Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time today with the member for Tobique—Mactaquac.
It is an honour to rise again today on behalf of Oshawa and the countless families, seniors and everyday Canadians who, unfortunately, are being punished even though they are doing everything right. They work hard. They pay their taxes. They follow the rules. What do they get in return? They get soaring grocery bills, bare cupboards and empty fridges.
I have spoken to so many families, and the stories are the same. It feels like every time they walk into a grocery store, they are nervous about what the attendant might say. Single parents, as well as those in double-income homes, are watching each item pass by the scanner as the grocery bill rises way quicker than ever before. Hearts are beating with nervous fear that if they spend too much here, they may not be able to get their kids their other needs in life, like clothing, or maybe they will just need to forget programs like sports or the arts. They are not just shopping; they are trying to survive. They are walking aisle to aisle doing the mental math: “Can we afford beef or any meat this week? Do we really need fruit? Can we stretch what is in the pantry for just a few more days?”
Conservatives refuse to accept this as normal. Now even the Prime Minister, finally, after the Liberals have been ignoring this growing crisis for 10 years, has admitted that he will be held to account by the prices Canadians pay at the grocery store. Today is the day we will hold him to it.
Since the start of 2025, food inflation has worsened even more. Families are eating less nutritious food, cutting back on meals and turning to food banks in record numbers, not because they want to but because they have no other choice. According to the latest data, Canadian families will pay $16,834 for food this year, an increase of $800 since 2024. For most people, that is a couple of car payments, maybe three, or perhaps a chance for their kids to get into that sports or arts program they have always wanted to do. Worse, that might be the difference between getting by and going under.
Why is this happening? Why are Canadians paying more and getting less? It is not sustainable. It is not responsible. After 10 years of Liberal inflationary deficits, it is the direct result of the government's choices. Let me share some of the numbers, because the statistics now match the stories we have been hearing for months.
The statistics are in. Since the start of 2024, the price of beef strip loin has increased by 34.2%. Beef top sirloin is up almost 34%. Oranges have risen by 26% and apples by almost 19%. The cost of white rice has gone up 14.2%, while sweet potatoes are up almost 13%. Coffee has increased 9.3%, and I know other members in this House are struggling with that as well, because we need our coffee. Chicken breasts and pork rib cuts are both up 6%, pork shoulder has increased 5% and eggs have risen almost 4%.
I cannot be the only one here noticing the pattern. These foods are examples of the healthy choices, the ones we need the most to nourish our families. How does a country that grows food for the world make food so unaffordable for its own people? I think the answer is sitting across the aisle. The current Liberal government is not the solution, because, I believe, it is the architect of the problem. The Liberals want us to trust the people who created the problem to fix it. To me, it almost sounds like an abusive relationship, and a bit of gaslighting. They spend too much. They tax too much. Now everything costs too much. Even baby formula is up 9.1%. Let us think about that. Baby formula is now a luxury item under the current Liberal government.
A recent CTV News report confirmed what Canadians were already feeling. For three months in a row now, grocery prices are rising faster than overall inflation. The government cannot blame this on grocers anymore.
The truth is in the numbers, yet the government continues to pour fuel on the fire. It is now introducing a half-trillion dollars in inflationary spending. The Prime Minister said he would cap spending growth at 2%; now he is saying 8%, which is an astounding four times what he promised. That is not just a broken promise; it is an economic betrayal of Canadian families, and all without presenting a budget.
In my own hometown of Oshawa, we are seeing these consequences first-hand. The organizers at Simcoe Hall Settlement House, a local food bank that has honourably served our community for 90 years, are sounding the alarm. Usage of the food bank has surged to 55% more this year. It is not just low-income or single-income families anymore; it is dual-income households, working full time, raising kids and still coming up short. The largest group using the food bank now are single parents. I know what that is like. I have been there, and I can say that when a government makes it harder to feed the kids, that is not a government that is helping the middle class; that is a government that is hurting it.
Feed the Need in Durham was established in 2008 by local food banks as a regional food-distribution hub. Its distribution is annually worth $8.8 million: 2.5 million pounds. From 2021 to 2023, it saw an increase in usage of 60%; from then to 2024, an additional 26%; and in just the third quarter of last year, another 25%.
The Liberals say everything is fine: Inflation is under control. “You can trust us.” Well, come to Oshawa. Tell that to the senior living at Faith Place or on Benson Street who is choosing between food and rent this month. Tell that to the single parent shopping at the No Frills on Bloor Street who is putting groceries back at the till. Tell that to the working families of General Motors who can no longer afford basic staples because beef, fruit, rice and even baby formula are now luxuries. Tell that to the food bank volunteers at Simcoe Hall Settlement House who are watching shelves empty faster than they can be filled.
Canadians are not asking for much. They are not asking for luxuries; they are asking for groceries. They are asking for leadership who understand that budgets do not balance themselves, that we cannot tax and spend our way to prosperity and that economic discipline is not just a talking point but a lifeline for families barely hanging on.
The Conservative motion before the House is not complicated. It is a call for accountability through a tabled budget. It is a demand for answers. It is a stand on behalf of every Canadian who has opened a grocery bill and felt fear. The government has had a chance to fix this. For 10 years, the Liberals ignored it. They spent, they taxed, they blamed, and now they want credit for admitting there is a problem. That is not leadership; that is damage control and, again, akin to abuse and gaslighting.
“We made the problem; now trust us to fix the problem.” Canadians are not accepting that. On behalf of Oshawa, I am not accepting that.
This House is meant to represent the common people, but do the members across the aisle even understand what the average Canadian is struggling with on a day-to-day basis? Enough is enough. Canadians are making sacrifices every day. The least their government can do is show the same discipline. If the Liberal government cannot live within its means, how can Canadian families be expected to live within their means?