Mr. Speaker, I am very happy and excited to rise to speak in support of Bill C-15, the budget implementation act, and explain why this legislation matters to communities such as London West and the broader southwestern Ontario corridor.
We came off a campaign in April 2025 with an ambitious plan to respond to pressures that Canadians sent us to resolve in this session. In the last election, I spent many hours speaking to many Londoners, asking them what the most important issue was for them. I believe that, in this election, the most important issue was actually responding to the tariff pressures and the economic pressures that Canadians were feeling. The tariff pressures came on top of the extra economic pressures that Canadians were already feeling, which were due to many external pressures, such as COVID-19 and the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine. These were all factors in why Canadians were experiencing pressure on their pocketbooks.
Families were scrambling to feed themselves. There was a lot of price gouging in food prices, and Canadians were feeling real pressure, whether it was with finances, putting their kids into extracurricular activities or even putting their kids in day care. We have been a government that has constantly responded to these pressures.
On this side of the House, we believe that Canadians want a government that functions, that responds to pressures, and that can also withstand external pressures, such as these global issues that impact us all here in Canada. As we have seen, there have been many global challenges that continue to impact us economically. Even when we have economic plans, we can always plan to see other pressures come into play, and we have to be ready to respond to those pressures. We have to be ready to support Canadian families and Canadian workers, which is why they sent us back in April 2025 to this House, to make sure that we can respond to tariff pressures, respond to issues in which young people are unable to access homes that are affordable to them and respond to Canadian family pressures around affordability. This is where I will frame my speech, but I wanted to start by saying that the budget really did respond to a promise we made in April 2025 when we were campaigning.
I believe that budget 2025 comes at a really important time, because it makes concrete changes to how Canada responds to global economic pressures and how we equip our workforce. It also responds to how we ensure that young people can build stable lives in the communities they come from, and my remarks are going to focus on these areas: how Canada is responding to the tariffs and external economic pressures, the support of businesses and communities, innovation, job creation through retooling and skilled trades, and the connection between youth opportunities and housing.
Budget 2025 reflects a clear shift in how we think about economic strength. It does not assume that markets will organize themselves. It does not assume that workers can absorb endless disruption. It does not assume that housing will magically fix itself. Instead, it is built around three practical priorities: strengthening Canada's response to global pressures; investing in innovation and workforce capability; and rebuilding opportunity for Canadian families and young people through affordability measures, housing and employment pathways. This matters for areas such as southwestern Ontario and my community of London West, because these are measures that are experienced through job stability, rent payments and whether young people can stay close to home to find meaningful work.
Canada, along with many countries in the world, is operating in a world that is changing really fast and becoming very unpredictable. The global trade rules that have powered our prosperity for decades are being rewritten, which is creating real pressures on Canadian small, medium-sized and large businesses; real risk for workers; and real uncertainty for families. In that context, our focus has to be clear. We have to strengthen what we can control here at home, which means growing our economy faster, building more of what we need here in Canada and making sure that we never overly depend on one single country. It also means that we have to make disciplined choices. We have to cut waste where it exists, and we have to invest with purpose in the infrastructure, housing, skills and industries that will carry us forward and create immense opportunities for Canadians.
This is a moment for serious leadership, practical action and long-term thinking, and this is exactly how we are going to build a stronger and more self-reliant Canada. Canadians did not send us here to sit on the sidelines while the world changes around us; they sent us with big, bold ambitions. They sent us with a clear expectation that we will act to protect their jobs and that we will position our country to compete and win big. That is exactly what we have seen so far.
Since the Prime Minister became Prime Minister, we have secured major investments and trade commitments that are strengthening our supply chains; we have opened new markets for Canadian businesses, and we are bringing real capital into our economy. These are not symbolic announcements; these are real investments that will result in real jobs in the country, in real economic power, in strengthening our businesses and in making a stronger country. These are practical steps that are already leading to new facilities, expanded production and well-paying jobs in communities across the country. This is about doing the work that Canadians wanted us to do when they sent us here in April 2025.
We have an opportunity to work together with the entire House to make sure that we can protect Canadian jobs; that we can create real, meaningful opportunities for Canada; and that we can continue to position Canada as a real partner around the world. Canada has exactly what the world needs; the world is calling on Canada to step up, and that is what we are doing. We are opening up opportunities for trade.
The Prime Minister has already signed trade deals in the U.A.E. and Indonesia, and there are many more to come. This is really important for the agriculture sector and the innovation sector, and there are real opportunities here. When the tariff pressure came, it was both an opportunity and a pressure for Canadians. It was an opportunity for us to grow as a country and to continue to show that we are a strong middle power that can stand on the world stage. It was also an opportunity to protect our jobs and to build the future that we want to see for our young people.
Building a stronger economy only works if the people who power it are equipped to succeed, and that is why our government is investing in people. We are rolling out large-scale re-skilling supports so that workers can transition into growing industries, modernizing employment insurance to make it flexible and responsive and launching the digital job-matching tools that connect Canadians to their careers faster. At the same time, we are bringing employers, unions and industry together through new workforce partnerships to align training with real labour market needs. These are practical steps that will ensure that growth is not abstract but shows up as stable, well-paid jobs.
Through major infrastructure investment, we are already unlocking tens of billions of dollars in economic activity that will support thousands of well-paying jobs and strengthen our productivity in the long term.
Housing is a core part of our economic plan. Workers cannot build stable lives and businesses, and show up to work, if they do not have an affordable place to live. As Canada faces a real housing supply gap, our response is focused on speed, scale and coordination, and through budget 2025, we are taking direct action to bring more homes online faster by removing barriers for first-time homebuyers, by launching Build Canada Homes to drive larger-scale public-private construction and by modernizing how homes are built.
We will do this by using Canadian products. This means that we will work with industry, provinces, municipalities and indigenous partners to deliver affordable and co-operative housing at scale and using new building technologies, securing long-term investment and prioritizing Canadian material and supply chains. The goals here are very clear: more homes built faster; restored affordability and real pressures relieved for families, workers and young people trying to build their future in their own communities.
I can give a London West example of how we are doing that. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was in my riding announcing $11 million that will create 50 affordable units in London. That is 50 more people who will not have to be homeless, who can have a home that they can call their own and then begin to think about their work opportunities.
It looks as though my time is up, so I look forward to being able to answer more questions and talking more about the things I care about in the budget. I hope the entire House can understand that these are real pressures Canadians are feeling, and they are looking for us to pass this bill as quickly as possible.