.”
“I received a text message from a constituent saying that they are fed up and that if politicians are not going to do something, it is time for citizens to take the matter into their own hands. Premiers, mayors, attorneys general and police associations from across our country are calling for bail reform, yet the Liberals on the other side stand up and say that it is just the Conservatives wanting to fundraise off this. When my colleagues stand and cite horrific events that took place because of the Liberals' failed crime policies, in which violent offenders were released only to reoffend, likely on the very same day, the Liberals say we are sensationalizing it. It is unbelievable; it really is. I like to bring everything back to home, so I am going to talk about my riding of Cariboo—Prince George a little more. I am going to bring Mr.”
“I ask the 12 people who are watching this debate online or through CPAC today, do our communities look the same as they did 10 years ago? They do not. We can walk just 500 yards from this building, and there are people passed out or sleeping on the streets; we do not know whether they are alive. We have become completely desensitized to the fact that we have an opioid crisis and have had tens of thousands of Canadians lose their lives since 2016. It is because of the Liberals' failed policies. It is unbelievable. We have the Liberals from urban centres who stand up and say that Canadians have never had it so good. We have the member for Winnipeg North asking how I dare use these statistics from my community. As a matter of fact, we had another fire in Prince George just on the weekend.”
“Madam Speaker, I guess I ruined my own video. We will just edit that out. We are here today to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart in our communities. The hon. member for Winnipeg North mentioned me in his speech a little earlier. He said could not believe the member for Cariboo—Prince George used these words and exaggerated the state of the crime rate. I promise I did not exaggerate the state of what is going on with the crime rate in my riding of Cariboo—Prince George. As a matter of fact, we have had a community declare a state of emergency because of five or six prolific offenders who commit over 90% of the crime. I did say that. I also said that our communities are like war zones because of the Liberals' failed drug policies.”
“Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Souris—Moose Mountain for his kind words. I immediately felt the weight of the world on my shoulders when he said that he was looking forward to my speech. I am going to be very plain and blunt for a change—”
“Mr. Speaker, the Retail Council of Canada says that record levels of theft from stores took place in 2024: $9.1 billion. The number one item being shoplifted was meat because Canadians cannot afford to put food on their tables. They are resorting to theft to try to feed their families, yet the Liberals say Canadians have never had it so good. Is that wilful ignorance, honest ignorance or just plain ignorance?”
“Mr. Speaker, I guess I have hurt his feelings. All I was going to say is that the member espouses, every day, the Liberal talking points. He does a great job for his team. I am just saying that there are a lot of other MPs on the other side who are probably waiting to give their maiden speech. Food insecurity has gone up 128% since the Liberals took power. One in four Canadians cannot afford basic necessities. There are record numbers accessing food banks. It is being said that the numbers are to the levels of the Great Depression. All we are saying is that the Prime Minister said he would be judged by the food prices and that he was going to lower the food prices. Prices have risen since he took power. To our hon. colleague—”
“Mr. Speaker, our hon. colleague never misses an opportunity to stand and debate. Every day, he stands up. There are a lot of newbies on the other side of the bench who are probably waiting to get their—”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague, who has done an incredible job on this file. He was doing his intervention and rattling off numbers on Canadians who are desperate and cannot afford to put food on their table; all the while, the Liberals were heckling and laughing at the situation. As a matter of fact, as he mentioned, food insecurity is up 128%. The Retail Council of Canada reported that retailers lost $9.1 billion in 2024 alone because Canadians could not afford to put food on their plate and resorted to stealing to try to feed their families. I want to ask my hon. colleague, why do the Liberals continue to think that they know best and have a tone-deaf response when Canadians are really suffering under the government?”
““Elbows up”, he said, and yet elbows are firmly down, tucked in, and the Prime Minister is afraid to go into the corners. Canada still has no deal. He pledged he would spend less, but spending is up 8%, and the deficit is projected to reach over $100 billion. The Prime Minister fashions himself as a hockey player. Well, I am a hockey coach, and he should be benched.”
“Mr. Speaker, in six months, the Prime Minister has proven he is good at only one thing: breaking promises. He promised the fastest-growing economy in the G7. Instead, he delivered the fastest-shrinking economy. He said Canadians should judge him by the prices at the grocery store. Food prices are now higher than ever before, since he has been Prime Minister. “Build, baby, build”, the Prime Minister said. “Double the pace of home construction”, he said. Instead, it has been “block, baby, block”, and home building is down 16%. He said we will be building major projects at a speed we have not seen in generations; he must have meant glacial speeds. He has not granted a single permit. The Prime Minister claimed he would get a deal done with the U.S. by July 21.”
“Madam Speaker, I listened intently to our hon. colleague from Brampton, which is a hotbed for violent offenders, repeat offenders and a lot of crime, a lot of headlines in recent weeks and days. Her speech focused on a number of different areas. She said the province was not doing its job, that the municipalities were not doing their job and that everybody else needs to be doing their job. In my mind, the municipalities are doing their job. Policing is the number one cost for municipalities. Provinces are doing whatever they can. The police and first responder organizations are absolutely doing everything they can. Do we know the one group that continues to say, “Trust us. We're going to do better next time”? For 10 years, it has been the Liberal government. Why should Canadians believe the government now?”
“Madam Speaker, we know that in the communities in my riding, 98% of the crime is created by five or six prolific offenders. When they are in jail, the crime rate goes down. When they are out of jail, the crime rate goes up. Municipalities are crying for reform, police associations are crying for it and the provinces are crying for it, yet the government continues to refuse to act. It is being obstructionist on it. Why is that?”
“Madam Speaker, we cannot open up social media, turn on the TV or radio or open a newspaper without seeing another violent repeat offender being released and wreaking havoc in our communities. In my riding of Cariboo—Prince George, I think of Mr. Bob Hubbard, a senior who returned home last fall to find his house being robbed. When he tried to stop the robbers, they ran him over with his own vehicle, dragging him and leaving him for dead. Within hours they were caught, and within hours they were turned loose. Why is it that the Liberal government continues its obstructionist ways and continues to put the rights of violent offenders before those of everyday Canadian citizens?”
“Madam Speaker, to my hon. colleague from Winnipeg North , Conservatives are listening to Canadians. Canadians have concerns. We are already facing hospital closures in our province of British Columbia. There are not enough doctors. There are not enough nurses to be able to fulfill the duties and the services that we need right now. The Liberals cannot tell us how many people they are going to bring into our country. To our hon. colleague from Edmonton Southeast, how is that compassionate? When we bring new entrants into our country, we want to be compassionate. There is no compassion in showing that the Liberals cannot tell—”
“Madam Speaker, our hon. colleague from Winnipeg North stands up once again, points fingers and says that all the Conservatives say is, “It is broken.” Well, this file is broken, and the truth is that the Liberals broke it. Our country was built on the backs of immigrants. Immigration is so important to our country, yet the Liberals broke it. They lost track of over a million immigrants coming into our country; we know that from the last session. I know our hon. colleague, who I have the deepest respect for, has heard some of the same stories that I have in my constituency. Could the member share another story of a constituent in her riding who has some deep fears about this piece of legislation?”
“These are families that are separated, torn far apart, and it is absolutely heartbreaking when we hear their stories. My question to our hon. colleague is this: Do we know whether other peer countries, like the United States, Britain, Italy and France, follow suit with the same practice of passing citizenship on to children who are born abroad?”
“Madam Speaker, I love the comment from our colleague across the way, saying we should not worry, it will all get sorted out and Liberals will work with everybody to make things better. I have been here for 10 years and have yet to really see any of that take place. In the office of my riding of Cariboo—Prince George, the immigration cases far outweigh any of the other cases we do. They are absolutely heartbreaking. There is Maya, whose case we dealt with, a lovely lady from Syria who came to Prince George to take her master's degree. She was by herself. She left her husband behind and worked for years to get her husband into our country. There is also a gentleman by the name of Mal. He worked desperately to get his wife and children from India here.”
“Madam Speaker, it is great to see you in the chair. It is great to be back. It is always interesting: The Liberals break something, and they blame everyone else for the accident and for breaking it. I want to thank our hon. colleague for her thoughtful presentation and intervention today. I have two questions: Does the government have any idea how many people would be granted citizenship automatically if the legislation passes? Has the government put forth any suggestions or details regarding the information and the evidence that would be required to prove the 1,095 cumulative days of physical presence in Canada?”
“Mr. Speaker, I have one question. Last fall, our hon. colleague resigned from the former government's cabinet because she felt she had lost confidence in former Prime Minister Trudeau's fiscal negligence. How does the minister rationalize this new Prime Minister 's fiscal negligence, which is even worse than Justin Trudeau's?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals failed first responders and health care workers, for 10 years, who are calling for bail reform. For 10 years, the Liberals have put criminals' rights before victims. Violent crime has surged 50% since 2015. The Liberals' reckless drug policies have turned our hospitals and our communities into war zones. Nurses and other health care workers face horrific abuse every single shift, and first responders are assaulted and beaten while responding to calls for help. Violence is not part of their job description, and the responsibility lies squarely at the foot of the Prime Minister . He told Canadians he had a plan—”
“Mr. Speaker, a nurse was strangled unconscious, Vancouver police officers were set on fire as they arrested a repeat offender, a Victoria paramedic was violently assaulted while attending an overdose call, a firefighter was attacked with a machete while resuscitating an overdose victim, and a Manitoba nurse was stabbed with a needle. Our first responders and health care workers are targeted, attacked and face horrific abuse on a daily basis, and they are calling for bail reform. When will the Prime Minister end his failed drug policies and soft-on-crime laws and protect our frontline heroes?”
“Mr. Speaker, this is a little bit out of the scope of my colleague's file, but the Liberals really missed a key opportunity with this piece of legislation. Over seven million Canadians are without a primary care physician. We are in a mental health crisis within our country, and they could have very easily included provisions for a blue seal program within this bill. I would like to hear our hon. colleague's comments.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is alway somebody else's fault. Jacob Funk has been arrested 37 times, and 37 times he has been released, over nine times in the past month. On April 27, it was assault with a weapon and uttering threats. On May 27, it was break and enter and disguising face. On June 8, it was assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest and breach of release. On June 12, it was assault and uttering death threats. He is wreaking havoc on the citizens of Williams Lake, and the Prime Minister is letting him. When will he repeal his soft-on-crime policies and finally put victims' rights ahead of those of criminals?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' catch-and-release policies are so bad that mayors and city councillors are pre-emptively writing letters to Crown counsel begging them to keep the bad guys in jail. Mayor Rathor of Williams Lake recently wrote, “We vehemently oppose Jacob Daniel FUNK’s release.... The actions of this individual have put our residents and property at significant risk.” He said that when Jacob Funk is in jail, the crime rate goes down; when he is out, the crime rate goes up. Why does the Prime Minister keep putting the rights of criminals ahead of those of Canadians?”
“Mr. Speaker, the hon. colleague got up once again to speak. I would be frustrated if I were one of the new members on that side of the House; they do not get up to speak, but the member gets up all the time. Our hon. colleague and the one before him, the member for Kingston and the Islands , spoke of the light bulb industry and how Canada moved to LED bulbs. The EV mandate facts are that by 2026, 20% of new vehicles sold must be zero-emission, rising to 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. If dealerships do not meet their quotas, then they are punished. I want to know whether the lighting industry also faced penalties if it did not make quotas for selling the new light bulbs that the members mentioned.”
“Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind our colleagues, since we have a lot of new colleagues on both sides of the House, particularly in the back row of the government, that no photos are allowed to be taken during debate within the House. I just want to make sure that I have the ruling right, Mr. Speaker, and I put the question to you whether that is correct or not.”