House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 64% of the vote.
Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act January 31st, 2023
Mr. Speaker, if a couple, Fred and Martha let us say, living near Hoadley, Alberta in a rural area, have incomes that are close to or just above minimum wage, would they get the pleasure and privilege of paying for day care for millionaires in downtown Toronto or downtown Montreal while their taxes are not going to provide any benefit because there will be no government-sanctioned day care spaces in a community that only has a couple of hundred people?
Petitions January 31st, 2023
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by numerous Canadians from coast to coast in this country who want to draw to the attention of the House comments made by Louis Roy of the Collège des médecins du Québec, who recommended euthanasia to babies from birth to one year of age who are not born in a healthy way and have severe deformities or a serious syndrome. This proposal is basically the state sanctioning of infanticide. The undersigned of this petition do not believe that the state should be sanctioning in any way, shape or form the euthanasia of babies from birth to one year.
Public Safety January 30th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, it has been eight years since the Prime Minister took office, and his soft-on-crime policies have unleashed a crime wave in Canada. The government has made life easier for violent criminals by providing easy access to bail and repealing mandatory minimum sentences for serious crimes. As a result, violent crime has gone up 32% in the past year, and gang-related killings have gone up by 92% since 2015.
Furthermore, Liberals have failed to stop the flow of illegal firearms across the border. As a consequence, five police officers have tragically lost their lives this past fall in the line of duty. Our communities feel less safe, and the government is making it worse. Despite their dismal record, Liberals recently initiated a ban on hunting rifles and shotguns, making thousands of these firearms illegal. Hunters, farmers and target shooters are not the problem; Liberals are the problem. This Liberal made-in-Canada crime wave must stop.
Only a Conservative government will do what is necessary to keep violent criminals off our streets.
Committees of the House December 14th, 2022
Madam Speaker, from the outset, Conservatives wish to acknowledge and thank our security and policing professionals for their hard and important work keeping our Parliament safe, secure, open and accessible, as these are important hallmarks of any democratic Legislature.
While I am on my feet, I would like to thank each and every one of those people, and wish them a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
During the study, the committee heard testimony about the implications the closure of Wellington Street has had on local businesses in downtown Ottawa, which are already suffering from the pandemic and the Liberal government keeping public servants working at home, as well as the disruption it brought to Ottawa and Gatineau's public transit operators.
At the committee table, we also heard a lot about the importance of communication, coordination and collaboration among the assorted police and security services with responsibilities in the national capital region. The importance of taking time to get things right among stakeholders was stressed by witnesses, even by the Liberal public services minister who appeared.
What we did not hear was a call for politicians to decide security arrangements and impose them on the professionals. That is why Conservatives are dissenting from this report. Put simply, we think the majority on the committee is going too far and too fast with its prescriptive recommendations. We would have preferred the professionals collaborate on developing a coherent plan which reflects a consensus of implicated stakeholders subject to parliamentary oversight.
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns December 13th, 2022
With regard to the details of certain contracts being withheld from disclosure, since January 1, 2016: (a) what was the total (i) number, (ii) value, of contracts which had their details withheld due a national security exemption, broken down by year; (b) what is the total (i) number, (ii) value, of contracts which had their details withheld for a reason other than national security, broken down by year and reason for withholding the details; and (c) what is the total (i) number, (ii) value, of contracts related to the government's response to COVID-19 which had their details withheld, broken down by year and reason for withholding the details?
Public Safety December 1st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, since the government took office in 2015, gang-related homicides have increased by 92%. The Liberals reduced sentencing requirements for serious gun crimes and now violent crime is up 32%. The Liberals will not admit their soft-on-crime approach is failing all Canadians.
Last week, the government initiated a ban on rifles and shotguns. This will ban hundreds of thousands of firearms in Canada that are used for hunting. The ban includes slow-to-fire guns and purpose-built hunting firearms that are designed to shoot birds or deer. It said it would not, but it did. There is no trust in the government.
Instead of addressing gang crime and gun smuggling, the government is vilifying hunters and farmers. The Liberals know Canadian hunters are not causing the crime surge in Canada, but they are going after them anyway because it is all about politics and not fighting crime. Their ill-conceived plans to go after hunters is the largest attack on law-abiding firearms owners in Canadian history. It is a direct attack on our Canadian cultural heritage.
The Conservatives will always stand up for victims, go after gangs and smugglers and trust Canada's law-abiding gun owners.
Seniors November 17th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, Kay is 71 years old. She lives in a seniors' lodge, and the lodge just raised her rent because of inflation. Her OAS and GIS are now $100 short of what her monthly rent is. She has moved up several flights of stairs just to save $300 a month, but that deal is going to end soon. She volunteers at the lodge because she gets, as a reward, a glass of cranberry juice, which she needs for nourishment. She orders meals on wheels every second day for $6 because that is all she can afford.
When will the Liberals end their inflationary spending and cancel their cruel tax increases so Kay can once again afford to live in the country she helped build?
Craft Brewing in Alberta November 1st, 2022
Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to stand in the House today to celebrate the recent achievements of Blindman Brewing, located in my hometown of Lacombe.
Blindman was named the best brewery of the year in Alberta and recognized best in show for its Brett 24-2 stock ale at the Alberta Craft Brewing Convention.
It is satisfying to see that the hard work of risk-taking and ambitious small business entrepreneurs is being rewarded, because small business is the backbone of our local economies.
Blindman is known for creating innovative, community-focused craft beer. It is the first Canadian brewery to document and tell the story of its beer's production. Every can is customized and tells the journey of each beer, right back to the field where the grain was grown.
I personally enjoy the Five of Diamonds pilsner, based on Len Thompson's signature five of diamonds spoon. A portion of the proceeds is used to enhance local fishing opportunities. It does not get much more Canadian than fishing and beer.
I encourage everyone to stop by and experience the Blindman taproom the next time they travel to central Alberta.
Once again, I congratulate Blindman Brewing for its award-winning craft beer and wish it every future success.
Cheers!
Taxation September 23rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, we know that this Prime Minister is out of touch. Recent records show that he spent $12,000 in a single month for groceries, so how could he possibly know what ordinary Canadians are facing?
With taxes up and consumer confidence down, Canadians know that making ends meet is almost impossible. Not only are Canadians cutting back on groceries, they worry about heating their homes this winter, if they can afford a house in the first place.
Do the bohemians across the way know that theirs is a rhapsody of tax misery, and will they cut their planned tax increases on gas, home heating and groceries?
Cost of Living Relief Act, No. 2 September 23rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, another quote that I would like to leave with this House comes from Winston Churchill. He said, “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy”, and that its inherent virtue is “the equal sharing of misery.”
Canadians do not need a rent subsidy; they need a place to rent. Our plan is to actually convert government buildings that are underutilized right now into accommodations so that people have a home. That is the approach they need to take. They need to cut taxes and put people back in charge of their lives so that they can take care of themselves and not be dependent on a government program or a government plan. Most Canadians have the ability to work for themselves and pay their own bills. All that Canadians are asking is that the government get out of their way. The NDP, by propping up the tired Liberal government, is the problem. It is not the solution.