Tim Uppal

[Business of Supply, December 7th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Barrie—Innisfil.

The Taliban regime is known for its brutality, human rights violations and ruthless killings. For months now, we have been hearing from our men and women in uniform about the imminent dangers to those who fought alongside them in Afghanistan and that their lives are at risk. Thousands of Afghan refugees remain stranded in Afghanistan and surrounding countries, but the Liberal government has yet to announce the timeline or a plan for resettling all 40,000 refugees it promised to bring to Canada.

These brave individuals supported our military heroes in Afghanistan during their darkest times. The least we can do is help make sure they are safe. Despite the deteriorating situation, and the life-threatening conditions these refugees are living in, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands. In the four months that have passed since Kabul fell, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has failed to deliver on the promise made by the government to Afghans fleeing the Taliban regime.

The inaction of the Liberals on this issue is inexcusable. NGOs, experts and veterans all warned the government months before Afghanistan fell that urgent action was needed to help Afghan interpreters, support staff and their families. The government ignored these warnings and instead called an unnecessary election.

The government had months to prepare for the refugee crisis in Afghanistan. It knew vulnerable Afghan refugees needed help before the U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. The Liberal-made backlogs have left refugees in the dark. Veterans and members of NGOs have had to step up and become the last hope for many Afghans stuck in limbo, a limbo created by the government.

Not only did the government fail to get Canadians, interpreters, support staff and their families out of Afghanistan as the country fell to the Taliban, it also refused to continue to fund their safe houses. Safe houses have been protecting religious minorities and women as the country faces growing economic and food crises. These brave men and women continue to be forced to hide from the Taliban.

In addition to the government's complete indifference, there was a serious government data leak that exposed many Afghans who had applied for visas here in Canada. It occurred shortly after the Liberals promised to bring in 40,000 Afghans threatened with Taliban reprisals because of their previous work as rights advocates, journalists, members of the judiciary, or because they belong to religious and ethnic minorities targeted by these terrorists.

The recent data breach at IRCC continues to threaten the lives of several hundred vulnerable Afghans seeking refuge from the Taliban. The ramifications of this inexcusable mistake will have life-threatening consequences, and the government must take immediate action to address this unacceptable error.

We heard from Canadians who are worried about their loved ones. I have met with many of them in my riding of Edmonton Mill Woods, and they continue to hear of the Taliban using phone and Internet surveillance to track down, and in some cases kill, perceived enemies and religious minorities in Afghanistan.

I am standing here today to ensure the government shows some accountability because further mistakes of this nature, or delays in bringing Afghan refugees to Canada, could have grave consequences for those whose help we once needed, and they desperately need our help now. Afghan interpreters, embassy staff and their families are now being hunted down by the Taliban because they put themselves in harm's way to help our country. Extremist and terrorist groups are making it difficult for refugees to escape on foot through rural Afghanistan to countries such as Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Liberal government has brought to Canada less than 10% of the number of Afghan refugees that it had promised it would bring during the election. Faced with the prospect of life or death, these brave Afghans cannot afford more incompetence and red tape from the Liberal government.

Canadians need to know that safeguards are in place to protect those who fought alongside our country in Afghanistan. We must examine what contingency plans Canada had in place for evacuations of Canadians, and we need to ensure that real efforts are being made to bring Afghan interpreters and others who helped the Canadian Armed Forces in that region to Canada.

The fact that those who served alongside our men and women in uniform were left behind in Afghanistan is a stain on our country. This is why Conservatives are calling for a special committee to review and analyze the inaction of the Liberal government on this issue and make recommendations on how Canada can quickly get these Afghan interpreters, support staff and families to Canada. This committee is not just about looking back. It is also about looking forward and making an actual plan to help them.

I cannot speak about Afghanistan refugees without thinking about and acknowledging the heroic work by my dear friend and former Alberta minister Manmeet Singh Bhullar. When he heard of the plight of religious minorities in Afghanistan, such as Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities, he worked day and night to try to get them here to Canada as refugees.

Manmeet was killed in a tragic accident in 2015. His dream of bringing these religious minorities to Canada lives on through the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation and organizations such as the World Sikh Organization, where hundreds of Canadians have collected funds to support applications to bring refugees here to Canada. Unfortunately, much like with the issue with interpreters, contractors, their families and those who supported Canadians, there is little progress. There is no timeline, and there is no clear plan to bring them here.

Religious minorities, women's rights leaders and democratic activists continue to be forced into hiding from the Taliban. They need our help. Any attempt by the government to cover up their failures in Afghanistan by using security concerns as an excuse will not be acceptable. The requested documents will be subject to a thorough process that will protect Canada and its allies from publicly releasing potentially sensitive security information.

Words without action or a plan are useless. As the Taliban's grasp on Afghanistan tightens, and its hunt for remaining allies continues, now is the time for action. Lives are at risk. We need real answers, followed by real action. Our friends in Afghanistan and their loved ones depend on it.

[Pramukh Swami Maharaj, December 7th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour to recognize the 100th birth anniversary of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. His holiness was a Hindu swami of Swaminarayan denomination and he gifted the people of Canada the magnificent BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto, which is the first traditionally hand-carved Hindu place of worship in all of Canada. The Mandir stands as a symbol of Canada's abundant diversity, cultural mosaic and freedom of religion.

His holiness lived by the saying “In the joy of others lies our own”. This was evident in his work, which promoted health and inspired spiritual, humanitarian, environmental and educational initiatives. BAPS charities have supported communities right across Canada, including in my riding of Edmonton Mill Woods, and provided thousands of COVID vaccines to Canadians.

Since his passing in 2016, his successor, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, continues his legacy of inspiring people around the world. Pramukh Swami Maharaj's life work is one that needs to be preserved and celebrated for the present and future generations.

[The Economy, December 3rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, just this morning analysis from National Bank Financial revealed that, for the first time in decades, private sector investment in Canada has actually shrunk. Canadian factories are currently operating with the lowest capital stock in 35 years.

The Liberals have made it harder to open and operate a business in Canada. When are they going to realize the “Justinflation” economy is slowly destroying Canadian jobs?

[The Economy, December 3rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, as they say, small businesses are the backbone of an economy, and we need to help them thrive to help get our economy back on track. However, because of Liberal inflation, labour shortages and rising shipping costs, many businesses are struggling just to stay open.

Why does the government continue to ignore the needs of Canadian small businesses?

[The Economy, December 3rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, Conservatives have repeatedly warned the government its reckless spending would fuel inflation. It said it would not, yet here we are. The cost of everything has gone up.

When will the government take real action to help Canadian families who are struggling to afford the most basic things, like groceries?

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the problem is that the Green Party and the Liberals do not understand that we can do both. We can reduce our emissions, we can provide for our future and we can use those resources to help to diversify our economy and produce new greener technologies. We can use the energy sector to be the guiding path into the future.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the oil that is coming from other parts of the world into Canada is in the same tankers that people protest against and try to stop.

The fact is that the government has hurt jobs and economic viability in Alberta. We need to champion that industry and all the Alberta energy sector. Yes, oil and gas is important to the energy and gas sector, but so are other sectors as well. When Alberta does well and the energy sector does well, we provide roads, bridges and schools right across the country.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, if the member would like to see proof of the Liberal government's war on Alberta's energy sector, all he needs to do is come to my riding. People had good well-paying jobs in the energy sector and were able to provide for their families and put their children through university. They no longer have a job and are now struggling to provide for their families.

The war on the energy sector is real and it is having a real affect on Canadian families.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we support Canada's energy sector because we support science. Canada's energy sector has reduced its environmental footprint. It is using world-leading technology. It is ethically produced energy right here in Canada, supporting Canadian jobs and families, such as the families in my riding of Edmonton Mill Woods. If we can take that technology and export it around the world, we would actually bring global emissions down, because countries would be producing at the same high standards we do.

The Liberal government should be promoting our industry and the way we do things in the Alberta energy sector, and sell that as its environmental plan.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by expressing my deep gratitude to my community of Edmonton Mill Woods for their continued trust in me to represent them here in the House of Commons. It is a privilege and a great honour to stand here on behalf of such an amazing and diverse community. They have shown incredible resilience during times of uncertainty and many challenges.

I also want to thank my family for their unconditional support, and to personally thank my amazing campaign team and the dedicated group of volunteers who worked tirelessly during the last election campaign. I thank them for all of their outstanding efforts.

I do not know if you, Mr. Speaker, have ever been to Edmonton Mill Woods, but if you went you would find a diverse community in every sense. It is an economically diverse group of mostly middle-class, hard-working Canadians. There are young families and seniors, and Mill Woods is really known for its cultural and faith diversity. That makes it the great place that it is.

I am proud that I grew up in Mill Woods, and proud that the son of an immigrant cab driver can have a seat here in the House of Commons. My father is the hardest-working person I know. He is out there driving a cab right now because he just does not want to sit at home. I believe that says a lot about the people of Edmonton Mill Woods, and it says a great deal about this amazing country we live in and the opportunities that it provides.

Nav Bhatia, the superfan and now Canadian icon, says that Canada is heaven on earth. I agree with him. In Mill Woods, we have tremendously generous organizations that have stepped up to help each other in the past couple of years.

These include organizations such as the Edmonton Care Closet, which provides food and clothing based out of Calvary Community Church, and our Rotary Club of Edmonton Southeast. Fulton Meadows Community League provides food for the food bank and a clothing drive, Millhurst Community League created a coats for kids campaign, Leefield Community League provided Thanksgiving turkey dinner for hundreds of people, and Youth Rise provides great support for youth in our community.

United Aid and Sikh Youth Edmonton recently teamed up with the All India Super Market and New Way Trucking to donate and send food free of cost to B.C., to help people during these devastating floods.

Sangat Youth YEG has been doing a great job. Hope City Church has been providing support in our community. Our local mosque, Markaz-Ul-Islam mosque, has also been helping. Ahmadiyya Jama'at Edmonton, the Hindu temple Bhartiya Cultural Society, Philippine Business Society of Alberta-Edmonton and Guru Nanak's Free Kitchen are all organizations in our community that have been helping their neighbours. There are many more that I could list. My heartfelt thanks and gratitude go to them and to their supporters for all of their great work.

The reason they have had to step up and help their neighbours now more than before is because from coast to coast to coast life is getting more expensive for Canadians. We see it everywhere we go: at the gas pumps, in the grocery stores and even when we try to buy Christmas gifts. Conservatives have repeatedly warned the government that its reckless spending would cost Canadian families. For more than a year, we warned that this flood of money would fuel inflation. Now, we are watching the consequences of the Prime Minister's reimagined economy in real time.

Unfortunately, the Prime Minister's political priorities announced in the Speech from the Throne do nothing for middle-class working Canadians. The cost-of-living crisis that we are in right now is pricing families out of homes and driving up the costs of essential goods. It is clear that families in Alberta are not a priority for the current government. Instead of presenting an economic plan for families, seniors and small businesses that have been left behind by the government, the government's approach means more of the same: More deficits leading to higher taxes. One thing is clear. Middle-class Canadians cannot afford more of the current Liberal government's reckless spending.

Being a middle-class Canadian no longer means living comfortably. Being a middle-class Canadian in Alberta, especially an energy worker, comes with an even greater set of challenges.

The Prime Minister has waged a war on our energy sector. At a time when the world is facing an energy crisis and the President of the United States is calling on OPEC and other energy producers to increase the production of oil and gas to lower soaring energy prices, the Prime Minister and his new environment minister want to deny our energy sector the opportunity to supply the world with ethical, lower-emission Canadian energy at a time when it is desperately needed.

Through the Speech from the Throne, the Prime Minister continues to attack our energy workers. The only time he mentions Alberta energy is when he talks about putting a cap on the work they do. He makes no mention of the world-class, ethically sourced energy that is using world-leading technology to reduce its environmental footprint.

The demand for energy is not going away soon. What the Prime Minister does not understand is that our made-in-Canada energy will be replaced by unethically produced energy. His attack on our energy sector is not out of concern for the environment, but, instead, it is about furthering his own Liberal agenda.

The Liberal government's short-sighted plan to limit made-in-Canada energy will only embolden foreign oil-producing dictatorships. Its plan will drive up the prices of oil and gas and make it more expensive for Canadian families to drive to work and heat their homes.

The Conservatives know that it is possible to work with our energy sector, lower emissions and provide jobs and opportunity in Canada. We should be proud to supply the world with sustainable and ethical energy to developing countries, which want to source their energy from a country like Canada where our environmental and labour standards are world class.

On top of inflation and the rising costs of food and gas, we are also in the midst of one of the worst housing crises the country has ever seen. The dream of home ownership is being pushed impossibly out of reach for first-time homebuyers. Home prices in Canada have shot up over 20% since 2020. We need to reduce inflation and increase supply, increasing housing availability. One of the ways we would do that through the Conservative plan would be to release at least 15% of federal surplus land holdings to allow for more housing. The rise in cost of affordable housing is a serious issue that requires a serious plan, which has not been provided by the government.

Earlier I spoke about a number of the great organizations that were helping their fellow Canadians in Edmonton Mill Woods, and I know there are organizations like that right across the country. Many of these organizations are faith-based and cultural-based organizations and many of them may not have the same values as the Liberals do. However, that is just part of our diversity in Canada.

In 2017, the Liberal government required organizations to sign a values test to receive funding to hire summer students. Because of this values test, many worthy organizations were excluded from the program just because their values did not line up with the Liberal Party. Thankfully, the federal government changed course after considerable outcry from across the country.

Now I am hearing considerable concern from many people in my community about a Liberal campaign promise to take tax-exemption status away from organizations that do not align with Liberal values. Once again, the Liberals love diversity as long as we all agree with them. I hope the Liberals will listen to all voices across Canada and represent them all.

Another issue is the rise in gun crime. This has been an issue in many major cities, including Edmonton, and we have to have serious solutions to this. Instead, the government relentlessly continues to go after law-abiding gun owners, hunters, farmers and sport shooters. It is simple. Every time the government spends $1 taking firearms away from a law-abiding Canadian, it is $1 not going to fight the core issue of firearm crime in Canada, which is illegally smuggled guns.

Canadians across the country elected the Conservatives to hold the Liberal government to account, and we are doing just that.