Mr. Speaker, it is always great to be back in this place representing the amazing folks of Essex.
I will be splitting my time with the member for Flamborough—Glanbrook.
Here we are again. The NDP leader, the member for Burnaby South, said it himself: “I...ripped up the Supply and Confidence Agreement” with the Liberal government. Let us call it what it is: a stunt. It was designed to distract from the fact that the NDP leader and his party have been propping up the government that has been failing for years.
The NDP leader has been outspoken in opposing actions that weaken unions' power. He has stated unequivocally that if any vote in Parliament impacts workers' rights, the NDP will vote against it regardless of the consequences. However, despite his strong words, his actions have not always matched his words. While the NDP leader has condemned the Prime Minister for taking away the Teamsters' and ILWU Local 514's right to strike, he has remained largely silent on other issues affecting workers.
The Prime Minister has launched a brutal assault on workers, hurting their paycheques through inflation, driving up prices with a carbon tax, doubling housing costs, hiking taxes, cancelling major projects that could create union jobs and issuing orders that undermine workers' chances of giving every Canadian a fair shot at a decent life and affording necessities. Despite these actions, the NDP leader has continued to support the Liberals.
Now the NDP leader faces a crucial choice: Will the NDP continue propping up a government that makes decisions that harm workers, or will it stand by its principles and vote to fix the government? The NDP leader said on November 12 that the Liberals are never going to be able to count on the NDP if the Liberals are going to take away the rights of workers. The time has come for the NDP to act on those words.
We are at a crossroads, and it has become clear every day that everything is broken. Seven in ten Canadians now say they feel the same way: that nothing is working anymore. Our economy is stuck and families are getting squeezed at every turn. According to Equifax and TransUnion, consumer credit debt has hit an all-time high, and Canadians are now paying more in taxes than they spend on housing, food and clothing combined. The cost of living has become so unbearable that 26% of Canadians are seriously considering leaving this country because it is simply too expensive to live here.
In the last year alone, 1.4 million children were living in poverty, and the number of Canadians turning to food banks has reached staggering levels with record-breaking numbers: over two million visits in a single month. One million people in Ontario alone used food banks last year. For the first time in Canadian history, 80% of Canadians believe home ownership is now reserved for the super-rich, with some families even forced to spend 100% of their income on rent.
Let us not ignore the reality on our streets. Violent crime is up 50%. Gun violence has more than doubled, and auto theft is rampant. However, instead of fixing these issues, the Liberals and the NDP continue to ignore the rising tide of hardship across the country.
In the middle of all this is the member for Burnaby South. The NDP leader has spent more time posing for cameras than standing up for Canadian families. He promised he would be an opposition voice and an advocate for the working class. Instead he handed over his principles to keep the Liberals in power.
After his big media stunt, the member for Burnaby South still refuses to say whether he will vote to force a carbon tax election at the first chance. He voted to quadruple the carbon tax to $0.61 per litre. It is a plan that will drive Canadians to food banks and grind the economy to a halt, killing hundreds of thousands of jobs. Remember that this is after he promised to be the voice against high taxes and big government. He promised to be the workers' champion, but instead he voted to punish workers and raise taxes on everything from gas to groceries.
Let us also not forget the real reason the member for Burnaby South is playing this game: his pension. It is not about workers or about Canadians; it is about the NDP leader's getting his $2-million pension. He is delaying the election until next year when he qualifies for that fat payout. The—