Candice Bergen

[Finance, April 4th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, under previous Liberals like Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, there was a sense of fiscal responsibility among their ranks. My, how the current Liberals have changed. Even former finance minister John Manley said, “Tax and spend is not a growth agenda.” We agree with him.

Canadians want a responsible budget that will deliver tax relief, not cost Canadians more. Will the Prime Minister listen to some reasonable people in his party, abandon his NDP ways and present a responsible budget?

[Finance, April 4th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, as prices soar, government debt climbs and Canadians suffer through the worst inflation in 30 years, many observers are saying the Liberals have lost their way. Instead of presenting a responsible budget on Thursday, these NDP-Liberals are going to be spending outrageous amounts of money on big permanent programs, and that means more debt and more taxes.

Is there anyone left on the Liberal side who would like to see a responsible budget, or have they all turned into closet NDPers on that side of the House?

[Government Accountability, March 23rd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, high-tax, high-spend and higher costs for everything is all that this NDP-Liberal government will be delivering for Canadians. This backroom secret deal will cost Canadians an additional $200 billion, and that is not even counting the April 1 tax hike that is coming. Risky social experiments are not what Canadians need. They need their rent paid. They need food in their fridges. They need gas in their tanks.

Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians how much this nightmare of a socialist secret deal will cost Canadians?

[Government Accountability, March 23rd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, there is a signed agreement somewhere that they are hiding. Part of the deal struck by the Liberals and NDP creates a new executive committee of the government. This secret committee is made up of NDP and Liberal members, and it excludes the opposition. That is an executive committee of government.

Who is on that executive committee and, again, will the Liberals and the NDP make this agreement public for Canadians and for the House?

[Government Accountability, March 23rd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Canadians were shocked to find out that they are being governed by an NDP-Liberal coalition government: an alliance of high-tax, high-spend and extreme ideology proponents. What Canadians do not know are the details of this agreement. We saw a press release yesterday, but no actual details.

Is there a signed agreement between the Liberals and the NDP and will they make it public, yes or no?

[Taxation, March 22nd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, make no mistake that this backroom deal disrespects Parliament and disrespects every single Canadian voter. Gas prices right now are shockingly high and are going up, unfairly punishing Canadians and families, but today the Conservatives have proposed a reasonable and positive solution to save Canadians money at the gas pumps. The Conservatives are consistently conservative and we always want to lower taxes for all Canadians.

Will the NDP-Liberal government tell the House if it supports our motion, or will its first act as a coalition government be to continue punishing Canadians with high taxes at the gas pumps?

[Natural Resources, March 22nd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, we have seen an attack from the left on Canada's oil and gas sector, our agricultural sector and fisheries, all huge job creators, and now that extreme left-wing agenda has been baked into this secret backroom deal. The NDP-Liberal platform will double down and intensify the attack on Canadian natural resources and jobs.

Canadians deserve to know: How many more jobs are going to be lost specifically in our natural resources because of the NDP-Liberal government and the backroom deal?

[Government Accountability, March 22nd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are already suffering because of massive inflation that is caused by the out-of-control spending of the old Liberal government. Now Canadian are going to be living with a new NDP-Liberal government and the price tag has just skyrocketed. The NDP-Liberal government's initial platform will cost over $200 billion and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Can the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister tell Canadians how much this backroom deal is going to cost them?

[Government Accountability, March 22nd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians woke up this morning and were shocked to learn they have a new NDP-Liberal government that is planning to spend and tax unlike anything we have seen before. Now things are starting to make sense. Now we understand why the NDP has been so eager to prop up the Liberals and their unethical behaviour. It is because they have been cooking up a secret backroom deal.

My question for the leader of the new NDP-Liberal party is this. When did he start these secret talks with his new deputy prime minister, the member for Burnaby South? Was it before, during or just after the last election?

[March 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by first and foremost stating on behalf of my Conservative caucus our complete admiration and respect for the people and the nation of Ukraine.

To President Zelenskyy, let me express to you how much I admire your courage and your sacrificial leadership at this critical time in Ukraine's history. The kind of leadership that you are showing, sir, is very rare, and it serves as an inspiration to all of us who are elected. You are the leader of Ukraine for such a time as this, and we remain indebted to you.

President Zelenskyy, I thank you for your leadership in this war against your country and for defending democracy. The official opposition stands with Ukraine. It is our duty. We will also be there when this conflict is over to help you rebuild Ukraine. Your courage inspires us.

The images that we are seeing from Ukraine, as you described them, President, are heartbreaking and painful. We see families huddled in bomb shelters, the ruins of a children's hospital and a maternity ward, the elderly who are trying to find their way to safety, but there is also inspiration as we watch ordinary people, men and women of all ages, defending their homeland.

We are witnesses to the strength and the defiance of Ukrainians standing up for their freedom, their independence and their sovereignty. Ukrainians are not just fighting to defend themselves; let us be very clear. They are defending all of Europe because Putin's brutal attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of us. That is the lesson history has taught us and one we cannot ignore.

It is why we must help the people of Ukraine in every way possible. Canada has the largest number of people of Ukrainian descent outside of Ukraine and Russia. For a century, they have enriched our communities and our culture, especially in the Canadian Prairies, which is where I am from. Canada and Manitoba, in particular, share ties with Ukraine that cannot be broken. Now, almost 1.4 million Ukrainian Canadians are watching what is happening. Their hearts and their souls are reaching out, hoping, praying for the nation and the people of their forebears.

This war of naked aggression has revealed Vladimir Putin for what he really is: a warmonger and a violent predator with no regard for human life and suffering. He has crossed lines that after two world wars we thought would never be crossed, and he has shaken the rules-based order that has kept millions safe since 1945. Every day he tells the world lies and then he proceeds to kill innocent and vulnerable Ukrainians, including women and children. While on his rampage he continues to threaten the world, saying if he does not get his way he will use the worst extremes possible. It is sickening to watch.

Putin must be brought to justice. He must be held to account for his crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court at the Hague. This is not just a war against Ukraine. It is a war against the free democratic world. We must stand with Ukraine. It is not a choice; it is a moral duty.

Canada was the first country to recognize Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union. Now it is time to honour that legacy. We must do more together with our allies to secure Ukraine's airspace. We need to protect, at a minimum, the airspace over the humanitarian corridors so that Ukrainians can seek safe passage away from the war zones and humanitarian relief is allowed to reach those areas under siege.

Canada must do whatever it can to cut through any red tape and welcome Ukrainians who are fleeing, although we all know that what Ukrainians want most is to be able to live in their home nation, free, sovereign and peaceful.

President Zelenskyy, I want to reassure you that Canada will be a safe haven for Ukrainian citizens who choose to come here until the battle is over. While they are in Canada, we will cherish them, care for them, provide for them purpose and hope, and when it is time, they will return to their beloved Ukraine and their families. This is our pledge to you.

To the people of Ukraine, let me conclude by saying simply that Canadians support you today as you face Putin and his reckless empire building. Conservatives stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and we will continue to support you when this terrible conflict finally ends and you rebuild your homes and communities. Your courage, your faith and your fortitude in the face of adversity are an inspiration to all of us.

Slava Ukraini. Glory to Ukraine. Glory to the heroes. Keep fighting. Keep believing. Keep hoping.