Mr. Speaker, I ran a poll on social media a few months ago, asking people how things were going in their lives. I wanted to find out how they felt about the government's decisions and I asked them how they were doing, basically.
I have received 14,798 responses and 11,000 comments so far. Seven out of 10 comments talk about the cost of living and about how badly they are struggling. Eleven thousand people took the time to tell me about their concerns, their struggles and what they want to change.
This is not a scientific survey, but I still think it is important. These are people's real-life experiences. They shared their personal stories. One of them really stuck with me. A nursing assistant in Charlevoix wrote to me saying that she was at the end of her rope, that she has been working and taking care of others for 38 years. She explained to me that, these days, she can no longer even think about retiring. Her rent, groceries and gas account for three-quarters of her wages. This woman spent her life taking care of others. She has always worked and paid her taxes. She has contributed to our society. All she is asking for now is to be able to retire one day. After 38 years of service, she is not asking for luxuries. She just wants to be able to live, simply to live.
Unfortunately, her story is by no means the only one.
A couple told me that they have full-time jobs and work very hard, but still have to skip meals some days so that their children can eat.
A 22-year-old man wrote that he is working two full-time jobs. He wants to start his own business, but he had to drop out of school because he could not afford to pay rent and go to school at the same time. Think about that. Here is a young person who wants to work, wants to go to school and wants to become an entrepreneur. That is exactly what we need, but today's economic reality is forcing him to choose between building a future for himself and surviving in the present. The problem is not a lack of ambition; it is a lack of opportunity.
These people are not numbers on a spreadsheet. What I am sharing today is facts. These are ordinary people. They are neighbours, parents and young people. We hear the same thing whenever we meet them and everywhere we go, at businesses, on farms, around Montmorency—Charlevoix and across Quebec. They tell us one simple thing: Hard work no longer guarantees success. What we are seeing today is serious.
According to Statistics Canada, the consumer price index rose another 3% in August. The Liberals tell us not to worry because the inflation rate itself is falling. Unfortunately, that does not mean that food prices are going down or that people's income enables them to pay more. When families are already paying too much for groceries, knowing that prices are going up more slowly here than elsewhere in the world does not change the total bill or their ability to pay.
Our farmers are also feeling the pinch. When the price of diesel goes up, when machinery gets more expensive and when transportation costs more, farmers are not the only ones who pay. Transporters, processors and, ultimately, Canadian families all pay more.
Conservatives are proposing quick, concrete solutions that are within our control, but it seems that supporting families and farmers is not a priority for everyone in the House.
I will pause there.