Debates of June 4th, 2025

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Madam Speaker, I want to welcome my new colleague as a fellow newbie from Manitoba.

The Prime Minister and the government have talked a lot about nation-building energy projects. My constituency of Brandon—Souris in Manitoba, the member's and my home province, contains its oil and gas industry in the southwestern corner. We have talked a lot about getting our natural resources, oil and gas products, to tidewater on Hudson Bay. The throne speech failed to mention any real plan to get those products to Hudson Bay's tidewater.

Will the member agree that the throne speech failed to mention this and that the government should take further action to ensure that natural resources and products from my constituency in southwest Manitoba can get to Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba?

[Ginette Lavack, Liberal, St. Boniface—St. Vital, MB]

Madam Speaker, as the throne speech demonstrated, we are here to build a strong Canada, to build a stronger economy for our country, and that will go through all kinds of initiatives and projects. We are in the process of consulting and putting together those plans. We cannot do that in a silo. We must be talking with partners. We must be talking with everyone in order to develop these plans constructively and with responsibility.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Speaker, in her speech, one of the things my colleague from St. Boniface—St. Vital talked about was immigration, which is essential in certain regions. In my riding of Shefford, however, some businesses are complaining about measures recently implemented by the government, especially measures related to temporary foreign workers.

The new targets are unrealistic and also miss the mark when it comes to immigration. Temporary foreign workers are essential to businesses in my riding of Shefford. Many entrepreneurs and new business owners are telling me that unless these new temporary foreign worker standards change, a number of regional businesses could be forced to close.

I would therefore like to know whether my colleague would be willing to consider certain accommodations or arrangements to recognize that these workers are essential to regional economies.

[Ginette Lavack, Liberal, St. Boniface—St. Vital, MB]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent question.

Once again, I think we know that there is a lot of work to be done when it comes to immigration. Certain credentials are not recognized, and people who are already on the ground may not have the jobs they would like. There is significant work to be done.

I obviously think the targets need to be reviewed. That has to be discussed, and it has to be done effectively and carefully. We do not want to set irresponsible targets. We certainly want to ensure that targets are reviewed in co-operation with the communities. It is important to listen.

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the hon. member on her maiden speech, which was excellent.

The French language in St. Boniface—St. Vital, and throughout southern Manitoba, is alive and well. I wonder if the member would say a few words about francophone immigration and how important it is to western Canada, as she is a western Canadian.

[Ginette Lavack, Liberal, St. Boniface—St. Vital, MB]

Madam Speaker, yes, immigration is essential to all of our communities. I was fortunate enough to work with a national association over the last number of—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

I am sorry to interrupt the hon. member, but there is a phone near the mics. Can we get it out of there, please? The vibration is causing interference.

The hon. member for St. Boniface—St. Vital.

[Ginette Lavack, Liberal, St. Boniface—St. Vital, MB]

Madam Speaker, I am sorry for the interruption.

As I was stating, I have become acutely aware that francophone immigration is critical for all francophone communities across this country, because we do need skilled bilingual workers in every sector, whether it is health care or education. It is crucial. In my own riding as well, it has been a first-hand experience seeing that there are people we are welcoming into our communities whom we want to put to work in great ways, so we need to do more to recognize their skills.

[Ned Kuruc, Conservative, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague for her victory.

The province of Manitoba set a record last year, in 2024, for homicides. My own city of Hamilton also set a gun crime record. I would like to ask the member, is she willing to vote yes to repeal Liberal Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 and put the teeth back in our justice system so criminals are afraid to commit crimes?

[Ginette Lavack, Liberal, St. Boniface—St. Vital, MB]

Madam Speaker, there is a bill that was tabled, Bill C-2, the strong borders act, which does address and start to discuss issues around security, gun controls, drug trafficking and all of those issues that certainly are having impacts on the security and the safety of our communities.

I would hope my neighbour across the aisle will consider that bill once it comes to the floor for debate and will vote in favour.

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

Madam Speaker, it is a privilege and an honour to rise in this House as the elected member of Parliament for Abbotsford—South Langley. I stand here today with deep gratitude, but I promise to be a committed advocate for the people I represent. I have a clear sense of duty and immense gratitude to stand here today.

I want to thank my family, my friends and all the amazing volunteers who stood by me throughout this campaign. I thank them for placing their trust in me, giving me their time and sharing their concerns with me. Volunteering on a campaign means upholding democracy and upholding our civic duty as Canadians.

I must acknowledge that I only stand here today because of my family. To my grandparents, Iqbal Singh Gill and Surjit Kaur Gill, their values and wisdom continue to guide me. To my parents, Avtar Singh Gill and Kanwaljit Kaur Gill, their sacrifice, strength and courage made all of this possible. They came to Canada from our village of Bukkanwala, Punjab, in the 1990s, carrying the hopes for a better future. Their journey, hard work and belief in the Canadian dream laid the foundation for everything that I stand on today.

I also want to recognize the pride and joy that were felt in my village of Bukkanwala. To the families, the elders and the youth, their celebration and blessings have reached me here. This moment is not just mine; it is theirs. It is a reminder that no matter where we come from, we can dream big and rise together. I carry this responsibility with humility and hope, knowing that the journey we have all been on has just begun.

To my sisters, Avneet and Anoop Gill, and my fiancée, Simran, they all are the constant rock that held me together throughout my ups and downs. Their encouragement, patience and love are what brought me here today. To my mentors, my friends and my community members, I am inspired by them every single day. I will make them proud by speaking on the issues that affect our homes and our families. This election was truly a team effort from day one, and I will never forget that.

Abbotsford—South Langley is composed of Canadians like truck drivers, farmers and tradesmen who rise before the sun and provide for our country. My riding has young families with aspirations from winning hockey tournaments to purchasing their first home. Our retirement communities deserve a safe place to live each day, share their wisdom with us and have nurturing environments. The truth is that Canada is struggling to maintain these warm ideals for our communities. When public safety fails, it endangers our families, our children and our elders.

Tens of thousands of Canadians have lost their lives to opioid overdoses in less than a decade. Our citizens are struggling from this opioid crisis and deserve to come home drug-free. Despite the number of overdoses and rising deaths in my riding, the Liberal government insists on funding these drugs rather than supporting our loved ones.

Furthermore, the data from Statistics Canada keeps getting worse. Firearms-related violent crime has risen over 25% nationally. Criminals who are caught offending time and time again are being let go because of poor rationale and bad policy. I must hold the government to account. I must express my blatant disgust with Bill C-5 and Bill C-75. These laws make it easier for repeat offenders to get bail and reduced mandatory jail time. Since these changes, violent crime has gone up over 50% in just 2024.

Concerning gun crimes like extortion illustrate the combined effects of the catch-and-release sentencing and Canada's struggling borders. Public safety needs evidence-based policies and a justice system with integrity. Canadians are expecting their elected officials to put their safety first, uphold the rule of law and make decisions based on grounded facts, not ideology.

There are two border crossings that fall within my riding and serve as international trucking entryways. Protecting our border communities is my priority, especially given the lack of funding for our border security, our military and our national defence. Canadians deserve better. They deserve a government that puts victims first and takes real action to make sure that our communities are safe.

I urge the Liberal government to stop turning a blind eye and work with us, Canada's Conservatives, to urgently address the growing concerns in our communities. Together, we must implement stronger laws, restore accountability, and ensure that extortion and violent crimes are met with the serious consequences that they deserve.

The safety of our communities cannot wait any longer. The Prime Minister was elected on a promise, not slogans, and a real plan. Canadians trusted that promise, yet we are still waiting for a clear answer. The recent Speech from the Throne reminded us of our democratic foundations, but symbols and speeches are not enough. Canadians expect leadership and a concrete plan.

After the election, we expected details, not empty talk. Canadians deserve to know how the government will build homes that people can actually afford. What will it do to ease the tax burdens on families, workers and small businesses? How will it support our armed forces, from our new recruits to our veterans? What funding are the RCMP and border security going to get? How will repeat violent offenders be kept off of our streets?

We do not need any more vague promises or any more empty words. What Canadians need is a budget that shows real priorities, real numbers and real leadership. People want safer streets where they can feel secure, homes they can afford without struggle and fewer families having to rely on food banks just to get by. No one working multiple jobs should have to stand in line for groceries or worry about making ends meet. Canadians deserve to have enough money to support their families, a chance to build a better future and a government that respects the trust they have placed in it.

I ran for office to serve the people, and I am proud to be representing my community of Abbotsford—South Langley, where I was born and raised. I am here representing those in my community for the very first time in the House, and I promise to work hard every day on their behalf, making sure their voices are heard.

Our country deserves a government that has a clear, honest plan to address these challenges, and we will keep the government accountable until it delivers the results that Canadians expect and deserve.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I wanted to pick up on two points that the member made reference to, as I am sure they have not told him about this. Just to make sure that he is aware, Pierre Poilievre was a member of Stephen Harper's cabinet. At one point, he was even a parliamentary secretary when Stephen Harper was the then prime minister. During that tenure, we had Stephen Harper, and he and Pierre Poilievre are one and the same. Stephen Harper, in essence, cut border control by hundreds of millions of dollars, not to mention the cuts to the border control officers.

Tomorrow, we are going to have a good debate on that. I would hope that Pierre Poilievre has instructed his caucus to do what he did not do when he was in government and vote in favour of strengthening our border.

The other quick point is with regard to the Canadian forces. The member might be surprised to know that the lowest GDP in the last 20 years was when Stephen Harper and Pierre Poilievre were in charge. They got 1% of the GDP. I am wondering if he would acknowledge that there is room for improvement within the Conservative Party.

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

Madam Speaker, it has been a lost Liberal decade, and there has been nothing done by the Liberal government to build our military, our defence and the communities surrounding the border areas. I would like to know what the Liberal government has done over the last Liberal decade. There has been nothing that the Liberal government has put forward that can help the communities that are around our borders.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his election and thank him for his speech.

When you watch the news, at least in Quebec, the situation is crystal clear. Health care is in crisis. At the height of summer, emergency rooms are overwhelmed. Psychiatric services cannot keep up. People who are homeless need services on the street.

My colleague talked about the government's fiscal and budgetary responsibilities. The government justified the election by citing the urgent need to properly budget. The first thing this government did was introduce a tax cut without presenting a budget and without saying where it would find the money. Here in Ottawa, the Liberals keep telling us that everything will continue to function, as though money were growing on trees, without even presenting a budget or, at the very least, an economic update.

Does this not prove that there is a fiscal imbalance and that, basically, this central government in Ottawa has far too much money for the responsibilities it has?

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

Madam Speaker, we need to make sure that we support our communities wherever they are throughout our nation.

It is a priority for me to represent my riding and bring up the problems that are within my riding. While I am in Ottawa, I will make sure that I work to represent local communities, municipal communities and provincial communities. I will work with communities at the municipal, provincial and federal levels to do what I can to support them.

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my colleague on his recent election and on his first speech in the House of Commons.

Given that the Liberal government is ignoring the vote and the verdict from the House of Commons to introduce a budget, can the member speak to how his constituents responded to him over the period of the election and what they would expect the Liberal government to do with respect to spending in the country?

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

Madam Speaker, there is real concern within my constituency and my community, as we see that young families are not able to make ends meet; they are struggling. This was not the same situation 15 years ago.

We need a plan. We need a budget, not false Liberal ideas. They are ideas, dreams that are out of reach. We need to make sure that we hold the government to account and come up with fiscal responsibility.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Madam Speaker, I am thankful for this opportunity. First and foremost, I congratulate you on your role as Assistant Deputy Speaker, as well as all the members who were elected in this 45th Parliament. I trust in your capabilities to diligently live up to your role as a non-partisan and be fair to members of all parties during the term of this Parliament. I can tell that so far you are doing great.

It is an honour and a privilege to become a member of Parliament, and I am humbled to be the first member of Parliament for the new riding of Edmonton Southeast. I want to thank all the residents of Edmonton Southeast who put their trust in the Conservative Party and in me. It was because of their trust and efforts that I won the seat for the Conservative Party, with one of the biggest mandates in the country. This is despite the fact that the Prime Minister himself spent half a day in my riding just before the election date. It shows that my riding was ready for a change and was ready to get the answers that the Liberals have failed to give in the last 10 years.

How can I thank the people of Edmonton for the support I got? Honestly, I cannot thank them enough in words, but I can definitely thank them by representing them in Parliament as their rigorous voice whenever and however it is needed and by making sure I hold the Liberal government accountable for its actions.

Edmonton Southeast is a diverse and ethnically rich riding, and I want to thank all the churches, synagogues, gurdwaras, temples, mosques and other religious congregations for extending their unwavering support to me. I also want to thank all my volunteers, the group captains, my nieces, my nephews, my three naughty yet wonderful kids and my lovely wife Mandeep for their tireless work and effort to make this dream come true. The work they did, day and night, was commendable.

I also want to extend a special thanks to my younger brother Chand, who I am lucky to have as my brother. I could not have done this without his organizational skills and foresightedness.

Moving forward, I want to talk seriously and bring to the floor some of the issues I heard about while door knocking, such as crime. I want to tell members about a young, hard-working Canadian in my riding named Harshandeep Singh. She was gunned down by a repeat offender on bail in the city of Edmonton. Another young Canadian was killed while at work by another person who was there.

Even earning money and running successful businesses in Edmonton and the rest of the country have become a curse and a nightmare. I personally know business owners who have received threats of extortion and ransom calls, and they are forced to live in hiding. From door manufacturing companies to realtors to restaurant owners, no one is safe.

I personally know families who were escorted by police out of Edmonton to live in a different place. If people do not pay money, bullets are fired at their houses and death threats are delivered to them and their family members and to their businesses. Newly built homes are set on fire if homeowners do not meet the demands of the criminals and pay them money. Cars are stolen in the GTA and Montreal and are found in Nigeria and South Africa, and the Canadian police and CBSA do not have any clue.

I urge the Liberal government to correct its mistakes by immediately repealing Bill C-5, which removed mandatory minimum penalties, and Bill C-75, which made bail easier, and bringing in stricter laws for repeat offenders and for violent crimes, such as human trafficking, hard drug trafficking, arson and extortion, so that successful Canadians can feel safe and enjoy the fruit of their hard-earned money.

I also want to talk about immigration. The immigration system has been broken in this country. This has had a direct impact on the health care system, housing and policing. Immigration needs to be based on quality and not quantity, yet at the same time, the government must stand in solidarity with international students and try to extend their visas as much as possible before providing visas to new immigrants.

Our first and foremost duty is to accommodate international students and people who are already in Canada, but that does not mean we should promote the bogus claims that refugees make after being in Canada and not being successful in getting permanent residency in this country. Refugee claims and pre-removal risk assessments have literally the same requirements to be successful, so why burden Canadians with added bureaucracy?

I have seen CBSA officers in my practice as a lawyer who have turned down LMIAs for not being genuine. If a CBSA officer is the ultimate decision-maker, why burden Canadians with Service Canada bureaucracy and why not give all the work permit powers to CBSA officers?

The next point I want to touch on is unleashing oil and gas. I have never seen such bigotry and hypocrisy at the hands of government. Alberta holds one of the largest oil and natural gas reserves, but the Liberals have failed to pass laws and legislation to build pipelines and to secure deals with global partners to unleash the energy sector of Alberta. Rather, the Liberals have passed legislation like Bill C-69, making sure that our oil and gas stay under the ground. What is even worse is that the Liberals have turned down building needed infrastructure and killed the LNG deal with Germany, a deal worth billions of dollars that could have generated hundreds and thousands of jobs.

The continuous denial and ignorance of Alberta's genuine demands have led to a strong feeling of separation. Believe me, it is not trivial; it is real this time. I am a strong believer in Canada and its unity, but the onus is now on the Liberal government if it wants Canada to stay together. If the Liberals want Canada to be together, then this is the prime time to unleash Alberta's oil and gas and make sure Alberta feels listened to and honoured. That is what unity and Confederation are anyway, is it not?

As for soaring house prices and affordability, the rising cost of houses for new Canadians in Edmonton has been inexplicable. I hear Liberals talk about aggressively building houses, but they are not saying whether Canadians get to own those houses or whether they are just playing into some sort of scheme.

I see the Speaker signalling that my time is up, but there are so many issues that I want to touch upon, like jobs. We need jobs in Edmonton. We need infrastructure in Edmonton. We need to make sure that oil and gas get out to market.

I want to thank all my constituents, my riding and my family. I will stand strong in Ottawa, and I will make sure that the Liberals are held accountable on jobs, the fight against crime, building pipelines and building more infrastructure.

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Scarborough—Woburn, ON]

Madam Speaker, I congratulate the member.

I want to find out if the member is going to be supporting our initiative to lower income taxes for Canadians.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Madam Speaker, as it has alway been, it is the Conservative Party's mandate to stand to support any positive step. Despite the fact that the tax cut the Liberals are talking about is so minimal, we will stand behind it.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech, in which he talked about Alberta's frustrations with various things.

One thing I can say is that the Quebec National Assembly unanimously adopted a motion opposing the principle of a single economy. The motion states that Quebec has its own economic model, and we want the freedom to develop our economy in a manner consistent with who we are.

At the moment, we are being subjected to U.S. President Trump's wrath and mood swings. During the election campaign, the Prime Minister made this his pet cause. He said people had to vote for the Liberal Party so that it could deal with the American president's volatility. It is now clear that neither the party nor the government has a plan to deal with Mr. Trump.

My question for my colleague is this. How should we deal with Mr. Trump's economic roller coaster?

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Madam Speaker, that is such a wonderful question. From day one, when I heard that the Liberals are working on a single economy, I had questions like the member has. Until and unless the Liberals put down a plan or make clear what they mean by “single economy”, we are not going to support that.

The real challenge or force that we can put forward to fight against Trump is making the economy stronger, making the micro-economy stronger, making the national economy stronger and making sure that our infrastructure is such that we can send our oil and gas out to other markets. We are not dependent just upon America for that.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK]

Madam Speaker, it is great to see you in the chair once again.

I want to congratulate my colleague for getting elected for the first time. It is a pleasure to work with him.

I am just curious to know what the member's thoughts are. We have heard a lot of soft talk from government members on how they want to build nation-building projects, yet we are not hearing about any specific projects. They met with the premiers, yet nothing concrete actually came out of it. It was just lots of words but no action.

I am just wondering what the member heard at the doors about things that his constituents would like to see the government do and get done, versus just the fluffy words we have heard so far.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Madam Speaker, that is such a wonderful question.

Yes, at the doors, I heard that we need pipelines, we need more jobs and we need infrastructure. I agree with the member that so far, the Liberals have come up with no concrete plan. They have given solid slogans and beautiful speeches, but that is about it. There are no details. There is no action plan with respect to how we are going to do that. That is where the whole question comes in.

The throne speech is empty. Liberals have not tabled a budget so far. The Liberals are trying to convince the opposition to go on a blind date with them. That is not going to happen. We need to know what the budget is going to bring.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague from Edmonton on his election. I am certain that this evening he, like I, will be cheering for the Edmonton Oilers as they head into the Stanley Cup finals.

I have a question for the member. In regard to this particular throne speech, but in previous Parliaments as well, the workers across this country have been demanding that the government take steps to reform EI and make it more appropriate. Now that we are getting such incredible threats from the United States, from Donald Trump, and we are seeing illegal tariffs on our steel and aluminum, would the Conservative Party support reforming EI to make it so that all workers can use it as they need to?