Mr. Speaker, in Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee and across Canada, families are being crushed by the cost of living crisis. After 10 long years of the same old Liberal government, everything costs more: groceries, rent, mortgages, gas and everyday essentials that Canadians rely on. The Prime Minister asked to be judged on the cost of food at the grocery store, and the verdict is not good.
I hear from parents forced to choose between paying bills and feeding their kids, and from seniors cutting back on medication just to make ends meet. The high cost of living is not just about dollars and cents; it is about people's lives. It fuels anxiety, despair and a growing mental health crisis. These heartbreaking choices are not normal, and they should never be acceptable in Canada. Hard-working Canadians deserve better.
While local food banks do heroic work, they are filling gaps left by Liberal failure, and they are no substitution for leadership. Conservatives would cut taxes, bring down inflation and make life affordable again.