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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“Madam Speaker, our hon. colleague spoke of her community and her riding being the heart of vehicle manufacturing for our country. When Bev Goodman, CEO of Ford Canada, called for the EV mandate to be repealed; Kristian Aquilina, president of General Motors Canada, urged the Liberals to scrap the EV mandate; and Brian Kingston, president and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, asked for the EV mandate to be scrapped as well, this must have sent a chill through my colleague's constituents. I wonder if she can share some of the stories she is hearing on the doorsteps about this.”
“Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague across the way on his maiden speech. There is a lot to unpack in it. There are a lot of questions with regard to this legislation. Notwithstanding the government's plans for the 26 million or 27 million vehicles on the roads as we speak, here is the question I have for my colleague across the way. When he was running to represent his constituents, did he tell them, with regard to the net-zero mandate, that their government would mandate that they could not purchase gas vehicles and had to purchase electric vehicles? If Liberals are so proud of this, why did they not run on it in their platform?”
“Mr. Speaker, Tyler Dunlap was 17 years old; Sidney McIntyre-Starko, 18; Evelina Baldelli, 16; Kamilah Sword, 14; Elliot Eurchuk, 16; Mathis Boivin, 15; Darian Clayton-Fleet, 18; Nikkia Sugar, 15; Katherine McParland, 19; Logan Williams, 16; Chayton Point, 13; and Brianna MacDonald, 13. The leading cause of death for youth in my province of British Columbia is overdose. These are kids, and they are dying. If this is not a crisis, what is?”
“Mr. Speaker, after a decade of failed drug policies, increasing deaths and revolving-door prisons, the soft-on-crime Liberals still do not get it. Another drug bust in Williams Lake has resulted in a repeat offender's being caught with so-called safe supply. He was arrested in the morning and released the very same day. If the minister will not take repeat offenders off the street for good, will he at least stop giving them free drugs to sell?”
“It's boots and chaps, it's cowboy hats, Wild horses and the smoke show. It's the broncs and the blood, it's the steers and the mud, We call it rodeo. Yee-haw.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is that time of year again: It is rodeo season. It is time to rope that dream, blow off some steam and head to Cariboo—Prince George for the greatest shows on dirt. Starting this weekend, there is the Prince George Western Heritage Society rodeo and the 4th Annual Logan Parent Memorial Bulls & Barrels in 100 Mile House. In two weeks, there will be the 97th annual Williams Lake Stampede, the “wildest show west of the rocks,” and then it will be the 56th Annual Quesnel Rodeo and Billy Barker Days Festival. It's not just a sport, it's our way of life. It's the bulls and the blood, the dust and the mud, The roar of the Sunday crowd, The Let R Buck Saloon playing the music just a little too loud. Bucking bronc fun under the hot Quesnel sun, This summer in Cariboo-PG is gonna be fun.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberal members like to stand up and say it is a new government, it is a new day and it is a new Prime Minister , and that we should be looking forward, not backwards. If it is a new day, and a new man with a plan who has no ties to GC Strategies, why does he not just ask for the money back?”
“Mr. Chair, the minister is on record saying, “Factors such as the impact of the [drug injection] site on crime rates and expressions of community support or opposition should not be relevant to the Federal Government’s approval process.” Does he still feel the same way?”
“Mr. Chair, over 50,000 Canadians have lost their lives to overdose. Our province of British Columbia is one of the worst. It is experiencing the worst opioid crisis in our country. The minister is now a member of the government. What will be his actions to represent our province at the cabinet table?”
“Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time three ways. When the minister first became mayor of Vancouver in 2008, he promised affordable housing, fewer drug overdoses, lower crime and to end homelessness by 2015. How did that work out?”
“Mr. Chair, that was 2015. It has been 10 years since the government has been in power and had the opportunity to secure a softwood lumber agreement, but it failed each time. How much has the American government collected in tariffs in Canadian softwood since 2015?”
“Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time three ways. The minister said that he has completed a number of projects, and then he backtracked and said that he was part of a number of projects. I hope he can get his answers correct. Does the minister consider a 5% completion rate successful?”
“Mr. Speaker, in my hometown of Williams Lake, with a population of 10,000, six prolific offenders have committed 98% of the crime. When they are in jail, the crime rate goes down. When they are out on the streets, the crime rate goes up. Businesses cannot even get mandatory insurance anymore due to the high rates of vandalism. On top of that, our communities are faced with an out-of-control overdose crisis. Last week, Williams Lake saw an average of 20 to 30 overdoses per day. If he is the man with a plan, will the Prime Minister rise today to tell us what his plan is to confront the overdose crisis, lock up repeat offenders and make our communities safe?”
“I wonder if this member of Parliament is experiencing the same rates of crime that we are seeing in rural remote areas in British Columbia, and I know in other communities across the way. Will she advocate for her government to repeal Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 ?”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned something that is near and dear to me, being in a rural remote area in Cariboo—Prince George, in northern British Columbia, which is the connectivity issues. There is a serious lack of connectivity in some of the areas in my region. However, I would like to go on a topic that I have not talked about yet and asked the members opposite about, and that is crime. In one of my communities, with a population of 10,000, six prolific offenders commit 98% of the crime. In the largest community in my riding, Prince George, with a population of 77,000, eight prolific offenders commit 98% of the crime. The government, in its previous form in the last session, launched Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 .”
“Mr. Speaker, the Speech from the Throne had 2,500 words but not a single mention of the fentanyl crisis, the opioid crisis, that has gripped our nation, nor a single mention of the 51,000 Canadians who have lost their lives since 2016. I know my hon. colleague is new, but I would like to know how she feels about the fact that her government has failed. The new Prime Minister , the man with the plan, has failed to address the single most challenging crisis that our country has had to this point.”
“Madam Speaker, we hear from the other side that the Liberals were elected on a strong mandate, that Canadians gave them a strong mandate. We are sitting on the eve of more tariffs being levied against our steel industry. The Prime Minister was elected because he was apparently the man with the plan, yet we are seeing he has no plan. Does my colleague think Canadians were sold a bill of goods and that, in fact, the government was elected on a lie?”
“Madam Speaker, congratulations to my hon. colleague on his maiden speech. I think the member may be the only one who has mentioned the opioid and addictions crisis that has gripped our country. The Speech from the Throne was 2,500 words long, and there was not one mention of the opioid crisis and the fentanyl crisis that have gripped our nation. How does the member feel about that lack of acknowledgement from his side of the House, the government and Prime Minister , that we have this absolute crisis, in terms of overdoses and opioids?”
“Madam Speaker, we all follow the various rules of Parliament, one being with respect to attire in the House that is suitable. Last night during the vote, a Conservative member's vote was not counted because the government made a point of raising an issue with respect to his attire. I ask you for clarification on the outfit this member is wearing. As we all know, men must wear a suit jacket and tie in order to speak. I see now that he has actually put a suit coat on. I ask for clarification.”
“Mr. Speaker, what message does it send to the friends, families and colleagues of the over 51,000 Canadians who lost their lives due to the overdose and opioid crisis since 2016 that the Liberals do not even have a minister of mental health and addictions and have done away with that portfolio? What message does it send to our first nations communities? What message does it send to all the rural and remote communities that are gripped in this overdose, addictions and mental health crisis? I want to ask our hon. colleague what message that sends. There is not a mention of the opioid crisis in the Speech from the Throne.”
“Mr. Speaker, it has been a week, and our hon. colleague talked a lot about the Speech from the Throne and how the words that were spoken by His Majesty have woven a clear and concrete plan forward for our nation. He also talked about what he did not hear on the doorsteps. I want to tell our hon. colleague what I did not hear in the Speech from the Throne. I did not hear mention of our opioid crisis. Over 51,000 Canadians have passed away from overdose since 2016. What is the government's concrete plan for the opioid crisis?”
“When they are in jail, the crime rate goes down; when they are out, it skyrockets. The new government must finally take the fentanyl crisis seriously, get tough on crime, lock up repeat offenders and keep our communities safe.””
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' throne speech was 2,500 words, yet there was not one mention of the opioid crisis or the unprecedented crime wave caused by their policies. Last week in my hometown of Williams Lake, the city council passed a motion to declare a state of emergency in response to the rising rates of vandalism, open drug use, arson, theft, overdose and public indecency. Businesses cannot even secure the mandatory insurance, because of the high rates of vandalism. Meanwhile, the city is experiencing between 20 and 30 overdoses per day. City councillor Scott Nelson said the rates of crime, vandalism, drugs and overdoses have “skyrocketed” and are “out of control.” He said, “In Williams Lake, a population of 10,000, six prolific offenders commit over 98% of the crime.”
“Mr. Speaker, the health committee talked about better screening in areas such as airports and mailrooms, and also about traceability for the safe supply that is being diverted. At every step of the way, the Liberals said no to it. It is a big issue, and it falls squarely at the feet of the Prime Minister .”
“That is a great question, Mr. Speaker, but can you afford me another 10 minutes to answer it? The new Liberal member for Victoria stood and said that for the first time in however many years, the people there elected a Liberal candidate. That is shameful. A story just came out in The Globe and Mail that said that whole areas of Victoria have turned into absolute ghettos and war zones. First nations communities and communities all across our nation have been drug-addled and crime-riddled and are absolute war zones. People are living like zombies, and that is not compassion. We have perpetuated their addictions. I absolutely believe that the Prime Minister should stand up on behalf of the Liberal Party and caucus he represents and apologize to Canadians for their abject failure over the last 10 years.”
“Mr. Speaker, our colleagues on the Liberal bench say it is a new government, it is a new day and let us just forget about the last 10 years. They will stand and say they have been elected with a strong mandate. Yes, but the mandate was built on a lie. The new Prime Minister was elected because he told Canadians he had a plan. What we have seen ever since his first day of being elected is that he does not have a plan. There is no budget. He cannot tell us what the strong road map to economic prosperity is. It is a wonder that those on the front bench are standing and using the silly talking points from the past.”
“Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, how does our hon. colleague stand up? I just mentioned that there have been over 51,000 lives lost since 2016 to the opioid crisis. I spoke of the horrific crisis that our country is gripped with, and he recites speaking notes. That is unacceptable.”
“As leaders, we must do better and be better. (1325) This is not just a challenge; it is a crisis. It demands urgent action, not silence. The Prime Minister 's policies have failed Canadians, and Canadians demand a system that supports recovery, punishes traffickers and restores safety. Let us honour Brianna and the thousands lost in this city by fighting for a future where no more lives are lost.”
“Their windows are smashed and their doorways are set on fire so many times that owners cannot get the necessary insurance to operate their business, so they choose not to report these incidents or they close shop altogether, leaving the downtown core a ghost town. That is the reality after 10 years of Liberal government. If the Speaker will indulge me, I have to leave with this. Canada's opioid crisis, with over 50,000 lives lost since 2016, is a tragedy ignored by the government's Speech from the Throne. In B.C., drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for youth aged 10 to 18. This is a tragedy that hits home when I think of 13-year-old Brianna MacDonald, who died alone from an overdose in a homeless encampment in Abbotsford late last August. Her story is a stark reminder of our failure to protect the most vulnerable.”
“When they are in jail, the crime rate goes down. When they are out of jail, the crime rate goes up. As a matter of fact, when one of my constituents, Bob Hubbard, returned home last fall, he found his house being looted by a group of drug addicts. He tried to stop them. While he was in the process, they ran him over with his own vehicle and left him for dead on the road. The perpetrators were caught the very same day, but within 24 hours after leaving Mr. Hubbard for dead on the road, they were out committing more crimes in our community. That is the reality we live in. Businesses have also been broken into.”
“In our Conservative platform, we highlighted how we would create 50,000 new beds for recovery to honour the 50,000 Canadians who have died from the crisis. The Liberals stole so many ideas from our plan: the GST cut on housing, income tax cuts, etc. I strongly encourage them to steal this plan as well and to get to work creating those 50,000 beds. There is another side to the drug crisis as well. The Liberal government's criminal justice reforms, most notably Bill C-5 , have made things many times worse. By eliminating mandatory minimum penalties for certain drug-related offences, Bill C-5 is a catch-and-release policy that lets traffickers off with nothing but a slap on the wrist. In our communities, 98% of crime is committed by five or six prolific offenders in one of my communities, and by 30 in my largest community, Prince George.”
“Furthermore, the $1 billion spent by the Liberals, as mentioned earlier by one of our colleagues, has solved nothing. What do we have to show for it? We have more deaths, more families torn apart, more communities on the brink of extinction and no hope in sight. I ask the member to take a look around their community. Does it look the same way as it did 10 years ago, before the first Liberal reign in 2015? It does not. Treatment access remains severely limited, and supervised consumption sites simply do not address addiction's root causes. The throne speech was silent on the crisis. It missed a critical opportunity to prioritize treatment and recovery. This baffles me a little, because we have had a plan to fight for recovery.”
“(1320) In November 2024, retired Prince George RCMP superintendent Shaun Wright testified on the opioid crisis at our parliamentary health committee. Mr. Wright, who has decades of experience in frontline policing, has said that the decriminalization experiment was “the most horrific failure of public policy” in the history of B.C. This is the side of the decriminalization experiment that the Liberal politicians in the Ottawa bubble will not see, do not see and do not want us to understand or see. Our communities are unsafe, and our constituents feel unwelcome in their own neighbourhoods. The government must commit to not expanding the failed decriminalization experiment to anywhere else in Canada and to halting all attempts to bring forward legalization of deadly hard drugs, as some Liberals have suggested.”
“Public drug use has surged, straining communities and first responders. We hear reports of needles scattered around parks, playgrounds and sidewalks. Kids playing soccer in the Lower Mainland have to dodge contaminated needles on the field. Safe consumption sites are allowed to operate right beside high schools, and in doing so are promoting open drug use to young and vulnerable Canadians and falsely marketing it as safe. So-called safe supply programs are an absolute, abject disaster. Diversion of these drugs into the black market fuels the illegal drug trade, many experts have admitted, but the Liberal government has tried to cover it up for years, demeaning anyone for speaking their uncomfortable truths.”
“The Liberal government's failure to address the opioid crisis in its Speech from the Throne, despite very briefly mentioning border security and fentanyl trafficking in an attempt to appease President Trump, ignores the economic and human toll of the opioid crisis and sends a clear signal to Canadians struggling with addiction that their new federal government could not care less about them. Over the last 10 years, the Liberal government's failed drug policies have done nothing to curb deaths. British Columbia's 2023 decriminalization experiment, fully supported by the Liberal government, allows possession and public use of hard drugs like heroin, fentanyl and cocaine. Despite decriminalization's being marketed as a solution, B.C.'s overdose death rate is the highest in Canada.”
“Our resources [as a community] are depleted in terms of what’s taken place”. In the last two days, there have been on average 10 to 20, possibly even 30, overdoses each day. That is astonishing. It is not Vancouver or Toronto but a small community of 10,000 people. Look at what it is experiencing and what it has been forced to do after 10 years of failed Liberal policies. Addiction fuels crime, homelessness and social disorder, yet the Liberals have prioritized harm reduction at the expense of prevention and recovery.”
“They have left our streets less safe and our communities more vulnerable. They are not saving any lives; they are just perpetuating addiction, with no end in sight. The opioid epidemic is a public safety disaster. British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario account for 83% of all opioid deaths, but no community is spared, large or small. The opioid crisis knows no social boundaries. In fact, just this week, in my hometown of Williams Lake, the city council passed a motion to explore declaring a state of emergency in response to the rising incidents of vandalism, open drug use, fires in front of businesses, theft, public indecency, defecation and more. City councillor Scott Nelson said the following with respect to the crisis: “Things have gotten so crazy, [so bad,] so out of control.”
“In British Columbia, overdose is now the leading cause of death for youths aged 10 to 18. This is unacceptable, yet in the Liberal Speech from the Throne there was not a single mention of this catastrophe. In 2,500 words, there was not a single reference to the opioid crisis killing thousands of Canadians every year. On average, 17 Canadians lose their life every day due to overdose, and those are just the numbers we know. Perhaps that is by design. After all, during his recent leadership race, our new Prime Minister stood before Canadians and said publicly that the overdose issue was a challenge, but not a crisis. As a matter of fact, he repeated it. The opioid crisis has been exacerbated by the Liberal government's misguided drug policies and catch-and-release criminal justice reforms. These policies must be ended immediately.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is great to see you in the Speaker's seat. As I said to you off camera, it has been a long time coming. First and foremost, I want to send a huge thanks to the hard-working people of Cariboo—Prince George for once again placing their trust in me to represent them, now for the fourth time. My time is short today, so I rise not only to respond to the Speech from the Throne but also to address and confront a national tragedy that is shattering lives and communities, Canada's opioid crisis. Since 2016, over 51,000 Canadians have died from opioid overdose. These are not just numbers; they are our loved ones who were stolen by a crisis fuelled by the proliferation of fentanyl, coupled with horrendous policies by both federal and provincial governments.”
“Mr. Speaker, I congratulate our hon. colleague on her maiden speech. Twenty-five hundred words make up the entirety of the Speech from the Throne, yet it made no mention of the over 50,000 Canadians who have died by overdose since 2016. It made no mention of the fact that our country is gripped by an overdose and opioid crisis. It made no mention that in my province of British Columbia, the leading cause of death for youth aged 10 to 18 is overdose. There was not one mention of the opioid crisis. I would ask our hon. colleague to comment on that.”