Dean Allison

[Border Security, December 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it was the Liberal Minister of Public Safety who said that bolstering the power of the CBSA to secure our borders was “not a priority”. He said this despite U.S. threats of 25% tariffs, which, if put in place, would kill Canadian jobs and crush our economy.

Last week, in just four days and on three separate occasions, 16 people crossed from Quebec into the U.S. illegally. Six of them were pursued by authorities in a high-speed chase, putting many lives at risk. In addition, we have as many as 500,000 people who are in Canada illegally, 260,000 unprocessed refugee claims and over three million temporary residents who the Liberals expect to leave voluntarily. It is astonishingly incompetent, and it creates chaos and a total loss of control at our border.

However, help is on the way. The Conservatives have a plan to fix the Liberal disorder at the border. The Conservatives will put Canada first and ensure that we secure our border to protect our security and our economy. Call the election once and for all, so we can get to work.

[Privilege, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, this is the whole reason we ask questions. This is the whole reason we hold people accountable. At the end of the day, we never had the chance to have a debate about the Winnipeg lab. We never had the chance to have any of that information. Maybe the outcome of the last election would have been different. We do not know because we did not get that information.

The government promised to be so transparent. The government has been anything but transparent.

[Privilege, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, it is because of the carbon policies, the policies of the government. It is so hypocritical to tell people that they need to choose between heating and eating, yet fly all around the world as if that is not an issue.

As a matter of fact, coming back from COP the other day, I think the environment minister was talking about how we could put some carbon taxes on the marine industry. Talk about another cost. We receive all of our goods from around the world through shipping. The government has never found any avenue that it would not like to try to tax.

[Privilege, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, as governments continue on, particularly Liberal governments, there is a sense of entitlement that starts to creep in. We are see that the Liberals really believe that they should reward their friends. They really believe that there are “rules for thee but not for me”.

If we think about that, one of the ways we can see that is when the high-flying, hypocritical Prime Minister has no problem burning literally hundreds of thousands of carbon emissions as he flies around the world. An individual with a family member in their car may use about three tonnes a year versus the hundred thousand or so that he will burn through on just one trip. I think the challenge is that people are seeing a trend here. They are seeing that it is more about “do as I say, not as I do”.

People have been very concerned, and they want to make sure that there is accountability. That is our job as the official opposition, to hold the government to account.

[Privilege, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I had wanted to talk about censorship as part of what I was doing, but there were just so many things that I needed to talk about that I was not able to get to it.

The Liberal government has talked about how it was going to be the most transparent government of all time, that it would show us that sunshine was the best disinfectant and so on. The reality has been that the amount of legislation that the Liberals have put forward while trying to censor, to restrict and to have government control is very worrisome.

That is why, when we ask for documents, when Parliament asks for documents, we want to see what we are asking for because we are worried about censorship from the government.

[Privilege, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I spoke about it in the first half of my speech. Maybe he was not present, which is fine. I talked about the challenges with the whole point about redacting documents and not providing documents. I used the example of the Winnipeg lab, right before an election, when we asked for documents. The Liberals decided they would rather take the former Speaker to court than actually produce those documents. There is a very easy, very simple solution, which is to provide the unredacted documents. We would then be more than happy to continue.

What we want to know is why the Liberals and the NDP are spending so much time avoiding showing us what the documents are. Why will they not just show us what we are asking for?

[Privilege, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, one of the bigger challenges we have is that we are really at a competitive disadvantage. I know our leader has talked about this, and I think we need to continue to do that. When we look at what we are spending on carbon taxes versus the rest of the world, including the U.S., we can see that we are putting ourselves at an unnecessary disadvantage. The U.S. is one of our neighbours that we do a lot of trade with.

This is one of the reasons why we need to axe the carbon tax. When we think about how we charge the tax on the people who grow the food or produce something, if we charge the tax on the people who transport it and then the consumer who pays it, we will always be at a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis every other country that does not have a carbon tax.

[Privilege, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the member can hold tight. I will bring it back around, and the member will see how it all fits together.

We have a government that has wasted $400 million when small businesses are suffering and crime is out of control. The government is doing anything but leading in this country. This is affecting how small businesses can prosper and whether they are going to survive.

I am going to share a couple of quotes that are talking about security. The first says, “Some security measures, while helpful and necessary, may come at a steep price, deter customer foot traffic and, as a result, lead to lower revenues”. The second reads, “Many businesses are already operating on thin profit margins, so just one crime incident could be make-or-break-for a small business owner.”

Small businesses are watching as the Liberals are paying out of this $400 million slush fund to enrich themselves versus actually doing something for small businesses, such as setting policies or dealing with crime issues that would help businesses do a better job and be more prosperous. The CFIB report notes that businesses have adopted their operations in response to crime. About 50% have implemented safety measures that alter customer access, like locking doors or requiring appointments, and 67% resorted to spending money on more security. However, these measures have also made it more challenging for customers to access stores, potentially reducing foot traffic and revenue. I could talk more about that.

I talked about how difficult it is for small businesses. Once again, the Liberals have money for all their pet projects without setting proper policies in place that would ensure investment comes to Canada. We could attract investment and make sure that we are doing it. We can look at what is going on with our small businesses. I talked about how closings are up, openings are down and the number of businesses shutting down have grown.

This quote comes from an article that came out recently:

Canada saw the highest business closure rate since the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic in June, with one in 20 businesses closing that month, according to Statistics Canada.

Canada's economy saw 46, 354 businesses close in June, making it the largest wave in exactly 4 years.

It's the highest closure rate since lockdown, a time when businesses were physically restricted from opening up to do business.

The data comes at a time when the unemployment rate also continues its upward trend and is seen highest among young adults.

In addition to the high rate of closures, the agency reported that the business opening rate also dropped by 0.4 percentage points, bringing it to 4.2%.

This drop marks the largest decline since August 2021.

“That statistics are worrisome,” [said the] director of economics with the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses....

[They also] noted that while business closures mentioned will be seasonal, therefore they’re not closing permanently, new businesses opening is a sign of a healthy, growing economy.

“You want to see that you have new businesses on the market trending upward and you want the closing rate dropping”....

One of the things we find challenging right now, as we look at what is happening, is that there is not much hope for small businesses and for Canadians in general. I will leave members with these statistics: “Canada has the housing prices of New York...the wages of Mississippi...the economy of Alabama...and taxes higher than all 50 US states.”

We have to deal with a new administration, and these policies are not working.

[Privilege, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I just want to recap where I was on this question of privilege a bit, and then I will make some additional points.

We are all very grateful to have people send us here. I want to wish all the people of Niagara West a merry Christmas, a happy new year and safe travels.

I talked a little about what happened this past weekend in Montreal, which should never have happened. It is almost as though we do not recognize this Canada that we have anymore. I believe this is a direct result of the policies of the Liberal government and how its leader has been dividing people. Quite frankly, it is very troubling to see what happened on the weekend and the amount of destruction. The government had no problem freezing peaceful protesters' bank accounts before. I wonder when the frozen bank accounts are going to come from these guys across the way.

I was talking a bit about the Winnipeg labs. I will get back to that. Once again, there is nothing to see here, folks. That was back in 2021. They said there was nothing to see here but wanted to go to an election to make sure that the people of Canada did not actually have all the facts and did not understand what was going on.

I want to spend a little time talking about small business. We all understand that small businesses are the ones that help create jobs and wealth. They actually help drive the economy in our country. Quite frankly, with the challenges we have had with small businesses, they are struggling.

It is interesting: We talk about doing a number of things. We talk about axing the tax. I have a survey from the CFIB, and I want to take some time to read from this newspaper story. It is entitled “85% of small businesses reject federal carbon tax, survey shows”. It says, “A recent survey by a small business advocacy group has revealed growing discontent among small businesses towards the federal carbon tax.”

There is no surprise there. We are hearing that at the door all the time. My colleagues have talked to individuals and small business people, and they are hearing that.

The story continues:

Data by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) shows that 85% of businesses now oppose the federal carbon tax and want it removed, a significant increase from the 52% opposition recorded just a year ago. The majority of small firms find the tax unfair, especially in light of the federal government’s recent decision to exempt only one heating fuel, heating oil, from the tax.

“Small businesses have been raising their concerns with the carbon tax for years,” said CFIB president Dan Kelly.

“They pay about 40% of the costs of the carbon tax, but the federal government has promised to return only 10% to small businesses.”

We had another announcement this week, saying that the government is going to return some money. I think all small businesses are waiting with bated breath to see when that is actually going to come. I hope it will come in time for Christmas.

Once again, when we talk about the numbers, this is not revenue-neutral in any way, shape or form, which is what the Liberal government is constantly saying it is. They say it is revenue-neutral. People should not worry about it. They are going to get their money back.

The story continues:

Another rising concern is that many small firms will be ineligible for the Federal Fuel Charge Proceeds Return Program if the federal government ever gets around to creating it, explained Kelly. This program promised to deliver the $2.5 billion collected from taxpayers since 2019 to small businesses and Indigenous groups.

The recent decision by the government to exempt certain Canadians from the carbon tax for heating costs has further exacerbated the issue....

“The entire federal carbon tax structure is beginning to look like a shell game,” said Kelly.

That is something we have been saying on this side of the House for quite some time.

The article refers to “rising costs on everything from supplies to fuel to taxes and the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan repayment”. The loan repayments were very difficult. As I mentioned previously, almost two out of three small businesses needed to take on additional debt because of what happened during COVID. They are still struggling under that.

The article continues, “Halting future carbon tax increases, including the planned hike [in 2025] should also be on the table”. We have a tax trick going on right now. The government is saying that it is going to give Canadians a break on the GST for a couple of months, but there is no mention of the carbon tax that is going to go up next April. That is a very sad trick on people.

They talk about a number of things, basically saying that, in any way, shape or form, they do not support that.

Now, another thing we have said we want to do is stop the crime. We have this revolving door; it was talked about during opening statements, in terms of what is going on there and what is happening in a number of places.

Another article, “Half of Canadian businesses experienced crime and safety issues: survey”, states:

Almost one in two small businesses reported crime or safety-related issues in 2024, marking a sharp increase from the previous year.

A report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business reveals that 45% of small businesses faced incidents like vandalism, theft, and drug paraphernalia which affected not only their operations but also the mental well-being of their employees and workers.

The CFIB reported that the incidents are impacting business finances and safety, with owners incurring a median cost of over $5,000 over the past three years for repairs and crime prevention.

However, 68% of business owners avoid filing insurance claims, fearing hikes in already steep premiums.

I think most of us will understand why our car premiums have gone up this year. It is because of the number of stolen cars in this country. Insurance companies, God bless them, pass those costs on to us individuals. At the end of the day, we end up—

[Privilege, November 26th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise again to speak to the subamendment. Every time I get up, I want to thank my constituents for sending me here. It is an honour and a privilege for all of us to be here, but we can never take it for granted. Every day we walk into the House, we are reminded of how amazing this place is.

I do not know if I will be up again before Christmas, so I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas, a happy new year, season's greetings and safe travels. I hope people get a chance to spend some great time with family.

Before I get started, I want to mention briefly how horrified I was to see what happened in Montreal this past weekend. I know our deputy leader spoke to it yesterday, and she did a very good job talking about it.

I am completely amazed at what I see happening in Canada. In fact, I have people reach out to me every day. They are telling me that Canada is not the country they remember it being. When I look at what has happened over the last nine years of the Liberal-NDP government, I see the reasons.

The question of privilege that we are talking about today is indicative of the things that the Liberals have done and the fact that they are not overly concerned about the rule of law and about dividing people. They have divided people in a number of different areas. When I look at what happened this weekend and if we asked anyone in the House or any guests in the gallery if they ever thought they would see this as part of their Canada, if anyone would have said they saw it coming, I do not think it was on the bingo card for 2024. It shows the government's lack of respect and how it does not treat these kinds of things seriously.

When we have a Prime Minister who is the great divider, who divides us on race and a whole bunch of issues, vaccine status being one of these things, who calls everyone a racist who does not agree with the government's policies or the concerns people have raised, it should be troubling. It should be troubling for Canadians to see such a lack of leadership. It is indicative of what is happening and what we are talking about today with respect to these documents. I know the last time I talked about these documents, I talked about the Winnipeg lab.

However, my colleague, the member for Chilliwack—Hope, said it best. We have an order of the House requesting that these documents be produced, and the government tells us not to worry about it, that it will give us some redacted documents that it thinks we need to see.

I am reminded of what happened with the Winnipeg lab in 2021. The government said that there was nothing to see there and not to worry about it at all because it was handling it. What did we see happen in Winnipeg? Dangerous vials were being sent by FedEx to China. If we want to talk about a government that is out of control, a government that has something to hide, it is the government on the other side and what it has done over the last nine years.

Let us review a bit of what has happened, and I know my colleagues have talked about this before. We are talking about the $400 million and how that was handled. Members in the House have accusations against them. We have the two Randys story. We are not really sure where that is at moment. We have other ministers who have been involved possibly. The people in the gallery should think about this for one second. Their taxpayer dollars were sent to the government. They were then funnelled back to the Liberal Party of Canada. I wonder how that makes people feel. I know it does not make me feel very good.

Our job here is to represent our constituents. When I think about that, I think of the $400 million now. I think of the sponsorship scandal. In fact, we have had so many scandals over the last nine years, I do not think I would have time in my 20 minutes to go through all them. When we are talking about one, another one drops off and we forget about the things that happened before. It is our job to remind voters of how incompetent the Prime Minister is at handling our economic affairs, not to mention our GDP per capita and the fact we are going to be at the bottom of the OECD countries over the next 20 to 30 years. We have a worse GDP than Mississippi.

All of these things are incredibly troubling when we think of all the great resources, abilities, people and talent we have in our country. We have the most educated citizens in the world, yet we have lost so much and made so many mistakes over the last nine years. It is troubling, but indicative.

When we look at what went on with the green slush fund, we find that a number of policies were not followed. Those policies were set in place so that people would not take advantage of the system. I know some of these numbers have been mentioned before, but we need to continue to talk about them. When we look at what one audit found, there were 10 ineligible projects for almost $60 million, along with 96 cases where conflict-of-interest policies were not followed for $75 million. The list goes on and on.

There were just under 200 conflicts of interest, where, once again, people with the inside track were able to take money from taxpayers and use it for their best interests. The Liberals say that we should not to worry about, that there is nothing to see. It is our job as parliamentarians to ask those questions and to get to the bottom of it. It is our job to request documents and not have them redacted, so we can see what went on.

The reason I say that is because we saw what went on before, such as with the Winnipeg lab. If we think about it, we had researchers in Canada who were working for the Chinese Communist Party. People who were trusted were working in a level 4 laboratory. When we requested documents, coincidentally just before the election, the Liberals basically said that we did not need them, that it was not our concern, that we did not need to worry about it. To me, that is very troubling.

If we look at what happened with the Winnipeg lab and if we look at what is going on with the SDTC, it gives us an indication of some of the challenges we are having with the economy. I am talking about where we are right now when it comes to GDP per capita.

The other challenge we have right now is that small businesses are hurting. Small businesses help create jobs in our country. I have a number articles in front of me. If we look at them, Canadian businesses are struggling big time. Business closures are up almost 5% over historical averages. Business openings are down 4.5%, below historic averages. The number of active businesses that are down are over 2,000. Business failures went up in 2023. Small businesses have had the highest numbers of insolvency in the last 36 years.

Small businesses have never recovered from the pandemic. They took on additional debt. Two or three small businesses took additional pandemic debt. They were promised a rebate, and we just learned this week it will possibly go out two or three years late. In fact, a number of businesses will probably not get that because they have already closed.

This shows us just how out of touch the government is when it comes to the economy, when it comes to how we create jobs, when it comes to what we do to help grow our economy and ensure people have food on their table. I have not even started to talk about what is going on with food bank usage. I have not even talked about the fact that people are skipping meals. There is not one part of the economy on which the government would get a passing grade. It is failing on almost every account.

When I come back after question period, I want to talk a bit more about some of the challenges we are facing.