Debates of June 2nd, 2026

Parliament of Canada Act

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑278, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation to address floor crossing, with thanks to the hon. member for Vancouver East for seconding.

It is elementary that, in a democracy, elections are the primary opportunity for voters to express their democratic choice. When parliamentarians cross the floor to join a different party from the one they were elected with, they unilaterally alter the will of their electors. The corrosive effects in our democracy are profound: Voters lose trust in elections, the prospect that MPs have been enticed by backroom deals emerges, and the idea that only government members get resources for their constituencies brings pork barrel politics to the table.

Recently, the very balance of power in the House was changed, not by voters at the ballot box but by political operatives in back rooms. While that may not be illegal, it is undeniably undemocratic.

The bill would not ban floor crossing nor the ability to sit as an independent member. The latter is a valid protection against party oppression and to preserve matters of conscience. The bill would simply require those members who wish to join another party's caucus to seek the approval of their constituents through a by‑election. If an MP who wishes to join another party believes they have valid reasons for doing so, they should have no problem putting that choice to the test of their voters, where it should be.

I urge all members to support this important measure to protect the democratic rights of Canadian voters.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Clarity Act

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

moved for leave to introduce C‑279, An Act to repeal the Clarity Act.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to introduce Bill C‑279, an act to repeal the Clarity Act. This bill simply seeks to repeal the federal Clarity Act, which allows Parliament to override the will of the people by a simple majority vote of 50% plus one.

The Clarity Act does two things. First, it allows the House of Commons to determine whether a referendum question is sufficiently clear before a referendum takes place. This is particularly paternalistic and impugns the intelligence of the public by assuming that people are unable to think for themselves and understand a question. Second, following a referendum, the Clarity Act allows the House to rule that the majority was not clear, that there was no majority because of the turnout, the percentage of votes in favour of the secessionist option or the substance of the debates. In short, the House of Commons can tell millions of people that their voice did not count based on 343 votes in the House with a potential majority of a few votes off from 50% plus one.

Bill C‑279 also aims to uphold certain basic democratic principles, which were reiterated by the National Assembly of Quebec when it voted unanimously in favour of the principle. That means both federalists and separatists, across all parties, are rejecting the Clarity Act and pointing out that 50% plus one is a clear majority and that, in the case of Quebec, it is up to Quebec alone to decide its future.

Again, our bill is simple. It simply aims to repeal the abomination and democratic aberration that is the Clarity Act.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Public Safety

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to present a petition on behalf of constituents.

I rise for the 12th time on behalf of the people of Dauphin, Manitoba, to present a petition on the rising rate of crime. Residents of Dauphin and the Parkland region are demanding that the Liberal government repeal its soft-on-crime policies that have fuelled a surge in crime throughout their communities. Since 2015, there has been a 54% increase in violent crime and a 75% increase in sexual assaults across Canada.

Petitioners are deeply concerned by what they read in the local papers, including a November report that the Dauphin RCMP is searching for a wanted man with three separate arrest warrants. Our once safe communities have now turned into places where people fear for their life because the government's catch-and-release policies have allowed violent repeat offenders to be out on bail instead of in jail.

The people of Dauphin and the Parkland region demand that the Liberal government repeal its soft-on-crime policies that directly threaten their livelihoods and their community. I fully support the good people of Dauphin.

Clearview Township Farmland

[Terry Dowdall, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise for the good people of Simcoe—Grey and, more precisely, Clearview Township. I have a petition to present with respect to a deep concern within the community.

The Department of National Defence has purchased 700 acres of prime farmland to build an over-the-horizon radar system. That is phase one. In order for phase two to be successful, it needs up to another 3,000 acres. The residents in that area have been asked to sell. They have no interest. Their fear is expropriation, similar to what happened with the Alto rail line. There are deep concerns because it is prime farmland. It is also right beside the Minesing Wetlands, an extreme environmental spot.

The petitioners do not think the department has looked at all options in other locations with respect to this. Therefore, they are asking that it stop the building of the over-the-horizon radar site on the already purchased property, prevent future acquisition of prime farmland in building an over-the-horizon site, and register the previously purchased property with the Ontario Farmland Trust to preserve its agricultural status.

Early Learning and Child Care

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions.

The first petition is from constituents in Burlington who want to reaffirm their support for the Canada-wide early learning and child care system.

The petitioners request that all future budgets include adequate funding that keeps up with inflation and allows for the growth of the program. They believe it is essential to the healthy development of children, to the economic value of women entering the labour force, and to the alleviation of the affordability crisis that is affecting the well-being of families and communities across Canada. They deeply believe in the Canada-wide early learning and child care program, and they ask that the House affirm its belief in the program as well.

Iran

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second is an e-petition, in which petitioners note that in January 2026, widespread human rights protests in Iran were met with state violence, including arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and the killing of 30,000-plus civilians. They state that the Iranian regime simultaneously shut down the Internet and telecoms, stifling witnesses and victims and preventing access for Iranians to reliable information and communications abroad.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to publicly condemn the Islamic regime's ongoing human rights violations that use state violence and the shutdown of digital communications and telecommunications. They demand the immediate restoration of Internet access and telecoms to ensure governmental transparency and civilian safety, the cessation of lethal force against Iranian dissidents, and the release of all political prisoners and detainees. They publicly support the Iranian people's right to determine their own political future free from violence and repression.

Petitioners call on the government to expand targeted sanctions, to enforce accountability measures against the people responsible for human rights abuses, and to pursue the above actions with international partners that support R2P.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The first is from the good people of Vancouver Kingsway.

Over 600 residents signed a petition pointing out that the military strikes on Iran have caused significant civilian casualties and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, water systems and heritage sites. They point out that the war threatens irreversible harm to the civilian population, including children, women and political prisoners, and poses grave risks to regional stability.

The petitioners want the House to know that Iran's future must be determined by Iranians themselves, free from both foreign military intervention and domestic repression. They are calling on the Canadian government to urgently advocate for an immediate ceasefire and an end to all military strikes on Iranian territory, and to use Canada's influence to facilitate a durable regional peace through multilateral engagement.

Human Rights

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by over 30,000 Canadians who point out that the Canadian Charter of Rights exists to protect individuals and minority communities from discriminatory laws.

The petitioners are concerned about recent legislation enacted by the Government of Alberta and the Government of Saskatchewan that, in their view, restricts the rights, dignity and safety of transgender and gender-diverse people, particularly children and youth, including access to gender-affirming and medically appropriate health care.

The petitioners note that the provincial governments have invoked the notwithstanding clause to shield that legislation from judicial review, thus preventing charter challenges. The petitioners call on the House to urge the government to exercise its disallowance power under section 90 of the Constitution Act to better protect the rights of transgender and gender‑diverse people in Canada.

Floor Crossing

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of the people of Richmond Hill South and the almost 10,000 people across Canada who have signed this petition.

The petitioners are concerned about when a member of Parliament crossing the floor to join a different political party significantly alters the representation chosen by the electorate without providing voters the opportunity to reconsider that choice. Partisan affiliation can undermine democratic accountability, and Canadian citizens and residents require a formal mechanism to hold members of Parliament accountable when a fundamental change in party membership occurs mid‑term.

Therefore, the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to introduce legislation to, number one, establish a recall mechanism for any member of Parliament who leaves their caucus to join another political party; number two, mandate that a recall petition process be automatically triggered within an electoral district once a member of Parliament formally joins a different political party than the one under which they were elected; number three, establish a requirement that if a recall petition receives signatures equivalent to at least 20% of the total votes cast in that riding during the previous federal election within 90 days, the seat shall be automatically vacated; and number four, require that a by-election be called immediately following a successful recall petition, to allow voters to determine their representation under the altered circumstances.

Brain Injury

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition signed by many people across Vancouver Island and across Canada.

The petitioners highlight that approximately 165,000 new cases of brain injury are happening annually in Canada and that health and community service providers require more education regarding the intersection of brain injury, mental health and addiction.

The petitioners also highlight that survivors and families are often left to navigate fragmented systems, with little to no support, leading to further deterioration in health, housing and economic stability. They have been calling for this to be in the budget, and they are hoping it will in the budget this fall.

The petitioners also support Bill C‑206, my bill to develop a national strategy to support and improve brain injury awareness, prevention and treatment, as well as the rehabilitation and recovery of persons living with brain injury.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand, please.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

[For text of questions and responses, see Written Questions website]

Opposition Motion—Economic Policies

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

moved:

That the House recognize that the Liberal Prime Minister has given Canada the:

(i) only economy in recession in the G7,

(ii) worst household debt in the G7,

(iii) worst housing costs in the G7,

(iv) second highest unemployment in the G7, a third higher than in the United States;

accordingly, the House call on the Liberal Prime Minister to immediately present a plan to reverse all the economic policies of the Liberal government which have given Canada the G7's worst economy.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to be splitting my time with my great friend, and a decent hockey player, the member for Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley.

Where is this Prime Minister? He has been hiding, ducking and dodging since Friday morning. This is the guy who was supposed to be a master negotiator, the guy who would get a deal done. He said he was the guy who would get Canada back on track, and he said he was the man with the plan. However, it all turned out to be a sham at the end of the day because on Friday morning, Canadians got the devastating news of something that they have already been feeling in the last 10 years under the incompetent Liberal government: Canada is in a full-blown Liberal recession.

In fact, this Liberal Prime Minister is the only leader in the entire G7 to drive the economy into a full-blown recession. All of the other G7 countries face the exact same external pressures and the exact same tariffs. Why is it that this Prime Minister, who was supposed to be the guy, plunged our economy into a recession? In fact, in the entire OECD, Canada is one of only two countries that are in a recession now.

Liberal pundits and their paid media keep saying this is just a technical recession. What is a technical recession? This full-blown Liberal recession meets the criteria with two consecutive quarters in a shrinking economy, but let us look at the time since this Prime Minister took power. In three out of the four quarters since he became Prime Minister, the economy has shrunk. Business investment has declined for five straight quarters and $20 billion of net investment has fled the country since he became Prime Minister. Just in the first three months of this year, 120,000 jobs are gone and 48,000 of those people are still looking for work.

This Prime Minister delivered to Canada the second-worst unemployment rate in the entire G7. He is the worst when it comes to housing costs. In the entire G7, Canada, under this Prime Minister, is the worst when it comes to household debt. Let us dig into that a bit. What does this recession mean? It may be technical to the paid media, but in Canadian terms, it is the single mom who has to put groceries back because she cannot afford them or she has to buy in portions every week because the cost of living has skyrocketed under the Liberals. Including food costs and housing costs, everyday life is more expensive because of Liberal taxes and the failure of Liberal policies.

It is the dad in Windsor who has lost his job. He is one of the 120,000 people who, in the first three months of this year under the Liberal government, lost their job. He has to sit around the dinner table explaining to the kids how many things they cannot do over the summer and how many vacations they cannot have because he is more worried about how he is going to pay the bills, pay the mortgage or rent and put food on that table. It is the mom who just got laid off and was barely hanging on. It could be one of the majority of Canadians who are just $200 away from insolvency. It could be one of those 2.2 million Canadians who are waiting in a food bank line every single month, and that number might even go up now because of the job losses under the current government.

This Prime Minister sold himself to be something different. He said he would not be like the previous guy. He is actually worse, so he is right in one sense. Not only is he spending more, if one can believe that. He doubled the deficit that Justin Trudeau left. Then, he corrected himself in the update and became the second-worst as well, having the second-worst deficit in Canadian history outside COVID. That means more costs, more debt and more taxes on Canadians. It is more of the same and it is all on the Canadian credit card. He does not care. This guy is better at going around and shaking a lot of hands, signing a bunch of fake papers and jet-setting around the world. However, it does not just stop at jet-setting around the world. He makes sure he has the finest meals on those planes. In fact, he just recently spent $200,000 on fine dining on those plane rides.

While Canadians are lining up in record numbers at food banks, and the food banks are even running out of food now, the Prime Minister gets to live lavishly, jet-setting around the world, pretending he is doing something. After all that showboating and all of that show, at the end of the day, he has plunged Canada's economy into a full-blown Liberal recession. There are families who are affected and who had been affected before.

In fact, in the business community, for consecutive quarters, there are more businesses closing in Canada than are opening. Business insolvencies are up. People are starting to miss their mortgage and credit card payments. The cost of everyday life has only gotten worse under the incompetent Liberal Prime Minister. In fact, if we look at debt loads, Canada has the highest debt load in the entire G7. Because of Liberal policies, the costs of food and housing are way up, and just those two pieces alone now make up about 120% of one person's income. That means someone's entire paycheque gets eaten up and then they have to either borrow, or put on credit, for food or other essentials. Then, that just piles up, and they start missing payments, which is exactly what is happening now.

The number of defaults, delinquencies and insolvencies are all up. We have not seen some of these numbers since 2009, when we literally had a global financial crisis, and the difference back then was that we had a really responsible Conservative government that knew where to spend money and that knew how to create jobs at the time. We never saw an inflation crisis the last time this happened. I do not remember an inflation crisis. I do not remember interest rates spiking at the highest and fastest rate in Canadian history. That medal goes to the incompetent Liberal government, because all it does is spend, spend, spend, because it does not mean anything to the government.

The Prime Minister is more concerned about his banker, bondholder and Brookfield buddies than he is about the average everyday Canadian. In fact, he is the same Prime Minister who sold the illusion that he was the guy who was going to deal with Donald Trump. He was all “elbows up”. Now everything is down, including our economy. We are in a recession, and now the Prime Minister is on team Trump. In fact, now he is parroting Donald Trump. Now it is “make America great again”. However, I ask, “What about Canada?” We might as well get the Prime Minister a MAGA hat.

What we are asking for today is that the incompetent Liberal Prime Minister present a plan, stop hiding and come out of the witness protection program. He is supposed to be leading this G7 country, the same one that he has driven into a recession. He must tell Canadians what his plan is.

Conservatives have a plan. If the Liberals want a plan that will help us get out of this mess that they created, they can take our plan and take credit for it. They can put their stamp on it, and at least Canadians would have a future that is more safe and more affordable. Conservatives would end the antidevelopment laws that the Liberals passed, like Bill C-69 and Bill C-48, which does not let our product leave the west coast and does not let pipelines get built. We would get rid of the industrial carbon tax, which makes the cost of everything more expensive. We would lower taxes for individuals, small businesses and corporations, so we can create the business environment that we need. We would introduce a law so that, any time a Canadian company reinvests its capital gains in Canada, they would not have to pay those capital gains taxes. They could defer them, so we could create better jobs and a better economy right here in Canada.

Of course, we would put an end to all the Liberal waste: the billions and billions of dollars that go to Liberal-connected insiders in consultant fees because the Liberal ministers are too incompetent to create plans of their own, and the boondoggle of a project that is Alto. The government, for a project that has not even started yet, has already shovelled out millions in bonuses. We would put an end to this Liberal corruption.

The Liberals can take our plan. Let us get working for Canadians together. It is time for the Prime Minister to come out of hiding and present a plan.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, it would be a lot easier to take the Conservatives at their word if they did not seem giddy about the fact that we are in the position we are in. On Friday, right after Statistics Canada had announced this news, the Leader of the Opposition ran out, almost excited, like he was happy that we were in this position. He started challenging reporters, when they were basically just asking him questions. A question that was asked by a reporter was whether he was overblowing this a little based on what the economists were saying. The Leader of the Opposition then asked what outlet they were with. Now the Conservatives are going to stand there and accuse us of employing the Donald Trump tactics. Members can look at what they are doing.

Does the member not think that perhaps, just a little, the Conservatives are overplaying their hand with this, in the degree of excitement that they are showing for the circumstances that we are in right now?

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Madam Speaker, let me humble that out-of-touch, mega Liberal.

After 11 years of this incompetent Liberal government, no one is giddy anymore. No one is excited anymore. No one has anything to smile about. The 2.2 million Canadians waiting in a food bank line are not giddy. The dad who just lost his job because of incompetent Liberal policies is not excited and is not giddy. The mom who has to put food back because she cannot afford it this week is not giddy.

Conservatives are standing up for those Canadians because of bad Liberal policies that drove us into a recession, drove record numbers of people into the food bank and made more people food-insecure today than we have ever seen in this country before. That is what Conservatives are standing up for.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Madam Speaker, what we always hear from these Liberals is that Canadians have never had it so good. Now that we have been talking about how Canada was on the wrong track and we are in a full-fledged recession because of these Liberal policies, they think this side is giddy. No, we are just disappointed.

We have been bringing up stories about how everyday Canadians are finding it hard to make ends meet for years, and how taxes and the carbon tax are burdening mothers and fathers. Do members remember the consumer carbon tax? Well, the Liberals want all the credit for taking it away. They put it in there in the first place. They took thousands of dollars out of families' budgets every year, and now they want to think that Canadians are giddy that we are in a recession. No.

It is such a difficult time right now for people around the country, and the Prime Minister is so out of touch. He will not answer a question about the recession. When he did talk about it, about three weeks ago, he said, on affordability, that Canadians have never had it so good.

Could my colleague please respond to how out of touch the Prime Minister actually is?

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Madam Speaker, the member is absolutely right. At a time when the Prime Minister needs to present a plan to Canadians for plunging them into this Liberal recession, he is hiding. In fact, just yesterday, he did the whole Biden point, which is pointing to where he was going when asked a question and just walking that way. What he needs to do is present a plan.

My colleagues started off by saying the Liberals copied our plan when we said to axe the carbon tax. That is where they started. Let us put some other solutions in front of them right now: cancel the industrial carbon tax; bring down the cost of food and everyday life; cancel all the antidevelopment laws that the Liberal government put in place that do not let a new pipeline, a new mine, a new dam or any infrastructure get built; cancel Bill C-69; get rid of the tanker ban, Bill C-48, and my colleague from Calgary has a bill currently in the House so we can get our product not just to the West Coast, but off the west coast into the Asian markets; and get rid of the industrial carbon tax so that we can make Canada more competitive.

The world needs what Canada has. We just need the Liberal government to get out of the way.

[Ben Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Madam Speaker, I am curious. The opposition has been talking a lot, understandably, as have we, about the importance of the development of the natural resource sector. The implementation agreement that we negotiated recently with the Government of Alberta is contingent upon some important factors that will ensure we find balance between that development and environmental protection.

My colleague across the way talks about scrapping all of these policies that are contingent upon a pipeline being developed in partnership with the Premier of Alberta who supports it. Does he disagree with the Premier of Alberta in relation to that question?

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Madam Speaker, I think the only thing I can really agree with is when that member said that the Liberals have just talked about natural resources. We on this side of the House are all about action. Anywhere we go inside—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

I am going to resume debate with the hon. member for Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK]

Madam Speaker, it is always an honour and a privilege to be able to rise on behalf of the great people of southwest and west central Saskatchewan. I rise today to talk about the opposition motion that we have put forward, but before I do, I just want to take a few moments here to offer our sincere condolences to the families in Pelican Narrows who were impacted by a shooting that happened up there yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the community and the family of the victim up there. I wanted to start off by acknowledging that.

What are we doing here today? We are talking about a recession. The Prime Minister himself, in an interview with the BBC when he was over in England, said “the technical definition of a technical recession is...two [straight] quarters of flat or negative [GDP] growth”. That is it. It is pretty simple.

What do we have here in Canada? Let us take a look. Real GDP fell 0.1% in Q1, and the quarter before that, it fell roughly 1%. Based on the Prime Minister's own words, that meets the definition of a technical recession, so that is what we have.

The Prime Minister has been in power for a little over a year. He is supposed to be the grandmaster economist who is going to save Canada. He was bold enough to stand at the microphones and say that the United States was on track for a recession, but Canada was not. There might be some impact from what is happening in the States, but it was headed for a recession, and we were not. That is what he said. That was right around the time of the last election, so that was one of the first things he was trying to sell to Canadians.

Okay, so let us look at his track record. When he was over in England, he said that Brexit was going to cause a massive recession. Well, he was wrong. I just talked about what he said about the United States. He was wrong. He said Canada was not going to enter a recession. Guess what. He was wrong, because here we are right now. The Prime Minister's very own definition has been met: two straight quarters of negative or flat growth.

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh!

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK]

Madam Speaker, I am just quoting the Prime Minister. I know it is hard for the member to actually grasp his own leader's words, but that is what his own leader said. I am only quoting his own leader. If he does not like it, he can take it up with the Prime Minister.

Let us talk a bit more about some of the signs and the markers we have been seeing when we talk to Canadians. We have been telling the government for a couple of years now that the pressures on households are getting to be very tight. What we saw in quarter one was that over 37,000 Canadians filed for insolvency, just in Q1. That is the highest it has been since 2009, when there was an actual global recession and the housing market crashed around the globe. It has not been that high since then. That is what we have been seeing.

Let us look at household debt. Canadian household debt is 103% of GDP. Canadian non‑mortgage debt is $43,300, up from $40,200 two years ago, which was already a crazy high number. Now, when we look at the snapshot for just homeowners, non-mortgage debt is $82,400, up 19% in two years. Canadians are feeling the pressure and are putting more on their credit cards. It would appear that they are following what the government has been doing.

What has the government done? The government has been living off the credit card that the taxpayers basically provide it. Every single announcement the government makes is borrowed money. The government has been running on constant deficits for a very long time. We saw a bit of a recent influx in government revenues because oil prices have gone a bit higher and the government actually benefited from that. What did the Liberals do? They spent it. They blew it. The deficit for this year alone is almost $80 billion.

Let us take a look at what the national debt looks like. Canada is over $1.3 trillion in debt. That number is massively rising every single day.

What is the Bank of Canada telling us? Well, there is 523 billion dollars' worth of debt that has to be refinanced. That was refinanced when the former prime minister said, “Interest rates are at [all‑time] lows, Glen”: 1%. It is now being recalled at 3%, so the share for every Canadian, just on that number alone, is going from $1,500 to $1,900 because of that jump from 1% to 3%. That is going to have a massive impact, and that is just in the short term. There is longer‑term interest that is going to be up for renewal as the years go on, and those rates are going to be higher and higher. We have a continually snowballing and cascading effect that is going to rock Canadian households.

Let us take another look at what is happening in the business world. Business capital investment fell 0.7% in quarter one, which was the fifth straight quarter that business investment in Canada has fallen. This comes after a 10-year run with the Liberal government when foreign direct investment of over $1 trillion left Canada. For every dollar that came in, two dollars left. That is what we are seeing here. That is the by-product of what is happening today.

When we look at some of the other statistics from the Bank of Canada and a few others, they mention that government spending was down 2.5% and that is what caused a bit of a drop in GDP. The fact that it is government spending that is also driving that shows the government is the one trying to artificially prop up the economy. The private sector is struggling. We are not seeing massive private sector investment. There are a couple projects here and there, but we are just not seeing the large-scale investment that is required.

Let us look at what the Liberals wanted to do. Coming out of the election, they said they wanted to build at speeds not yet seen. What did they propose to the House? It was Bill C-5. They said they needed Bill C-5 because that was going to allow them to do what? It was to override their own bad laws they had put in place, because they recognized that was the problem. They said they needed Bill C-5 so they could circumvent their own laws that they had created. We said it would be better if they just scrapped the bad laws but that we would play ball and help them out, so we worked with the government to pass Bill C-5. We put some safeguards in there to make sure the Prime Minister was not greasing the palms of his buddies at Brookfield, and we helped them pass Bill C-5.

Then they put projects on the list. There are a couple of LNG projects on there. They have been on that list now for well over 250 days. We are closing in on almost a year with some of these projects listed, and there has been no movement. Nothing is happening. Germany came here and said it wanted our LNG, and the government said, “Sure, this time we'll work with you to make sure you get some LNG.” When did it say we would deliver the LNG to Germany? It was sometime in the 2030s. There is no fixed date because the government does not actually know. What did Germany do? When the former prime minister said there was no business case, Germany went home and built an import terminal in 194 days. That is a shorter amount of time than the projects have been on the Major Projects Office list with nothing being done.

What have Conservatives done? Well, we proposed the Canadian sovereignty act because we wanted to help the government get out of its own way. We proposed that in the same way we are doing here today, with an opposition day motion, to give the government a template to kind of get the ball rolling, to help it advance the football down the field, per se. The Liberals voted against it. They had an opportunity to implement another one of our great plans, and they voted no.

They took our advice and scrapped the consumer carbon tax. Now they are saying this is one of the greatest cost-saving moves they have ever made, and that is because Conservatives were right. It was Conservatives who put the pressure on them to do it, and eventually they relented.

Maybe if they would implement the Canadian sovereignty act, which would repeal the bad laws like Bill C-69 and Bill C-48, that would get them on the right track and get them going, because Bill C-5 was supposed to be the mechanism to help them circumvent those laws. If they would implement the Canadian sovereignty act, it would get them going in the right direction. It would also get rid of the industrial carbon tax, which we know is putting massive downward pressure on investment in Canada because nowhere else around the world wants the same type of pricing mechanism that the government is going to enforce on Canadian industry. It is going to be devastating to Canadians.

The Liberals should look at what Conservatives are proposing. We have had some great ideas that would help them and that probably would have helped them avoid entering this recession, which has been made by the Liberal government. If they want to work with us, we have great ideas. They have said no to many of them, and now they have to pay for that, which means Canadians have to pay for it because the government has no money. It is only because Canadians pay taxes and the government prints money against the future of Canadians that it acquires any money. At this point in time, if it wants to get the economy rolling, the government could take some of our great ideas that we have proposed, and that would actually help it avoid this recession.