Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, last year we saw 50,000 people cross illegally into this country, and experts say this year is even going to be worse, with 300 or 400 illegal border crossers a day expected in Quebec alone. Law-abiding immigrants and refugees are now stuck waiting months or even years longer, while illegal border crossers cut in line.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, the illegal border crossing problem was created entirely by the irresponsible tweet of the Prime Minister. The government could have fixed the issue, but continues to put it on the backs of hard-working Canadians and legal immigrants to pay that price. It has been over a year and there is still no Liberal plan except to continue to throw millions of tax dollars at the problem.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I think it is fair to say that, yes, this issue requires resources, but it also requires a common sense approach. As we have allowed this to start, where will it end? We have already gone from a few thousand entries in 2017 to potentially 60,000 in 2018. There are no systems readily available in our country to deal with this influx of illegal border crossings.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the great work he does on a lot of different fronts. I would like to clarify this. During the time of the former Conservative government, the CBSA was funded to the tune of $6.5 billion. In 2017, under the Liberal government, the CBSA was funded by $6.4 billion.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I would like to begin my speech today by taking a moment to remember the lives lost yesterday in Toronto. Today, I think all Canadians are thinking of and praying for those who have lost loved ones, a friend, a co-worker, or a neighbour. Just as Canadians have rallied around to support those affected by the tragedy in Humboldt, I know Canadians will rally to support the people in Toronto today and into the future.

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, this weekend, armed rebel factions conducted two coordinated attacks against UN bases in Mali. It came a week after two peacekeepers were killed in Mali. These were targeted attacks by a variety of terror groups operating with impunity in Mali, and increasingly UN peacekeepers are the target.

An Act in Relation to Firearms  Mr. Speaker, there was a great opportunity here for the government to deal with a growing trend in this country, and that is the increased gun violence and increased homicide rate by gangs. It is causing fear in our communities. This bill fails terribly to address that issue. It does not provide any additional legislation on dealing with smuggling to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals.

An Act in Relation to Firearms  Mr. Speaker, I think the reality that people have to face is that up until now, good business practice was for people to track their inventory, track whom it was sold to, and track what was sold. That was not a requirement by law. This legislation makes it a criminal offence if a gun shop owner does not do that, which means that even an error made by these gun shop owners could result in a criminal offence.

An Act in Relation to Firearms  Mr. Speaker, I am thankful that the bill is coming to our committee, the public safety and national security committee. There will be a lot of issues that we want to drill down in on that, absolutely including the whole issue of background checks. Whether we will get a real understanding, we do not know.

An Act in Relation to Firearms  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to share the time with my esteemed colleague for Portage—Lisgar. I rise to share the disappointment of tens of thousands of Canadians who are once again under attack by the government for being law-abiding citizens. Bill C-71, the Liberals' new gun legislation, is a regulatory bill, not a public safety bill.

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, the embarrassment of the India trip continues with the Prime Minister's cover-up. Liberal ministers are now hiding behind false claims of classified national security. As a professional public servant, we know the national security adviser would never reveal classified information to the press.

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightly concerned that the Prime Minister refuses to condemn the illegal violent protests against the Trans Mountain pipeline. Workers and families need these jobs. Communities need the investment and the benefits that they bring. What Canadians need is less rhetoric and more leadership in order to enforce the rule of law, to stop endangering the police, stop endangering the pipeline workers, and stop undermining Canada's economy.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, Conservatives negotiated CETA and TPP because we know the importance of market access for our agricultural sector. Recently, CN and CP have fulfilled only 38% of the grain commitments. This growing rail backlog has led to lost sales and unreliable exports for our grain producers.

Indigenous Peoples and Canada's Justice System  Mr. Speaker, we are all aware in this House that visible minorities, including our indigenous peoples in this country, have experienced and continue to experience acts of hate and discrimination. We are all aware of that. Members would agree that acts of discrimination, whether in person or online, whether through denial of services or at businesses, must come to an end.

Poverty Reduction  Mr. Speaker, It is my privilege to highlight the vigorous leadership of the community of Medicine Hat on helping those in need. Thrive is a Medicine Hat and region strategy to end poverty and increase well-being by 2030. Together as a community we are building access to resources and services to assist those in need with such things as food and income security, transportation access, and housing.