Debates of June 3rd, 2025

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, if foreign investment is coming to this country and the companies that you are speaking about are rather large companies, I am interested in the innovation sector, the small companies that are the backbone of our Canadian economy. The government has failed miserably to provide the supports, the platform and the economic opportunities for companies and Canadians to invest their capital in these start-ups.

We are not talking about billion-dollar companies that you may be referring to as coming to Canada. I am talking about the small companies that will build entrepreneurship and innovation in Canada and create long and sustainable jobs for Canadians.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

I would remind members to address their comments to the Chair.

The hon. member for Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his election.

I listened carefully to his speech, but there seemed to be one thing missing from it, and that is the issue of climate change. I was wondering if my colleague had any concerns about that.

There was also no mention of this subject in the government’s throne speech, even though we know that unprecedented forest fires are currently raging in western Canada.

In that context, does my colleague not agree that we need to think about the fact that we are only adding fuel to the fire by consistently proposing oil projects that will only worsen climate change?

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we believe in technology, not taxes, as a way to fight climate change. I have worked with many companies in Niagara in the green tech sector that are creating new technologies rather than collecting taxes that change nothing and do not reduce CO2 emissions.

Yes, we have opportunities in this country to help grow our tech sector with these brand new companies that will change the world based on technology and not taxes.

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot tell you how excited I am that the member has joined us in the House. No offence to all the lawyers in the House, but it is great to add another business person who understands what it takes to create jobs. The member for Niagara South is very humble. He has spent a long career in Niagara helping companies grow, helping people build jobs, helping create wealth for individuals and small companies.

I would like the member to comment on the industrial carbon tax. What does that do to our businesses in terms of competitiveness and how we trade around the world?

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. I have spent a lot of time talking to companies in my riding. I made mention of Chris van Kralingen at Barber Hymac in Port Colborne. He told me during the campaign that one of the most oppressive issues that faced his company was the industrial carbon tax. He did not need that to be a barrier when he is trying to compete internationally against countries in Europe and the east that heavily subsidize their sector.

If we are going to tax our companies to death, we will never be able to compete on an international scale. I hope the government will finally decide to axe the tax.

[Mike Dawson, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to stand in this House today to give my first speech since being elected back home in Miramichi—Grand Lake.

I would like to congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, upon your election to office and offer you my promise to assist in maintaining decorum and order in this House.

It is both humbling and an honour to sit in the chamber as a member of Parliament. While I am both proud and overwhelmed at the responsibility of this job, I take comfort in the fact that we would have no authority in this House whatsoever unless it had been given to us from above.

As this is my maiden speech in the House, I respectfully ask for the opportunity to explain my purpose for being here. My grandfather, Pat, used to joke that politics was just a chance to wear out a good suit and hang around a lower class of people. Today, I think a great many Canadians share his cynicism of politics in our country. For my part, while my grandfather is no longer with us, I remind myself daily of the need to restore public confidence in the elected offices in our country.

I am not a career politician; I am a tradesman and a contractor. My father, Mike Sr., died unexpectedly of cancer when I was in high school in 1992. I dropped out of high school and went to work, eventually building my own business in drywall and construction. I let my name stand for public office because I wanted to give back to the community and region that gave so much to me. I made only two promises to get here: that I would always be honest with my constituents and that I would always work hard on their behalf.

Let me further say, for the record, that I will always be accountable to my constituents. I will always put the needs of my constituents ahead of my own and make best efforts to meet with them whenever they need it. I will vote with my conscience on questions of ethics. I know that at the end of the day, I only sit in this House, which is impressive and inspiring, by the will of the people and the hard work of those who supported me to get here.

There are many individuals who deserve my thanks for helping me get here, too many to name, but I will mention just a few. To my wife Kathy, my children Mikey and Dylan, and our granddaughter Carter, without their love and encouragement, none of this would be possible.

Frank Trevors, my campaign manager, took on an incredible challenge and saw it through to the end. Mark Donnelly is my official agent and great friend since we were kids. Tilly O'Neill Gordon, our former and much-loved member of Parliament, is a kind and sincere woman who laid the groundwork for my opportunity to sit in this chamber. Jimmy Whalen was by my side, door to door, and knows almost everyone everywhere in my riding. Andrew Dawson was a key part of my success in Fredericton and will continue to do so in Ottawa. MLAs Michelle Conroy, Kathy Bockus, Richard Ames, Daniel Allain and former New Brunswick premier Blaine Higgs, who were all my colleagues the past three and a half years in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, contributed to my success then and now as well. To all my volunteers, and the list is growing very long, their long hours and dedication were instrumental in my success.

Please let me spend a moment explaining where my riding is and how it is a part of our great nation. Geographically, my riding begins in central New Brunswick, where the headwaters of the Miramichi River form, and it follows those waters through the communities of Boiestown, Doaktown, Blackville, Renous, Sunny Corner and Barnaby River.

My constituency contains the entire city of Miramichi, formerly Newcastle and Chatham. It continues on to Neguac, Baie-Sainte-Anne, Tabusintac, Rogersville, Richibucto and all points in between. It also includes the municipalities and communities that surround Grand Lake, the communities formerly known as Chipman and Minto, as well as Sheffield, Noonan and Maugerville.

There are also several first nation communities in our beautiful riding: Elsipogtog, Esgenoôpetitj, Metepenagiag and Natoaganeg, which I will have open dialogue with, and I will work on their behalf for their interests as well.

Miramichi has a long history of contribution to our great nation, by way of both our natural resources and our people. The timber from our forests and the ore from our mines have contributed to our proud national history. Lord Beaverbrook, who served as a member of Parliament in England during the Second World War and as a part of Winston Churchill's war cabinet, was born and raised in our woods and along our shores. Former prime minister R.B. Bennett lived and worked in Miramichi. Former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna, whom I recognize, despite the best efforts of the hon. member for Beauséjour, as the greatest living New Brunswicker, is also an honorary Miramichier.

As we have just finished an election campaign, and I have canvassed all the communities and regions that I have mentioned, please allow me to inform this House of the priorities of my constituents, which makes them my priorities.

Of course, the economy, inflation and the cost of living are very front of mind in my constituency. Over the last decade, life has become unaffordable for the people of Miramichi—Grand Lake. It is hard to understand how the government proposed a spending bill of half a trillion dollars, which does nothing to help this very worrisome situation. The money the government proposes to spend is money it does not yet have and must steal from individuals and businesses by way of future taxes. It is troublesome, to say the least.

This kind of reckless spending in Ottawa with numbers too large to comprehend takes hundred-dollar bills out of the pockets of the working poor and single mothers, and also from those on social assistance and retirees. It is becoming nearly impossible to find someone in these communities who is flourishing and living our great Canadian dream, if in fact the great Canadian dream still exists.

I am surprised that the Prime Minister, during his time in England, never picked up on the lessons in economics from Margaret Thatcher: that the problem with spending other people's money is that eventually we run out of it. We are there now. Because of this, let me state in my very first speech in the House that I am a small-government, low-tax, “keep government out of our business”, free-speech, God-fearing Pierre Poilievre Conservative.

While the government proposes to spend recklessly, my constituents in Miramichi—Grand Lake are very concerned about job security as it relates to employment at the federal payroll centre in Miramichi. During the recent campaign, PSAC, the union representing the workers at the Miramichi payroll centre, accused me and the Conservatives of planning to cut positions at the payroll centre, when it was the Liberals all along who planned to do so. For as long as I am a member of Parliament, I will fight for the workers at the Miramichi payroll centre.

I will also fight for the federal government to address the very real concerns of our inshore fishers in New Brunswick. For many years now, the federal government has mismanaged the fishery and allowed tensions between native and non-native fishers to escalate on our waters. These issues must be addressed in real time if we are to create a safe, level playing field for all in this vital industry. For as long as I am a member of Parliament, I will fight and advocate for our small craft harbours and inshore fishers.

The community wharves in Tabusintac and Bay du Vin are unsafe and in desperate need of attention from the federal government, whose responsibility they are. The member for Beauséjour injected millions into the wharves in Shediac and Pointe-Sapin, which were in his constituency. I hope I can get these wharves on his radar, as I know he has sincere respect and concern for our fishermen in New Brunswick, and they quite rightly respect him as well. I will advocate for much-needed improvements to the wharves in Tabusintac and Bay du Vin.

Lastly, while on the topic of fisheries, no speech from Miramichi would be complete without mention of the Atlantic salmon. The Atlantic salmon have been in decline for two decades now. My constituents have been joking that with the job the government has done managing the Atlantic salmon population, perhaps the Liberal government could take over the responsibility for the black flies, in hopes that it could mimic these results with that most troublesome population. I will fight and advocate for the Atlantic salmon.

This brings me to the end of my allotted time. I look forward to representing my constituents and contributing to the debate in this most esteemed chamber.

[Aslam Rana, Liberal, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when we were knocking on doors, each and every resident was asking about affordability, affordable housing and the tax cut. I will request that my colleague support our Prime Minister's program for the tax cut.

[Mike Dawson, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the tax cut that the Liberals are proposing does very little for my constituents in Miramichi—Grand Lake. If the Liberals wanted to make a difference, they would cut the carbon tax completely: not just the consumer carbon tax, but the industrial carbon tax. Axe the tax completely.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about my colleague's last statement that any measure limiting greenhouse gas emissions should be axed completely. On the contrary, I think it is important to have incentives to limit emissions. However, I will move on to another topic since I already asked his colleague that question and I expect he would give me the same answer.

In his speech, the member talked about how important infrastructure is to him. I believe I heard him mention a wharf in his riding that needs investment. There is a wharf in my riding that needs investment too. The federal government has been neglecting the Verchères wharf for about 20 years now. It is a real disgrace. It is an eyesore right in the middle of our village. Unfortunately, it is all too common for the federal government to give up on its infrastructure.

What does my colleague think of that?

[Mike Dawson, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, on the question of emissions, I believe we have to work to fight emissions as well, but we also have to fight for the everyday living of Canadians. If Canadians cannot afford to live, there is no sense in worrying about emissions. The cost of living is going to be too high for people to live in Canada.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the hon. member for Miramichi—Grand Lake on his election.

I share the concerns the member has about the fate of Atlantic salmon, as well as that of Pacific salmon. As he will know, and in Miramichi everyone knows, by the way, that I am actually bicoastal. I am from Cape Breton Island and Vancouver Island. I grew up on Cape Breton Island. The Miramichi is famous, as is the Margaree River, which is my home.

Saving both of these salmon populations is going to be a struggle. I look forward to working with the hon. member. If he is prepared to fight for wild Atlantic salmon, I am prepared to fight for wild Pacific salmon.

[Mike Dawson, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague on the other side. We need both Pacific salmon and Atlantic salmon to thrive. It is a major industry, and 25 years ago, it was a $40-million industry in Miramichi—Grand Lake. We need to get back to the table to work with the government, as the opposition, to make sure that we keep our industries alive and well.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I send my congratulations to you on your election and your appointment.

I have a question for the member with respect to the budget. The fact is that the Liberal government has not brought forward a budget, and it does not seem to be serious about it. How does he think that bodes for the future of Canada and getting expenditures under control?

[Mike Dawson, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know how the government expects to do this. If one runs a household, they do not just fill up their credit cards, empty their bank accounts, and then try to do a budget after the fact to find out how much money they have left. That is not the way people spend their paycheques. That is not the way they run their households. We should not be running the country that way either.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Hamilton Centre asked a question about the tax break. The member opposite indicated that he does not like the tax break. Is it the Conservative Party's official position that its members are going to be voting against the tax break for Canadians? We were very surprised in 2016, when they voted against the tax break for Canadians. Is it the position of the Conservative Party to vote against the tax break?

[Mike Dawson, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I never said that we did not like the tax break. I said that it did very little for the constituents of Miramichi—Grand Lake.

What I am saying is this: If the government wants to take care of the people of Canada, it should cut the carbon tax completely.

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate you on your appointment. I want to mention that I will be sharing my time with the member for Hull—Aylmer. I also want to congratulate all members of the House on winning their seats.

I am here today to support the Speech from the Throne. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the voters of Beauport—Limoilou for doing me the honour of choosing me as their member of Parliament. I will do everything in my power to live up to their trust.

Next, I want to thank all the volunteers who believed in me and in my election campaign. We certainly did not have a head start, but we took the time to talk to the people. I want to thank Jacques and Louis-Philippe.

I want to thank my family and especially my parents, Huguette and Paul-Émile, who instilled their values in me and made me the man that I am. I also wish to thank Mélanie, my partner in life, for her support. It is thanks to her that I am able to undertake this extraordinary commitment and embark on this amazing adventure.

I also want to acknowledge the people for whom I am here today: my four children, Christopher, Léa, Tristan-Olivier and Emma-Rose, and my two grandchildren, Jayden and Mason. The reason I ran for Parliament was to work to build a more prosperous Canada for them. I love them all very much.

I am the youngest of seven children raised on a dairy farm in a small village called Notre‑Dame‑du‑Lac in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. I spent my childhood working on the farm, helping my father and siblings with the milking. Later, as a teenager, I followed my brothers into the bush, to work as a lumberjack until I was 25 years old.

At the age of 20, I became a father for the first time. I was plunged into a life full of challenges that I was not yet ready to face. At the banks, where I worked for two decades, I was lucky enough to be in a position to help people. I could help families, like my parents' family, become homeowners. Later, I had the opportunity to help entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams and create prosperity in our community. I fully understand the impact that uncertain times like these can have on the people in our communities.

I helped families who could no longer afford their mortgages. I helped business owners who felt they were at the end of their rope and were just days away from filing for bankruptcy. I took the helm of Quebec City's chamber of commerce and industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many business owners in the region did not know what lay ahead for their businesses. I know the value of things. That is why I was so deeply moved by the throne speech.

For me, the most important words in that speech were these: “the economy is only truly strong when it serves everyone”. In short, if we want to create economic value in a lasting way, we must do so in a way that respects our deeply held values. We also need to make sure no one is left behind. In short, this throne speech, which I have read, is a government road map that aligns perfectly with my personal values and with my ambitions for the Quebec City region.

We need to invest, not just spend. The throne speech we heard last week gives me confidence that the Quebec City region will not only make it through this period of uncertainty, but will emerge stronger than ever.

The government will quickly address an issue that is a huge problem in Beauport—Limoilou: the housing crisis. The plan is simple yet highly ambitious. The government is going to launch a massive homebuilding project in order to lower prices. The vast majority of first-time homebuyers will also save up to $50,000 in GST on homes at or under $1 million. That will help young people get onto the property ladder.

Earlier, I quoted this phrase from the throne speech: “the economy is only truly strong when it serves everyone”. That is why I am proud of the concrete measures our government has announced to directly improve people's lives. I am thinking in particular of the tax cut, which will put money directly into the pockets of the middle class. It will allow a couple to save over $800 and will benefit more than 22 million Canadian citizens. That is not to mention the popular existing programs that will be maintained and enhanced, such as child care, pharmacare and, of course, dental care.

With respect to economic development, the Quebec City region has been at the heart of the government's strategy for years. Thanks in particular to the work of my colleagues from Québec Centre and Louis‑Hébert, the Davie shipyard's future is secure. The Quebec bridge, a critical link and vital artery for Quebec City, is now owned by a government that sees its restoration as a priority. The government is also a key financial partner in Quebec City's strategic public transit project.

The work will continue. The throne speech signals a new era of growth for Canadians. In my discussions with the people of Beauport—Limoilou, one thing that often came up was the idea that economic development projects should not be pitted against each other. It is not either-or. We can build by saying “and” instead.

The same is true for the environment. The greatest challenge of our generation is to build a sustainable economy, an economy that respects our planet. Some would have us believe that we must choose between economic development and environmental protection. We can do both. There is no point in dividing people. We should work together to build for the long term.

I strongly believe that the Quebec City region has a major role to play in Canada's future. For millennia, my region has been a dynamic and essential trade hub. Quebec has always been and will always be the gateway to America. Having come to realize that our U.S.-centric supply chains are less secure than we thought, we are going to diversify our economy. Canada will increasingly look to Europe for its supply chains. My region was a builder yesterday and continues to be a builder today. It has always been a driver of prosperity for this country in the past, and that will not change.

In Mandarin, the word “crisis” consists of two ideograms. The first one means “danger”. We have certainly felt that over the past few months with our neighbour to the south. The second is “opportunity”. We are entering a period of opportunity. We have the opportunity to remove barriers to internal trade and labour mobility, which cost Canada as much as $200 billion each year, and the opportunity to create a major energy corridor and become an energy superpower. Let us seize every opportunity to make our country a G7 economic leader. The people in my riding of Beauport—Limoilou are proud of this and intend to work on helping our country flourish and building a strong and united Canada.

In closing, I am proud of my professional career, proud of the values that make me who I am today, proud of our government's ambitious vision for its citizens and proud to be here with all of my colleagues to build the strong and united Canada of tomorrow. The true north is indeed strong and free.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to congratulate you on your appointment to the position of Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons. I have had the pleasure of knowing you for almost 10 years, and I know you will do a great job.

I would also like to congratulate my colleague from the Quebec City region on his election and on the quality of his speech. Obviously, I agree with him that we are here for our children. I have always said that we are in politics because of our parents. We inherit what our parents gave us. We are here to leave Canada in a better place for our children, our grandchildren, which I am blessed to have, and our great-grandchildren to come.

The member was elected in the Quebec City region as someone with a background in the chamber of commerce, as a businessman and as someone who knows how to count. Could the member explain why his government refuses to table a budget?

Let me be clear. On February 4, the former minister of finance said he was preparing a budget. The current Prime Minister and the current Minister of Finance have been in office since mid-March. During the election campaign, the Minister of Finance suspended his campaign—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

I must give the member a bit of time to answer.

The hon. member for Beauport—Limoilou has the floor.

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our current leader has a background in economics, and he is preparing a responsible budget for the fall.

It is current practice to take the time to listen to everyone and then to table a budget a few months later. Yesterday, he was with the premiers, hearing what they had to say prior to tabling a budget and learning about their needs in terms of creating an energy corridor. To make the right decisions, informed decisions for the future of our country, it is responsible and wise to wait for the fall before tabling a budget.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my collegue on being elected in the riding of Beauport—Limoilou. I knew his predecessor, Julie Vignola, who was an excellent MP from 2019 to 2025. She worked hard on the issues and was very interested in the Quebec City region. I think that my Liberal colleague will have some big shoes to fill in the coming years.

How does he intend to continue the work that his predecessor, Julie Vignola, did for the Quebec City region?

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Julie Vignola did indeed do exemplary work in the riding. We will continue that work.

There are currently 369 social housing units under construction in my riding. We will make sure that they are completed. We are working on reducing the cost of living, which was one of the most important issues raised when I went door to door. With the tax cut and the dental care plan, we are moving in the right direction. The government's ambitious plan to accelerate construction in order to reduce the cost of housing will help us get there.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is such a pleasure and honour to greet my colleague, and now my neighbour, the member for Beauport—Limoilou, for the first time.

He touched on the importance of building social and affordable housing in his riding. How does he see the future in his riding? He mentioned 369 social housing units. Is he happy with the Government of Canada's contribution to the construction of these units?

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague's question is important, because there are two subjects that came up over and over when I went door to door during the election campaign: the cost of living and housing.

The measures that have been taken are just the beginning. We need to move forward. The current government is working fast to implement measures and actions, and we need to continue in that vein.

This is a simple yet extremely ambitious plan that will lower the cost of housing and improve access for our families.