Taxation  Madam Speaker, imagine the people watching the answers this morning while having to choose between heating and eating in a cold Saskatchewan winter. Imagine them ordering small amounts of heating fuel that last only a few days, because they simply cannot afford any more. Imagine their desperation.

Charitable Giving in Saskatchewan  Mr. Speaker, northern Saskatchewan is home to the most compassionate people in Canada. In Meadow Lake, Eve Danilkewich and her family donated land to build the NorthWest Community Lodge, a 72-bed long-term care home. Mrs. Danilkewich’s additional $100,000 contribution to the lodge’s fundraising campaign has helped ensure that this new home will create an environment to deliver quality care and comfort for seniors in Meadow Lake for decades.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, are members surprised that the cost of living in northern Saskatchewan is skyrocketing? Record high gas prices and an ever-increasing carbon tax have led to unprecedented freight costs. Everything, and I mean everything, costs more under this coalition government. In some communities, four litres of milk is nearly $14, a dozen eggs is nine dollars and a kilogram of apples is $12.

National Council for Reconciliation Act  Mr. Speaker, I have a question for my friend from the Bloc. Once the council is operational, and he referred to it in his speech, the bill would require all levels of government to submit any requested data to show progress on reconciliation, as set out in call to action number 55.

National Council for Reconciliation Act  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the opportunity to work at committee to make some improvements and add some teeth to this bill. I have several ideas that I would like to propose when we get there. I would like to remind the member that it was actually the Conservatives who established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

National Council for Reconciliation Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work my colleague and I do together on committee. I look forward to the work we can do. Our team has a number of ideas that we are going to put forward as amendments. We are going to be listening. If you have some ideas, we are more than happy to consider those and work together to improve this bill.

National Council for Reconciliation Act  Mr. Speaker, my understanding would be that the legislative calendar is controlled by that side of the House, not by us. I have not been here that long but that is my understanding of how this works. I have been very clear about my desire and intention to have some conversations about this at committee and about proposing some amendments that we think would improve the bill.

National Council for Reconciliation Act  Mr. Speaker, while it is always an honour to rise in this place and speak on behalf of the people of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, this week as we return to Parliament, especially as a member from northern Saskatchewan, I come with a heavy heart. As I begin today, I want to acknowledge the recent tragic events in northern Saskatchewan in the communities of James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon.

National Council for Reconciliation Act  Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I humbly ask for unanimous consent to split my time with the member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock.

National Council for Reconciliation Act  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister consistently avoids accountability by sending his ministers to answer the hard questions. Bill C-29 is no different. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call to action 56 clearly calls on the Prime Minister to respond to the national council for reconciliation's annual report, yet according to the bill, in subclause 17(3), the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations is to respond to the national council's annual report.

Health  Madam Speaker, residents in northern Saskatchewan travel great distances to attend medical appointments in Saskatoon. From Meadow Lake, it is three hours; from Pierceland or Goodsoil, it is over four hours; from La Loche or Creighton, over six hours. Depending on road conditions, from Stony Rapids it can be 14 hours.

Stanley Mission Evacuation  Madam Speaker, this week, the residents of Stanley Mission returned home after the whole community was evacuated due to a forest fire. In this overwhelming situation, there are many people deserving of our thanks and recognition. These include the fire crews of Stanley Mission and surrounding communities, who were on the frontlines; the La Ronge Regional Fire Department for providing equipment and personnel; the council of Stanley Mission, the PAGC and the SPSA for their organization and assistance in managing both the fire and the evacuation; the Red Cross, which went above and beyond in the preparation for and implementation of the evacuations of the cities of Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina; and finally, EMO coordinator Maurice Ratt and Chief Tammy Cook-Searson of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band for their steadfast leadership and hard work in guiding their communities through a very difficult and stressful emergency.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to accountability measures to ensure that funding provided through any program which provides money to any businesses, organizations, corporations, or vendors is used appropriately, and broken down by funding stream or program: (a) what specific accountability measures are in place to ensure that funds were used appropriately and for the intended purpose; (b) were audits conducted to determine the level of misuse by funding recipient, and, if so, what are the details of each audit, including the findings and what was done to monitor the level of misuse of funds; (c) what is the government's estimate on how many entities (i) received funding, (ii) used the funding appropriately, (iii) misused the funding; (d) does the government allow entities that have been found to misuse funds to still apply for government funding, either through the initial funding stream or other funding streams, and, if so, why; (e) what specific process is conducted when the government receives information, including tips, that funding is being misused; (f) how many entities that were found to have misused government funds in the past have since received, funding since January 1, 2016; (g) what are the details of all such funding received including the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) program through which funding was received, (iv) amount, (v) purpose of funding; and (h) does the government keep a central record of entities which have misused government funding in the past, and, if so, what are the details, and, if not, why not?

Community Service Recognition  Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the community of Dorintosh, the local Lions Club had a celebration to recognize the contributions of John Osborne. John Osborne is the definition of a “pillar of the community”. As a business owner, John was someone who valued an honest day’s work. However, his work went well beyond his own business.

Agriculture and Agri-food  Mr. Speaker, input costs for farmers have soared. Fertilizer costs have nearly tripled and fuel costs have doubled, all while we face a food security crisis, yet Liberals intentionally hurt farmers' ability to increase production. A punitive fertilizer reduction policy, not based on fact or science, and a carbon tax increase are hindering investment in climate-resilient techniques that farmers were making long before Liberal ministers were Greenpeace activists.