Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House today and speak to this important motion that our party's leader brought forward.
We recognize that the challenges Canadians are facing are serious and very real. Canadians do not have to look at an economics chart or study statistics to realize that the cost of putting food on the table is going up exponentially each and every month and year. In fact, we have seen, just this year, that the average cost of groceries to feed a family of four has hit over $17,000 per year and is expected to go up another $1,000 in a year. I have a feeling that many Canadians look at this and wonder how they are ever going to make ends meet.
We have to look at it holistically and realize that this pain is real. It is not just some table or statistic. It is a reality that families are experiencing day in and day out, and we are hearing about it. I am sure that my colleagues on the other side of the House get the same types of call I get. We do not even have to wait in our offices for a phone call. We can just visit the local grocery store and talk to those who are purchasing groceries. They recognize that the problem is not with the farmer, because it is not the farmer who determines the price. It is also not the trucking company that determines the price. Domestic government policy and the government's priorities are impacting the price of food.
It is time we put the priorities straight and put the cost of living first and foremost on the priority list of the government. We must not be distracted. We must address the root cause of soaring inflation in this country. We are not ranked number one in the G7 for food inflation without having responsibility for that. It is easy to scapegoat or point the finger at some vast, outside influence causing it, but we have to check within our own house and see what needs to be fixed. I would humbly present before the House that we must start with the foundation.
I was reminded of an ancient story, and perhaps some members will recognize it. It refers to those who were wise about where they built. They chose to build upon a rock, and when the winds, adversity and trouble came, their house withstood those storms because their foundation was firm. The foolish builders decided to build on sand, and when the winds and rains came and beat against the house, the structure looked similar. It looked great and wonderful, but what was underneath the structure was faulty. As a result, it began to falter when pressure came.
Now, we can curse the wind and blast the storms. We can holler at them and say they are terrible, awful and unjust, or we can look at the foundation and say, “It is time to fix it and make sure we are building on the right place.” We have a choice to make. We could continue to build on sand and grow the size of government, grow programs and spend more money. At the end of the day, we can spend and spend and never solve any problems if the foundation does not get fixed. It is time we fixed the foundation and addressed the real issues at the core of the challenges we are facing as they relate to affordability, which Canadians are struggling with.