Mr. Speaker, as this is the last Thursday projected before the summer recess, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the House administration, which has supported members of Parliament as they resumed their duties after the election.
There was a lot to do to get so many new members of Parliament sworn in and oriented and ready to go for this session. I just want to commend the Clerk's team and all the procedural staff who are involved in that. I know that there are a lot of moving pieces; once again, they discharged their duties with great proficiency, and we all certainly appreciate that.
I would also like to pay tribute to the pages, as this is the final week in their program. They have done excellent work throughout the past few months. They have had a little bit more time off this session, with the prorogation and the election, than other page cohorts, but they have done exceptional work as well and, again, served parliamentarians in a non-partisan and professional way. I wish them good luck with the rest of their studies, and I hope they have enjoyed their tenure here in the House of Commons of Canada.
I would like to thank my government counterpart.
I would also like to thank the leader of the Bloc Québécois for working with me over the past few weeks.
We have always been able to have professional meetings. Although we do not often agree on much, in terms of policy, we do recognize that Parliament has to function on behalf of Canadians.
In that light, I wonder if the government House leader could update us. There is only a day left in the calendar. Maybe, in that time, the government might bring forward a budget so that it can show Canadians how it is going to manage all of this spending and borrowing that it has racked up.
My counterpart, the government House leader, was quite animated yesterday, telling Canadians that they have the choice of filling up their car with gas or diesel. That choice is soon coming to an end. Kicking in next year will be the Liberal ban on internal combustion engines. Maybe they would like to repeal that ban in the remaining days, since he seems to love filling up his car with gas so much. Maybe he would like to continue to enjoy that right in the years to come, and maybe they will bring in legislation to repeal that very ban.
I can tell him that if he is about to answer yes to that, I promise that Conservatives will fast-track any such legislation to preserve the rights of Canadians to fill up their cars with gas long into the future.
If he likes, I can even table the departmental regulations that show this ban is starting next year and that, by 2035, 100% of vehicles sold in Canada must be electric vehicles. That would add massive costs for Canadians hoping to purchase a conventional gas or diesel vehicle.
In that light, I would like to ask him if he could answer that very specific question and wish him a very good summer as he returns to his constituency and spends time with his family.
