Mr. Speaker, Canada is a nation built on ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It was the prairie farmers who turned barren land into the world's greatest breadbasket. It was the workers who carved a national railway through mountains so grand that they seemed immovable. It was the veterans who fought tyranny overseas and then returned home to build communities here in this nation, and it was, as it continues to be, the inventors, builders, entrepreneurs and newcomers who used their skills, their hands and their knowledge to build Canada and make us a nation that is admired around the world.
At every turning point in our history, it was the determination, creativity and grit of the people that spurred us forward, and today, despite the heavy burdens on them, Canadians remain our greatest source of hope. They want to build. They want to contribute. They want to provide for their families and to see our communities thrive. They do not want and they do not need yet another government handout.
The hon. member just gave an entire speech for 10 minutes outlining program after program. There is nothing empowering about that. Canadians want to be effective on their own. They need a government that trusts them. They need a government that removes barriers and unleashes their potential. In other words, they need a government that facilitates opportunity and empowers them to do great things. That is what Canadians want.
Unfortunately, that is not what this budget delivered. Instead, budget 2025 was all but that. It really was a chance, the government's opportunity, to put trust in the Canadian people to launch them forward and help them succeed by simply facilitating an environment of economic prosperity rather than laying out program after program, which makes Canadians small and the government big. It is insulting, and Canadians are tired of it.
I will give an example. In question period, we have been asking about affordability. Recently, the Secretary of State for Children and Youth said that if a senior is struggling to afford food or a parent is struggling to pay for baby formula, the Liberals have an answer for them: the school food program. We can just sign those seniors up and get those babies in the school food program. With regard to rent and mortgages, this is what the Minister of Jobs and Families had to say: Those having a hard time putting a roof over their head should not worry; there is a national dental care program.
If these suggestions sound ludicrous, it is because they are. They are absolutely ludicrous, because the problem for someone who is having a hard time putting a roof over their head is not going to the dentist and getting a teeth cleaning. The problem for a family that cannot afford to buy baby formula is not signing their infant up for a school feeding program. In what world does a sophisticated government offer such solutions? I guess it is in Canada. I would remove the word “sophisticated”, however.
Canadians do not want another handout. They do not want another program. They want more freedom. They want more opportunity. They want their hard-earned money left in their pockets so they have choice, so they have dignity and so they can advance themselves and their families. That is what the government fails to see.
In my area, small businesses are the lifeblood of the community, but they are suffocating under inflation, taxation and over-regulation by the government. After years of overspending and mismanagement, the Liberal government has created an affordability crisis that Canadians from coast to coast are experiencing. When government takes on debt, and I mean 80 billion dollars' worth of debt, as in the budget, it is simply passed on to Canadians through increased taxation and increased inflation. It is Canadians who ultimately bear that. It is one of the most unkind things that the government could have possibly done to Canadians. It is cruel.
Many people ask what we would do differently as Conservatives. Let me begin with the fundamentals. Fundamentally, we believe in people. We believe they are the creators, innovators and problem solvers who will take this nation forward. We believe they are capable, resilient and ready to build a stronger country, if the government would simply get out of the way and allow them to succeed.
A Conservative government would chart a different course, one that brings home powerful paycheques by cutting waste, lowering taxes and restoring fiscal responsibility. We would reduce the debt load that is burdening Canadians. We would reward municipalities that build homes. We would enforce housing targets and we would lower construction costs. In short, we would restore hope because we believe in the Canadian people.
On that note, Canadians are not just looking for hope when it comes to affordability; they are also desperate for hope when it comes to their safety and their well-being. Again, the government is found lacking.
Violent crime is up, extortion is up, sexual assaults are up and gun crime is up. Crimes against children are out of this world, with a rate that is unprecedented. Repeat offenders are cycling in and out of jail. The member opposite scoffs as if it is not true, but he knows it is.