Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise for the first time in the House of Commons. I would first like to express my appreciation for the people of Calgary McKnight for placing their trust in me. It is a great responsibility to be their voice, and I am both humbled and motivated by their support. I also need to thank my family, friends and relatives. Every individual who volunteered on my campaign and spread the Conservative message by knocking on doors, making phone calls and putting up signs inspired me with their commitment, which served as a reminder of the impact we can make when we come together in service of our communities.
I thank my neighbouring MPs from Calgary East and Calgary Skyview for their guidance and support throughout this process. Finally, I want to thank the returning members of the House for welcoming me and all newly elected MPs with kindness and grace. I am eager to work alongside colleagues from all parties to deliver results for Canadians.
Just like this chamber, Calgary McKnight is made up of people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. It is a riding filled with hard-working individuals who take pride in their roots and in the journeys that brought them to Canada. People from every corner of the world are proud to call northeast Calgary home. They have started businesses, raised families and built vibrant communities. It is a place where neighbours support one another, where different traditions are celebrated side by side and where the Canadian dream is lived out every day in various languages, religions, cultures and acts of community service.
Their stories of sacrifice, determination and hope for a brighter future are what I carry with me into the chamber. Like many of my constituents, I also immigrated to northeast Calgary to live out the Canadian promise. Back then, if we worked hard and played by the rules, we could afford food and an affordable home on a safe street. Unfortunately, after 10 years of the Liberal government, that promise feels increasingly out of reach.
People in Calgary McKnight are simply tired: tired of seeing their savings eroded by inflation, tired of watching their children struggle to get ahead and tired of seeing crime destabilize the safe and welcoming communities they once knew. I ran to be a member of Parliament because I saw the issues that my neighbours in Calgary McKnight face on a daily basis. I have seen the rising cost of living make it harder and harder for members of my community to keep up.
Families are being forced to choose between affording groceries or filling up their car with gas, between heating their homes through the cold winter months or enrolling their children in sports or extracurricular activities. I see seniors stretching every last dollar of their retirement savings: The price of basic necessities continues to rise while their purchasing power declines due to the Liberal government's inflationary spending.
The youth in my community are no longer striving to get ahead financially or save for a down payment on a home. They are simply trying to keep their heads above water. New data from the Financial Resilience Institute shows that anxiety about money is now reported more than loneliness. The rise of youth unemployment to 14% has left young people hopeless and depressed.
Despite their education, skills and willingness to work, many young Canadians are unable to find meaningful employment and are forced to skip meals or move back in with mom and dad. This is not the future they were promised, and it is not the future that we should accept in the House.
A recent RBC survey found that over a quarter of Canadians have gone into debt, not to upgrade their education or buy a car but simply to cover basic living needs. Fifty-five per cent of Canadians describe themselves as being financially paralyzed. Overall unemployment is also on the rise in Canada and in my community. We have all heard stories of highly skilled and educated people unable to find work because their qualifications, earned abroad, are not recognized here. This is not only unfair; it is a missed opportunity for our public services.
I will advocate for policies like the blue seal program, which would give professionals a pathway to demonstrate their expertise and apply their skills in Canada. Through this program, tens of thousands of health care professionals already living in Canada could find employment and ease the strain on our overwhelmed health care system.
Northeast Calgary has a proud spirit of enterprise. For generations, the desire to start a business has served as the foundation of a strong Canadian middle class. Unfortunately, the past 10 years of Liberal taxation, bureaucracy and red tape have punished those who seek to innovate and build. Small business owners in Calgary McKnight have been facing increasing regulatory burdens and higher taxes that make it more difficult to sustain and grow their enterprises.
I will continue the fight for policies like cutting red tape by 25% and eliminating capital gains taxes on reinvestment, because small business owners in Calgary deserve to be rewarded for their hard work and personal investment in our communities.
My constituents are also deeply concerned about the rising wave of crime that has swept across our country. Just last month, a transit driver in my riding had to fight for his life after being brutally assaulted while driving a bus. Throughout my campaign, I met numerous constituents who had been victims of crime, people whose homes and vehicles had been vandalized or broken into, families still shaken by recent attacks and small business owners distraught after multiple armed robberies. Many shared that these incidents have become more frequent in recent years.
While Canadians are living in increasing fear, the Liberal government's soft-on-crime policies continue to enable repeat offenders to return to our streets and threaten the safety, livelihood and dignity of law-abiding citizens. This is unacceptable. We need to work together in the House to deliver practical solutions to combat violence and restore public safety across our great land.
Canadians deserve a real plan from their government. Last week's throne speech and the Liberals' decision to not present a budget unfortunately do not provide one. With summer break coming up after six months of prorogation, many are left wondering what to expect from a government that is already starting to look a lot like its predecessor.
Conservatives will continue to put forward common-sense solutions to make Canada safer and more affordable, self-reliant and united. It is time to cut taxes and red tape and to restore the dreams of home ownership and entrepreneurship. We must rein in government spending to bring down inflation and restore the value of our dollar. We need to make our communities safer by ensuring that repeat violent offenders are kept behind bars.
As our leader has previously stated, a good government should deliver effective essential services and then get out of the way so that Canadians have the freedom to work, build and pursue their dreams. It is my mission to restore that Canadian promise for the people of Calgary McKnight and for all Canadians who simply want a fair shot at a good life.
I thank the people of Calgary McKnight once again. I will serve them with integrity, passion and an open heart.