Mr. Speaker, as always, it is an honour to rise in this House.
Over the past year, Canada has been subjected to unfair, hostile and even capricious economic actions by the current administration of the United States. Most Canadians are united in our resolve to stand up against these actions. Many would even call it bullying. What many are starting to realize, though, is that in order for Canada to stand up, our economy must stand on its own two feet.
In the face of these challenges, the Liberal government has conveniently discovered a new-found respect for economic growth, resource development, reducing taxes and even government efficiency, although, having expressed a desire to make Canada stronger, the record is clear. Over the last 10 years, we have actually seen the lowest GDP-per-capita growth across the G7; in fact, it is nearly zero. We have seen the worst economic record since the Great Depression. In the first year of this Prime Minister, it has not gotten any better. In fact, it has gotten worse.
The Liberal government has the opportunity, though, to act on its rhetoric, to actually engage in actions that promote economic growth, government efficiency and international trade and move away from the Liberals' socialist death spiral, which always starts the same way: They need more taxes to give more things away. The problem is, the more they tax, the more they impoverish citizens. Dollar for dollar, citizens get poorer and poorer, which then increases the need for additional social welfare programs, which then increases the debt, which increases taxes, which repeats the cycle, and before we know it, we have more poverty and more of the socialist poverty that we have seen in countries like Venezuela, the Soviet Union and Cuba.
Will the government finally put a line in the sand, go no further and in fact turn around and acknowledge that those policies of the last 10 years are a failure? We have seen, to the government's credit, a repudiation of many of the Trudeau-era policies. In fact, it is somewhat unbelievable sometimes when I hear these members brag about eliminating the carbon tax, when many members, including me, for more than a decade have been shouting that the carbon tax is not the right way to go. Now, somehow, the Liberals take credit for the elimination of the carbon tax and the benefits it has had. Will the government finally take that step in the right direction, away from socialism and toward prosperity? Will the UN's former climate czar really build a pipeline? I have my doubts.
As shadow minister for intergovernmental affairs and one Canadian economy and interprovincial trade, my speech will focus on interprovincial trade and some of the Liberal promises. Michael Jordan, the famous basketball player, once said, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” Conservatives are here to be the ones who make it happen, and we can see on the other side that, at best, they will wish and dream of its happening.
There are many, many people who are favourably disposed to eliminating interprovincial trade barriers. In fact, nearly every economist and nearly every expert has opined on the importance of eliminating interprovincial trade barriers and the benefits that it would have on the economy. However, there are very few leaders who have demonstrated the will and the fortitude to get this done. The calculation of the benefits of interprovincial trade and the elimination of interprovincial trade barriers varies. Experts go anywhere from tens of billions of dollars to even hundreds of billions of dollars, but at the heart of it, everyone believes that it would have benefits and that it is only common sense to eliminate these barriers.
As an example, here are some of the things that just do not make sense. Why should a nurse in Manitoba require different accreditation from a nurse in Nova Scotia? Presumably, the human body is the same in Nova Scotia as it is in Manitoba. Why should beer being produced in Prince Edward Island not be available in Ontario? If it is delicious on the east coast, it will be delicious here in Ontario. Why should a construction site in Manitoba require a different type of portable toilet from a construction site in Ontario? These things do not make sense, and we all agree on it. The challenge, once again, is not just dreaming about it and not just wishing for it; it is about getting it done.
The Liberal government made a bold promise. It promised that by Canada Day, it would eliminate all interprovincial trade barriers. Canada Day has come and gone. No longer are we in the warmth of July. If anyone has been outside, it is pretty cold. We are well past July, yet the vast majority of interprovincial trade barriers are still in place. Many of the ministers and members on the other side promised there would be hundreds of billions of dollars. I have asked government officials, and they have not been able to quantify one single dollar from the elimination of interprovincial trade barriers. These billions of dollars that were supposed to help grow the Canadian economy, create jobs and strengthen our sovereignty are not here.
To be fair, the government did make some baby steps with the help of Conservative members, with Bill C-5, toward eliminating federal interprovincial trade barriers, but that was a mere drop in the bucket. Most trade barriers are provincially legislated and, therefore, require provincial legislative changes. Despite the many eloquent speeches and photo ops with premiers, the Liberal government has failed to eliminate these barriers.
While leadership has definitely been a problem, at the heart of it is also a framework. The reality is that some interprovincial trade barriers are simply there because of the division of powers in our Constitution. That is the way that the system has sort of evolved, but also, in many cases, those interprovincial trade barriers were put in place intentionally, to protect local industries, local economies and provincial industries in those areas against large national corporations or other things that would disturb and disrupt local economies.
If, in fact, we do not acknowledge this, we are asking provinces to act against their own self-interest. What Conservatives pledge to do and what a Canada sovereignty act would allow us to do would be to provide financial benefits and incentives. This would mean that instead of provinces being punished for doing the right things, which they are right now and which may be hurting their own industry to help the national cause to make us more sovereign and more autonomous, we would provide that financial benefit, which would help them instead of hurting them as the existing framework does.
We need to look forward in eliminating these barriers from coast to coast, but we need to make sure it happens in a way that helps all of our economy. The reality is that over the last 10 years, this economy has been weakened by socialist policies that have brought our GDP per capita to nearly zero. The first year under the Prime Minister has accelerated that decline. If we are going to be an independent country, we need to get our resources out of the ground and build Canadian energy and the Canadian economy. We simply will not do this by just adding more bureaucracy.
More government agents are not the answer here. The answer is not the Canadian government; it is the Canadian people. We need to embolden and unleash Canadians to do what they do best: create jobs, create wealth for our wonderful country and create prosperity from coast to coast. The sovereignty act would allow free trade throughout the provinces. It would allow our resources to get to market. We will build a stronger nation that is truly autonomous, and that will not happen because of some speech given in Davos. Our country will become stronger, more sovereign and more autonomous and be the best country in the world to live in, because we have the greatest people in the world in Canada.
That is why I call upon this government to do the right thing: Pass our motion, support us and make sure that Canada stays a sovereign, independent country, so that we have generations of success and prosperity, and we do not fall into the trap of the socialist death spiral.