Richard Lehoux

[Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2022, December 5th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Salaberry—Suroît on her speech,

I would like to hear her thoughts on the following. Yes, health is important, but it is healthy food that leads to good health.

Last week, I was in touch with several food banks in my riding. To my great surprise, I learned that there has been a significant increase in the use of food banks, an increase of more than 25%. A third of clients who use food banks are children.

In the current budget, I did not see much money to support food banks and to help children. What does my colleague think of that?

[Carbon Pricing, December 2nd, 2022]

Madam Speaker, people certainly will need help putting food on the table, because food bank use continues to climb. However, the Liberals do not seem to care too much about that.

The food banks in Beauce can barely keep up with the growing demand. Of the 12,500 requests for food assistance processed every month through their network of organizations, one-third are for children.

The government is completely out of touch. Its plan for the environment does nothing but increase taxes.

When will the NDP-Liberal coalition get its hands out of Canadians' pockets and cancel the tax hikes?

[Telecommunications Act, December 1st, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

I have a question about publicly owned corporations like Hydro-Québec. How will the bill provide a framework for this, while still allowing companies like Hydro-Québec to be proactive about cybersecurity? How will the bill ensure there is no interference? Will there be support? I would like to hear my colleague's point of view on this issue.

[Carbon Pricing, November 29th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have no compassion for workers struggling to make ends meet. They are going to make things even harder for small and medium-sized businesses in January when they raise taxes. Worse still, Liberal policies are hurting businesses in Beauce that hire foreign workers and spend thousands of dollars recruiting them with no certainty that they will be able to keep them on for the duration of their contract.

When will the government realize it has to help our small and medium-sized businesses by fixing this problem and by cancelling the tax hikes?

[Criminal Code, November 24th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed the speech that my colleague from Saint-Jean made earlier.

I would like to ask her a simple question. There is a lot of talk about improving technology, and this bill talks about using audio conferencing. Video conferencing is relevant, but what does she think about the possibility of using audio conferencing only?

[Elections Canada, November 18th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, in January of this year, the Prime Minister was informed that 11 election campaigns had received illegal funds from foreign actors that may have influenced our elections. The government is refusing to disclose details about the campaigns involved and will not say what it is going do about it.

The question is simple: Did the Prime Minister inform the Commissioner of Canada Elections of these allegations or not? If not, when is he planning to do so?

[Taxation, November 18th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, two young mothers from Beauce, who also happen to be farmers, wrote to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Agriculture to let them know that they are fed up with the NDP-Liberal inflationary policies that are forcing many families to turn to food banks. Does this costly coalition realize that what matters to young families is to be able to heat their homes and put food on the table?

With policies like the carbon tax and the fertilizer tariff being imposed on our farmers, the government is driving up the price of everything. The Liberals are forcing our farmers to pay a 35% tariff on Russian fertilizer. We are the only G7 country to have imposed such an ineffectual policy. What is the government doing with the $34 million it has already collected from our farm families? We all know that the carbon tax is making everything more expensive, whether it is on the farm, in processing plants or during transportation.

The Conservative Party understands real life. Canadians work hard, and we want them to be able to take home more money for their families. That is why we will fight these inflationary policies until we are in power, which will be soon.

[Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2022, November 17th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue on his speech. He talked a lot about seniors who would normally retire at 65 but, given the current context, will likely retire at 75.

He talked a little bit about the labour shortage at the end of his speech. I wonder if he could elaborate a bit more on his perspective on how to help solve at least part of the labour shortage problem, perhaps by changing certain aspects of how seniors are currently taxed.

[Taxation, October 28th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, food bank use keeps going up and is now over 20% in Beauce. One in five people who uses a food bank is a worker who can no longer make ends meet. As a result of inflation, the price of food has increased by 11.4%, not to mention the price of bread, 17%; flour, 23.8%; and pasta, 22.5%.

When will the government realize that it is suffocating Canadians with its punitive taxes? It is simple: no new taxes. Is that clear?

[Inflation, October 28th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can no longer afford the costly NDP-Liberal coalition. In Beauce, like everywhere in Canada, the use of food banks is skyrocketing. It is over 20% in my riding. Food inflation is at 11.4%, which is something we have not seen since the Pierre Elliott Trudeau days.

Farmers across the country are wrapping up their harvests and trying to meet the demand to feed our country and others. The unjustified 35% surtax on fertilizer and the soaring price of fuel, which is needed for planting, harvesting and drying grain, have only made things worse.

The government has done nothing to curb food inflation. The cost of breakfast cereal is up 16.7%, bread is up 17% and pasta is up 22.5%.

On the contrary, the government wants to triple the carbon tax, which will also have a direct impact on the cost of home heating for many families this winter. One-time cheques are not going to solve anything. Canadians need a break. They have suffered enough. A Conservative government will put an end to this punitive tax and finally put Canadians first.