Madam Speaker, for months, Canadians have waited to see how the government, elected on promises of fiscal foresight, economic integrity and monetary wizardry, would turn the fortunes of this nation around. If Canadians expected any sort of responsible governance from this budget, they were sorely disappointed. Instead, they got a glossy communications document full of arbitrary promises about vague infrastructure spending, all dressed up behind a clever new accounting trick: “Canadians rejoice, because the government no longer racks up debt but now makes capital investments.” These can be whatever the government wants. Apparently, the invisible hand of the market has struck a secret deal guaranteeing billions of investments from unknown private sector benefactors.
To be clear, private sector investment can be beneficial to the nation, but banking on it to fund infrastructure spending is not. All of that is to say that the government can be forgiven for taking what I am sure it thinks is a bold new approach to government financing. After all, along with the black shoes and white shirts in the PMO, the Prime Minister also brought a new fiscal calendar with him from his time in London, which is why we are now speaking to the budget in November instead of the more traditional spring. However, the budget is just that: a statement of intentions. It remains to be seen what Parliament actually approves and how the government spends the money.
I will give the government credit for one thing. It is refreshing to finally see some relief for the ever-suffering estimates process. We have time to flesh out the mains instead of diving through a budget and estimates at almost the same time.
I will move on to the content of the budget itself.
One notable piece of the budget that is of great concern not just for my constituents but also for law-abiding firearm owners across the nation is the arbitrary ad hoc firearms policy. We might think that, after three decades, at least one person would take the time to inform themself about how firearms operate, yet here we are, a full 33 years after the initial launch of the long-gun registry, with this budget in 2025. Still, the Liberals are chasing that elusive dragon. The budget proudly claims that “Weapons made for the battlefield do not belong on Canadian streets”. I cannot begin to fathom the cartoonish ignorance of this statement, and it boggles the mind that this line went through dozens, if not hundreds, of sets of eyes before seeing publication and not one person stood up and said, “This does not make sense.” It is a clear indication that the government paints our rural farmers, sportsmen, hunters and indigenous communities as gun-crazed fetishists who need to be put under the jackboot of the state, instead of the responsible, mature, respectable and law-abiding gun owners they are.
To make matters worse, we have a public safety minister who, as kind as he might be, has waffled on what exactly this buyback program entails and whether or not it is legally binding. He is telling Canadian gun owners one thing, then telling his tenants something completely different. The government has shown, time and again, that it does not care about gun owners and that, most telling, it does not care to learn about guns or gun owners. No criminals are doing a drive-by shooting in downtown Toronto with a legally purchased SKS.
The Conservatives know this, gun owners know this and criminals themselves know this. I would normally presume the government knows this as well, but, as the age-old saying goes, do not attribute to malice what can be explained by ignorance. I am certainly not going to argue against that, given the 30-plus years of evidence we have.
This dovetails very conveniently into the other concern many rural and small urban centres have, which is crime. The government has made big promises to help combat crime, which is refreshing to hear. However, again, it needs to follow up on its promises instead of rehashing the same promises year after year, budget after budget. This means working with our provincial cousins to ensure they have the capacities and infrastructure for federal laws to be effective in the first place. We need to move beyond the tired old blame game between federal and provincial governments to get laws passed, jails built and criminals behind bars. This needs to be a priority, one that ought to be championed by the federal government. What the provinces need is leadership and a firm commitment from Ottawa to keep our cities, towns and communities safe.
In tandem with this, and related to my previous point, Ottawa needs to understand that rural Canada exists. There are millions of Canadians who are quite literally nowhere near law enforcement or emergency services. I urge the government to keep this in mind at all times, especially when looking at ways to tackle crime in rural Canada.
Another group that is often lost in discussions in Ottawa is seniors. These are the men and women who built the country we call home today. Their labour, toil, struggles and efforts have granted us a nation that, despite some very real issues, is among the world's greatest countries to live in, and they deserve our respect and admiration. The measures in the budget to combat economic abuse are welcomed. As we all know, financial abuse and fraud especially affect our golden Canadians. It is imperative that the government work with financial institutions to spot instances of abuse and take mitigating steps to protect potential victims. Our aging population is an issue policy-makers have ignored for years, and we do so at our own peril. I urge the government to heed the needs of our seniors and their families. The hallmark of a civilization is how we treat the most vulnerable, and nowhere is that more true than with our seniors.
I would like to finish off by talking about the issue that has been dominating headlines for months now. That issue is trade and, in particular, what this budget and government have been doing on the file of late. Conservatives understood the government wanted to take its shot in negotiating with the United States. We showed patience while the government withheld details, recognizing that not everything can be conducted in full public view. We support efforts to diversify trade relationships. However, what has happened since negotiations have collapsed is very troubling. The Prime Minister campaigned on leadership regarding this file, yet, when it matters most, he is failing to deliver. In the most recent weeks, the government has shown no plan, no urgency and zero accountability. The silence and inaction speak volumes, and none of it inspires confidence.
There are two axioms that I need to believe are true. One, trade is good. Two, trade is not finite. Cabinet needs to keep this front of mind. Undermining trade with our closest ally to chase deals with dictatorships in Beijing and the U.A.E. is not just misguided but also reckless. Canada and the United States had and still have the closest relationship between two nations anywhere in the world. Our joint history has stretched for hundreds of years and has been through trials and tribulations far worse than a trade spat, including literal all-out war. Our bond with the United States is unmatched, transcending politics, culture and geography. I urge the government not to take this easy, politically expedient path of disengagement. The decisions we make now will have consequences far beyond the next three years. With the world at a crossroad, war in Europe, sabre-rattling in the South China Sea, and terror and death across Africa and the Middle East, now more than ever, Canada must turn toward, not away from, the country that has always been and will always be there.
In closing, Canadians deserve a government that balances ambition with responsibility. The budget offers flashy promises but little substance. As official opposition, we will continue to demand accountability, transparency and real results, putting our country's future ahead of political spin. Canadians deserve that.