Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Calgary East for his inspiring speech. As a business owner, he understands the importance of budgeting and tracking expenses to know how to direct a company.
Why did I choose to rise in the House today? The reason is that the Prime Minister and his minority government—let us not forget—are refusing to comply with the demand of the majority of the House and table a budget in the spring. I would like to remind the government of this. Out of respect for the institution of the House of Commons, out of respect for Canadians, who budget, but who unfortunately are struggling to make ends meet after 10 years of an inflationary Liberal government, out of respect for our children who are currently learning abut the importance of budgeting at school and out of respect for all business owners who budget in order to be good managers, I want to say, loud and clear, this morning that it is important that the government table a budget this spring, not in the fall.
The Liberals will go a year without a budget. They will manage our country without tabling a budget. It is unbelievable. What a lack of rigour. The government announced half a trillion dollars in spending without tabling a budget. To top it all off, the Prime Minister made the King read a promise in the throne speech about how the government would cap spending at 2%, but then two hours later, the government introduced a bill to increase spending by 8%. The Liberals themselves showed Justin Trudeau the door because he was not a good manager. With the arrival of Donald Trump's tariffs, the good Canadian banker appeared like a saviour. He said "elbows up" when it comes to the Americans, while promising to impose dollar-for-dollar tariffs. He anticipated $20 billion in revenues to be redistributed to those affected by the tariffs. Apparently, the banker is also a magician. He made the retaliatory tariffs disappear, and we lost the $20 billion in revenues he promised in his election platform.
When the Liberals came to power, the debt stood at $700 billion. After 10 years of Liberal governance, the debt now stands at $1.4 trillion. We thought it was impossible to have a prime minister who spends more than Justin Trudeau, but the Liberals have managed to find one who spends far more. Interest on the debt will amount to $49 billion, or 10% of the total budget. That is more than the government transfers to the provinces for health care. This is unsustainable. The Parliamentary Budget Officer predicts that interest on the debt will reach $70 billion in 2030.
I did a little research: In 2014‑15, Quebec's former finance minister, the current federal MP for the riding of Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, took 42 days to present a budget. He said this: “The government is giving itself the means to achieve its objectives and return to a balanced budget.... This is not an obsession. It is an obligation.” The current federal member of Parliament said that in 2014‑15. I invite the Prime Minister to have a good talk with his MP about how to achieve ambitious budget targets.
What are the consequences of Liberal mismanagement? It creates inflation. A family of four is expected to see their annual grocery bill increase by $800. Currently, nearly a quarter of the country's population is experiencing food insecurity.
In 2024, food banks marked another unfortunate milestone when Canadians made two million monthly visits. That is double the number of visits just five years ago. For 18% of people who use food banks, employment is their main source of income. That means that one in five users is working and still relies on a food bank. That is the reality.
One of these two million is my friend and former high school classmate François. François works and sticks to a budget, but he still cannot make ends meet. He goes to a food bank, which is where I ran into him. A former employee heard me speak in the House and wrote me last week to tell me that she lives alone and that she is having a very hard time making ends meet. She has to pay rent, make payments, pay bills, and then eat if there is any money left over. Imagine talking about eating if there is any money left over. That is the reality.
I was a municipal councillor for seven years, during which I never heard anyone talk about homelessness in Victoriaville. Over the past 10 years, it has become a major issue. Kids are going to school with empty lunch boxes. Some of them have not had breakfast before going to school. We are lucky because we have organizations in our ridings that are there to help them. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the organizations that provide food aid to our constituents.
What does the Prime Minister have to say to Canadians as the price of food continues to skyrocket? Beef is up over 30%; oranges are up 26%; apples are up 18%; rice is up 14%; coffee is up 9%; and infant formula is up 9%.
In conclusion, I have to admit that I am worried. I am worried about the Liberal government blindly and irresponsibly managing the country we are so proud of without a budget. I am worried because young people are being asked to dream and bring about the prosperous future they dream of. That is what they are being asked to do, but this government has been managing the country without a budget for a year now.
What I have seen since arriving here is a government that is bringing in half a trillion dollars in new spending without a budget. That is irresponsible. As the opposition, we will do everything in our power to ensure that the government responds to the demand of the majority of the House. Let me remind members that this is a minority government. The majority of the House has asked that a budget be tabled this spring. We are going to keep a careful watch on this government. We are going to be there to stand up for Canadians and to ensure that this government is finally a responsible government.