Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to rise in the people's House.
Once again today, sadly and unfortunately, we are continuing to have to hold this government to account as it relates to producing documents that have been repeatedly requested by a clear majority in the House and backed by the Speaker's ruling. Once again, it would behoove this government to act upon on that, and then we can move on to other business that Canadians want us to be discussing. However, we cannot do that until we have the assurance of transparency on this very serious matter.
Part of the role of the official opposition is to hold the government to account and to make sure that taxpayer funds are used responsibly, and for good reason. Anyone looking at this right now clearly understands and clearly agrees with the official opposition, and other opposition parties, that there is a definite lack of transparency. Therefore, Canadians are wondering why they are working hard every day to make ends meet while somehow the friends, special privileged groups and organizations that seem to match ideologically with the government of the day are receiving an abundance of funds. It is amazing how much they are getting to fund an ideology without results. I think that many Canadians share our frustration.
We have a government that soars in the rhetoric of healing the planet, cleansing the oceans, rolling back the tides and bringing down temperatures, but when we look at the reality of it, there are no results. There is a lot of money going out the door, a lot of philosophical debate, a lot of virtue signalling at these grand national stages and conferences around the world. The Liberals go all over and talk about, “We're going to do these great things for the environment. Look at how much money we're spending.” However, Canadians are not nearly as concerned about an announcement that is going to spend more money on the government's friends. They want results, and they are frustrated because they are getting no results for the absolute gargantuan amount of money that is being spent.
We need a government that prioritizes the priorities of the people. I think if the Liberals did take it to the people in a carbon tax election, like we have been calling for, they would hear clearly that their priorities around this are not the priorities of the people they say they represent. Need I go any further than the grandiose announcement about planting trees? When we think about it, two billion trees, it is amazing. It is incredible and makes us feel warm and fuzzy that we are going to plant all of these trees. Do members know how many trees have been planted? Only 0.04% of the target number of trees have been planted. It is an amazing outcome for the amount of money the Liberals are spending and how few results we are getting.
People want real, tangible, practical results, which is why we are going to continue to hold this government to account, demand transparency and ask that it release the documents, as the majority of the House, the people's representatives, have clearly asked for and as the Speaker has ruled and said that we deserve. It is time that transparency came to the House. It is time that honesty comes to the people's chamber and that we get the results we want.
We come to this place now where we are looking at a gargantuan amount of money going out the door with no real transparency or accountability, and as a result, Canadians' level of frustration is growing. We see it on their faces. They work day after day to earn the dollars that they have, and at the end of the day, they have more bills than they have money to pay those bills. No wonder they are upset. No wonder they are angry when they look at a government that does not prioritize their needs and does not seem to be concerned about their priorities. Instead, it has all kinds of time and money for its ideology. However, right now, with a nation that is facing an economic crisis with the threat of tariffs on the horizon, basically people are wondering, “Do I pay the rent? Do I get groceries, or do I put gas in my car? Can I buy my kids Christmas gifts this year, or do I make my rent payment?” These are not fictional stories; it is the reality.
Our food bank use has overwhelmingly grown. In my region, food bank usage is up over 30% year over year. That is a staggering stat. People are now wondering, especially seniors on fixed incomes, how they will make it to the new year when they are looking at escalating power bills and fuel costs, and every time they go to get groceries it is costing more. I think we have a responsibility as parliamentarians to be responding to those kinds of needs and those matters. It is too bad that those on the other side will not simply comply with the order of the House, release the documents and get back to work on the priorities of Canadians.
The frustration is real. They are being taxed and burdened. I cannot help but think of that. It is said that history repeats itself. In reality, it probably does not repeat itself, but it certainly does rhyme. We will find rhymes throughout history and cycles within politics, governments and societies.
It is a wonderful time of year, Christmastime. This will come as no surprise to many in the House, but I cannot help but think of the most wonderful story that has been told and is still being told the world over. It is why literally billions will be celebrating this month. It is the wonderful story of Christmas. Anyone might ask how Christmas relates to what we are talking about, but it does.
On that very first Christmas, it was written that it came at a time of taxation. It was a heavy and burdensome time of taxation, and a census had to be done to find out exactly what the population was in that region so more taxes could be collected. The census was rendered and everyone was to return to their place of origin or birth.
A young man by the name of Joseph, who had taken a young, beautiful lady by the name of Mary to be his wife, had to make the journey to Bethlehem. It was not an easy journey. We have a way of romanticizing the imagery. We have these wonderful images of nativity, but it was probably not very pretty nor exciting at the time for this terrified young couple, who were living under accusations and probably being very much falsely accused. The rumour mill was rampant. They were heading out into uncertainty. She was not just early in her pregnancy, but a long way into it.
I do not know about members, but I am thankful that I have never had the experience of carrying a young one inside me, but my beloved bride has, and I must say—