Mr. Speaker, budget 2025 is about building a stronger, more resilient Canada with an economy by Canadians and for Canadians.
As we look at the world around us, it is clear that we are at a hinge moment. Global uncertainty is rising, supply chains are shifting, technology is accelerating and countries everywhere are choosing whether to retreat or to step forward. Canada chooses to step forward. Budget 2025 would strengthen our sovereignty, accelerate interprovincial trade and position Canada to become its own best customer, making our supply chains, our industries and our workforce more resilient and more competitive.
Today, I want to speak directly to issues that my constituents in Port Moody, Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra care about. This budget is much more than numbers on a page; it is homes, jobs, affordability and opportunity right here in my community.
The first thing is housing. The housing crisis is hitting families hard in the Tri-Cities. In Coquitlam, young families are struggling to find homes they can afford. In Port Moody, seniors want to downsize without leaving the community they love. In Anmore and Belcarra, residents want to protect their communities' unique character while ensuring options for future generations.
Budget 2025 sets out six major housing actions to increase affordability and supply. Key investments include $25 billion over five years to double housing construction using Canadian materials. Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency, will partner with industry and municipalities to build faster and with greater certainty, and meaningful projects are already under way. For example, in Coquitlam, the Hoy Creek Housing Co-op expansion will deliver 146 new affordable homes, including 33 fully accessible units. This means real progress for real people.
The second thing is infrastructure. Our region is growing, and our roads, bridges, water systems and community spaces need to keep pace. Budget 2025 introduces build communities strong, which is a fund with $51 billion in investment over 10 years that would revitalize local infrastructure and support the essential services that Canadians rely on. This includes nearly $28 billion for local roads, bridges, water systems and community centres, and about $17 billion for housing, health care and education infrastructure through provincial and territorial channels. These investments would help cities across B.C., including Port Moody and Coquitlam, plan and deliver the infrastructure that supports the quality of life for our residents.
The third thing is affordability and fairness. Families in my riding are feeling the squeeze from everyday costs. Budget 2025 would deliver a full suite of measures to directly lower monthly costs for Canadians. Some supports are universal. We would lower cellphone and Internet bills, and we would ban transfer fees and bring real transparency into banking so that people know what they are paying for. By expanding dental care to Canadians with household incomes under $90,000, we would make sure that adults, children and seniors can finally access much-needed dental care.
Other measures are targeted and designed to help families with children. For us in the Tri-Cities, this really matters. Teachers and families across School District No. 43 rely on the school food program every single day, and it is making a real difference. Our government would make that program permanent. That stability would mean that children can focus on learning and not much else.
We are also strengthening child care, because affordable, reliable care is what allows parents to build stability, return to work and build a future for their families. We remain committed to creating even more $10-a-day child care spaces, helping parents get back into the workforce and helping employers across the Tri-Cities fill critical labour shortages.
Together, these universal and family-focused measures form part of a comprehensive affordability package that would support young families, seniors on fixed incomes and individuals and businesses right across my riding.
The fourth thing is jobs and skills. Our riding is full of talent, from students attending nearby Douglas College or SFU to skilled tradespeople building our communities. Budget 2025 would invest in people with a re-skilling package for 50,000 workers, especially in construction, clean tech and digital skills. The youth employment and skills strategy opens direct pathways to higher-paying careers, and the new youth climate corps would offer paid training for young people who want to develop green skills and contribute to our climate resilience.
This leads me directly to climate leadership, which is the fifth thing. Folks in Port Moody—Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra care deeply about environmental sustainability. Budget 2025's climate competitiveness strategy is both a climate plan and an economic plan for B.C. It would mobilize capital for clean energy projects and accelerate critical mineral development, which is essential for EV batteries, renewable technology and Canada's long-term economic competitiveness.
The sixth thing is seniors. Seniors are the backbone of my riding. Budget 2025 would strengthen the new horizons for seniors program, funding local projects that reduce isolation and promote active living. It would also launch Canada's first national anti-fraud strategy to protect seniors from scams and financial abuse, which are a growing concern today.
Budget 2025 is a plan to build Canada strong, and that starts in communities like mine, with more homes, better infrastructure, lower costs for families, good jobs for youth and workers, a cleaner, more competitive economy and support for seniors.
We can give ourselves more than any foreign government can take from us. We will be our own best customer. When we build in Canada, buy in Canada and believe in Canada, we can build an economy that works for everyone across our communities and our nation. When we build Canada strong, we build Port Moody—Coquitlam strong.
I hope we can count on the members opposite for their support.