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Context: House Hansard - 317 - May/24/24

May/28/24 7:03:40 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, here is the issue we are going to have in the hour. It is not a secret vote. We are going to stand up and vote yea or nay on the removal. Can members guess who is going to sit at home watching our vote? It will be the Speaker. Let us see what the Speaker does when he comes back. We all know that the NDP has supported the current Liberal government. We tried today to remove the Speaker. I suspect with the vote that we are going to be unsuccessful tonight with respect to dumping the Speaker. Therefore, what happens when we come back, when the Speaker acknowledges every one of us standing up to vote nay or yea to get rid of him over his partisan shots that he has taken the last six months?

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Context: House Hansard - 317 - May/24/24

May/24/24 11:52:06 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, more Canadians are hungry and homeless. One in four Canadians is experiencing food insecurity. Food Banks Canada even gave the NDP-Liberal government a failing grade. Forty per cent of Saskatchewan residents have visited a food bank, and 35% are worried about putting a meal on the table for their family. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost, so why does he tell Canadians we have never had it so good?

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May/24/24 11:00:34 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my member of the Legislative Assembly in Saskatchewan, Don Morgan, on his retirement coming up this fall. Don graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law in 1978. Between 1988 and 1992, he was chair and CEO of Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission and was appointed as King's Counsel in 1990. Don was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in November 2003 for the Sask Party and has served ever since. He had a number of portfolios: minister of justice and attorney general, minister of education, minister of advanced education and many more. Don served his constituents of Saskatoon Southeast faithfully, and he will be deeply missed. Congratulations to Don on his upcoming retirement. It is well deserved.

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May/21/24 11:57:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the impact has been great. Two Boston Pizzas have closed in the last month. Why is that? It is because of tax on a tax. Seven to eight restaurants, in the last three months, have come to my office to show me the carbon tax bill and the GST bill. For many of these restaurants, it was $1,300 or $1,400 a month in the cold months of January, February and March. That is a staff member they could have kept on. Instead, with the carbon tax and the GST, they simply have to let people go, or better yet, shut down altogether.

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May/21/24 11:55:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is simple. Canadians want us to cut the tax. Whether it is the carbon tax or the gas tax, they are paying too much right now. I used to drive to B.C., but I cannot afford to anymore, to be honest. I mentioned that the gas prices there are over two dollars, but that socialist provincial government will get its reward this year when it gets kicked out of office once and for all by a new Conservative government.

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Gas
Carbon

May/21/24 11:53:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, yes, as Conservatives, we have a lot of work to do to get votes in Quebec. We know that. We have a good section in Quebec City. We have about 10 Conservatives from that province. We have a great base, but more needs to happen. We understand that. We have some great MPs here. We want more in 2025, if we go to the polls, and I think we can get more. Right now, the polls are very good in Quebec. However, as we know, when we flip the switch, anything can happen during an election time. We have not forgotten about Quebec, and we will be there in 2025.

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Context: House Hansard - 312 - May/9/24

May/21/24 11:42:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, before I get into my speech, I just want to say this. Last week, we lost Darren Dutchyshen. He was only 57 years old. He anchored TSN SportsCentre for decades. Darren was bigger than life. As a former broadcaster, I competed against him in Saskatoon. Darren was the pride and joy of Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan. To see an individual come from a very small community in this country and make it to the top, the voice of SportsCentre, speaks a lot about Darren Dutchyshen. I just wanted to say to all the TSN family that it has been a rough week for all the broadcasters in this country. It has been a tough week for us because Darren was, as I said, bigger than life and gone at 57 years of age, which is way too young. We are with him and his family and all of those here tonight. I just wanted to say that, being a former sportscaster. Darren actually came through STV. He competed against me and did very well. He went on to Edmonton, and then made his career for good in the city of Toronto. It seems funny tonight that I am standing here on the fall economic statement, nine months later in the House, yet the Liberals are blaming the Conservatives for the nine months. They are in charge of the agenda. They could have moved this long before May 21. It is ridiculous. Here we are tonight, May 21, talking about the fall economic statement, which happened eight to nine months ago. We all know that we are facing a crisis across this country. It is an affordability crisis. It is an inflation crisis and a housing crisis. By the way, tonight was the first time I have heard, in over two years, the Liberals admit that they are at fault for the housing crisis in this country. That is the first step. They have known they have blown the housing industry in the last three years. They have only been in government nine years, but tonight was the first time I listened to a number of MPs who said that they are at fault for the country's dismal housing situation. That is the first time we have heard it. They know it. That is why they are reeling in this country, being 20 points behind in the polls. They have finally listened. They have not done the job for the last nine years, and the public knows it. We know the root of the crisis. It is the Prime Minister. We heard from the Deputy Prime Minister and their Liberal-NDP government. It is the reckless spending, the red tape, the carbon tax. I heard today that inflation is down to 2.7. The Bank of Canada is still at a big rate, if one goes and borrows money. It is 5%, 6% and 7%. In fact, if one wants a used car, it is 9% and 10%. These rates should have been down long before now. They were going to come down in December or February. They were going to come down in April. We are now hearing that they might not come down. Maybe it will be September. It could be at the end of the year, 2024. These guys across the aisle are flushing money out as fast as they can. They did not need to have a deficit of $39.5 billion this year. There was no need for that. The families, the small business owners, the single parents, the young graduates who are going to graduate in May and June, and so many others, are struggling today to get by. Do we know what this budget is going to do? To make it worse, this year, $414 billion of Canada's $1.4 trillion in debt will all be refinanced. What did I say about when these guys were spending money at 1.5% and maybe 2%? The interest rates are now at 5%, 6% and 7%, so they go refinance this. The costs are ballooning for all Canadians after nine years of the Prime Minister and nine years of the Liberal-NDP government. Rent and mortgage payments have doubled across the country. Interest payments, like I mentioned, are sky-high and are not coming down. The cost of living everywhere continues to rise, coast to coast. For two years, Canadians have been suffering from the highest levels of inflation we have seen in decades. We have talked all night long about groceries. Someone goes into the grocery store and gets a bag of groceries. If they are lucky, it is well over $100, and that does not include meat. The cost of gas is so high. We have encouraged the government to take the taxes off starting now and through to August, to give families a chance to go on a summer trip. However, the government has raised the tax all over this country, and gas is expensive. I think it is going to go to $2 this summer. Right now in Ottawa, it is $1.65. In B.C., it is $1.90 and going up. The damage that the Prime Minister has done is being felt across the country. I am going to read what some people who have contacted our office through mailers have said. A number of constituents have responded to us. I am going to name them, though I will not name their last names for confidentiality. Amanda tells me that she is 25 years old. She cannot afford a house today. She and her boyfriend are both professionals but cannot afford a down payment. That is the story. Canadians need a lot of money down now if they going to buy a home in Saskatchewan worth $300,000 plus. Tim and Tanya say that the cost of living is a crisis. They are moving into their 70s and are deeply concerned. Emma says that the current government is a real embarrassment and that our country has a terrible debt issue right now. Elaine has noticed people are starting to lose their homes due to the high interest rates. Luke says that we have big problems with housing, rental prices, rising interest rates and mortgage rates. However, the one that got me came from Samantha, who wrote to me saying that she is a student, and the rent in Saskatoon has gone up $500 this year. Where is she going to get the extra money? That is a problem we are seeing: students faced with a big increase in rent. There is another thing that really disturbs me in my province right now because we provide the food for the world. We in Saskatchewan are so proud of our producers who are putting in the crops right now. We have had some rain, which has been good. We are proud of our farmers in Saskatchewan. What I am not proud of, because of nine years of Liberal neglect, is needing food banks in every community. Small towns are running out of food on their shelves. In Saskatoon alone, there are the head office of Nutrien potash, K+S Potash, and BHP potash, the biggest producers in the world, and 23,000 people a month are visiting our food bank. Let us think of that: 23,000 people a month in a population of less than 300,000. It is disturbing. I blame the Liberal government for it. It has not done its job in the last nine years. Now it is panicking with about 12 to 18 months left in the mandate that it has. It is even worse with all the long-term consequences, all of the deficit spending and all of the debt we have. I really also worry about the social programs. We are paying more today on debt than we are for health transfers to each of our provinces and our territories. The federal government will spend over $54 billion servicing the federal debt. That is more than the federal government spends on health care with its transfers. The number is only going to go up. The Prime Minister spends more and more. In saying that, I am disappointed that we are talking about the fall economic plan, as I mentioned, nine months later. It is up to the government to move fast. I was proud tonight to talk about Darren Dutchyshen. I was also proud to represent Saskatoon—Grasswood, which will soon be called “Saskatoon South”, as we will not vote for the disastrous Liberal-NDP government.

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Context: House Hansard - 298 - Apr/11/24

May/9/24 12:01:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions stated that the toxic drug supply was a leading cause of death. We agree with that. As the member noted, though, one of the four pillars is enforcement. How many charges have been laid under the Criminal Code for the trafficking of fentanyl?

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Context: House Hansard - 294 - Mar/22/24

Apr/11/24 2:12:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government just slapped Canadians with a 23% carbon tax increase on April 1. It did this while food banks are servicing a record number of hungry Canadians and farmers are struggling to keep up with crippling taxes. The government needs to pass Bill C-234 in its original form to remove the carbon tax on farmers and help bring down the cost of food for all Canadians. Conservatives have sent a letter to the Prime Minister with three demands to fix the budget. Common-sense Conservatives will not agree to support the budget unless Liberals axe the tax, build homes and cap spending with a dollar-for-dollar rule to bring down interest rates and inflation. The government must find a dollar of savings for every dollar of spending. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

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Spending

Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Mar/22/24 11:01:41 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we honour the life of Saskatoon philanthropist, Les Dubé. Les and his wife Irene have donated millions of dollars in our community for health care, scholarships, education, research, poverty, homelessness and, most importantly, mental health. Les built his success from humble beginnings. He was the founding member of the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority and served on multiple boards and committees. He holds the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and the Order of Canada. In 2013, Les was awarded as the outstanding philanthropist of the year for North America. The Dubés were generous supporters of all four hospital foundations in Saskatoon and established a number of charitable foundations bearing their name. Les is survived by his wife Irene and three children. We thank him.

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Context: House Hansard - 278 - Feb/8/24

Feb/15/24 12:15:43 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-234

Madam Speaker, that was a passionate speech by the member. He spoke in particular about northern Canada, where maybe the resources are not the same as those Canadians enjoy in metro areas. He also brought up the Senate situation. I think we are seeing in the House of Commons these days that we are having issues with the Senate, in particular with Bill C-234, which we have brought back several times here, and the MAID legislation. This is a concern. As the member said, they are not elected. They are appointed. It has caused some strain on families, not only with the MAID legislation but also for the agriculture sectors with Bill C-234. I just wanted to point that out and have the member comment on the issues we are having with the Senate. It looks like we could have these issues for a number of years with the Senate, compared to the House of Commons.

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Context: House Hansard - 275 - Feb/5/24

Feb/8/24 2:01:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government, living has never been more expensive for Canadians. The temperatures in Saskatoon were below -30°C for 10 days straight in January, and now the bills are coming in from that cold spell. It is shocking how much the carbon tax is costing businesses. For one owner, 33% of their bill was carbon tax and GST on the carbon tax. That amounted to $1,127 for one month. For another, 35% of their bill was carbon tax. That amounted to $1,690 in one month. Now the Liberals plan to quadruple the tax with another increase coming on April 1. Common-sense Conservatives would build the homes, fix the budget, stop the crime and, more importantly, axe the tax.

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Context: House Hansard - 260 - Dec/1/23

Feb/5/24 12:25:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in listening to the minister here this morning talk about water advisories, the previous Conservative government left eight and a half years ago, and there are still over 100 water advisories on first nations. In my home province of Saskatchewan, I have seen reserves burn down water treatment plants because the Liberal government has done little or nothing. She can talk about the previous Harper government, but the current government has done very little in the last eight and a half years. I would like her to comment on the situation. The other thing is that there needs to be education provided for people on reserve to operate these water treatment plants, which is part of the problem we have seen with the government over the last eight and a half years.

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Context: House Hansard - 255 - Nov/24/23

Dec/1/23 11:50:37 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, after eight years of this NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are struggling to afford the basics. In fact, Canadians are heading to the food bank in record numbers. This Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost. Kelly in my riding spends $6,300 a year in carbon tax on his farm. Now the Prime Minister wants to quadruple that. Will the Prime Minister simply axe this tax off Kelly's operation to make it more affordable for Canadians to feed their families?

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Context: House Hansard - 255 - Nov/24/23

Nov/24/23 11:36:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member should know that Conservatives were the ones to successfully negotiate the current Canada-Ukraine trade agreement. A common-sense Conservative government would modernize the existing agreement without the expensive Liberal carbon tax. Ukraine does not need this woke agenda. The Prime Minister has added more debt than the previous 22 prime ministers combined. When will he put the chequebook away?

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Nov/24/23 11:35:20 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight long years of the Liberal government, Canadians by the millions are depending today on food banks. However, on Tuesday, the NDP-Liberal government released its mini-budget, adding another $20 billion in inflationary spending. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. When will the government cut the line of credit so that Canadians can afford to heat, eat and keep a roof over their heads?

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Nov/9/23 1:23:38 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-34

Mr. Speaker, this is not about Quebec; this is about everybody in the country. I know he represents Quebec, being a Bloc member, but I will give one example from my province of Saskatchewan. There have been $18 billion invested in the Jansen potash mine. It is the largest investment in the history of Saskatchewan. It is done by BHP Biliton out of Australia. It had the first phase, which is $12 billion, and it just announced another $6 billion. This is the kind of investment we need and can work with from this company from Australia, which will be headquartered eventually in Saskatoon.

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Nov/9/23 1:21:27 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-34

Mr. Speaker, as shadow minister, the member has done a great job looking after Bill C-34. The Conservatives put through several amendments. We had a page filled with amendments, but only had three or four passed. A number of them failed because there was a Bloc and Liberal conspiracy against the Conservatives. With what has happened here recently, as we have seen with the fuel pumps and everything happening in the Maritimes, now we know why the Bloc has partnered with the Liberals on this bill. There is 3% of Canadians who are affected in the Maritimes with the energy and 97% are shut out, but now we see why the Bloc has joined the Liberals in this bill.

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Nov/9/23 1:19:42 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-34

Mr. Speaker, what has been done is that the authority has been taken away from cabinet. It would rely on one minister. That minister could come from Quebec. That minister might come from who knows where in the country. Obviously that one minister might have a bias toward maybe his or her own riding or province. That is one reason we are a little upset with this. It has to go through cabinet. The more eyes that see this, the better. Only having one set of eyes looking at it is a major concern I see in Bill C-34.

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