“The Liberals say global events are driving up diesel prices in Canada. That makes no sense. Last month, Canadians paid 24 cents a litre more than Americans and 31 cents more than the world average.”

“Madam Speaker, we have heard this talking point over and over from the Liberals’ side: There are world factors on the oil prices that are increasing diesel prices in Canada. However, Canada paid roughly 24¢ a litre more for diesel than Americans did last month and paid 31¢ more than the global average last month. If global conflicts are doing this, why are we paying 24¢ more than Americans and 31¢ more than the global average? It does not make any sense.”

“I want the House to pass our plan to cut diesel taxes and build more fuel projects. When you tax the fuel used by farmers and trucks, you make groceries cost more for everyone. The government spent years driving up food prices with fuel taxes, and now too many Canadians need food banks to eat.”

“Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with my hon. colleague from Tobique—Mactaquac. It is a pleasure to share my time with him. He always gives great speeches, so I hope to live up to one of his good speeches as well. It is so interesting that we are talking about this motion. I am going to read out the motion so that all of the viewers around Canada know what we are talking about. It is our Conservative opposition motion that: the House, in the interest of saving Canadians money and fuelling our country at home, call on the government to adopt the Emergency Fuel Relief Plan that: (a) provides for emergency pre-permitting and tax relief for the construction of diesel infrastructure, such as refineries, pipelines, rail and storage; (b) eliminates all taxes on diesel consumption until at least Canada Day; and (c) permanently eliminates taxes on diesel production; and call on the government to set the goal of boosting Canadian diesel production to one million barrels per day, allowing every Canadian business and consumer access to Canadian diesel. I am not sure how everyone in the House could not get behind a motion like this. We know affordability is an issue from coast to coast. I believe there are not any Liberal members of Parliament, or Conservative or Bloc members of Parliament, who do not hear about affordability every day, because I hear about it in my riding in Regina—Lewvan. We all know that if we tax the farmer who plants the food, the truck that delivers the food and the grocery stores that sell the food, we tax the consumer who buys the food. We have said this many times in the House, and the Liberals are slowly dragging their feet to get to where we have been for years and years in trying to save Canadians money. First of all, the previous member, who is a new member, just got up and said they got rid of the consumer carbon tax. We have been talking about that on this side for a decade, and now the Liberals want to take credit for getting rid of the consumer carbon tax. It was their flagship program. Justin Trudeau could not say enough good things about how if we taxed people, the climate would change. How idiotic is it that? Are they kidding me? If people pay more in taxes, we are going to have better weather. Now, each and every one of those Liberals gets up, beats their chest and pretends getting rid of the consumer carbon tax is their idea. It is hogwash. They got dragged, kicking and screaming, and got rid of that consumer carbon tax. It was unpopular, it never worked in the first place and it was taking Canadians’ money out of their pockets each and every day. The Liberals said they were going to rebate it back, and we proved through the PBO that the rebates never covered how much Canadians were paying in the first place, so I will take no lessons from a Liberal saying they scrapped the carbon tax, when we fought for that in this very chamber for 10 years. I remember the former health minister, Mark Holland, in one of his epic rants during question period, talking about a family holiday in a car. He went over the top and said, “let the planet burn.” Mark Holland was very good at being over the top in question period. He thought they needed that carbon tax so badly or the world would burn. Now the member for Winnipeg North jumps up like Skippy and says they got rid of the carbon tax. He voted in favour of the carbon tax dozens and dozens of times and went back to the good people in Winnipeg. I am not a Blue Bombers fan, but there are some good people in Winnipeg. The member said they needed to pay the carbon tax to make sure that the climate gets better, and now, with the flip of a switch, he goes back and says to the good people of Winnipeg he got rid of the carbon tax for them, they never needed it and it was costing them way too much money. How does he go back and flip that fast on a policy that was the flagship for Justin Trudeau and all of his climate crusaders? I remember all of the climate crusaders, and there are still a bunch in the front row, saying we needed this carbon tax. Now we are having the exact same debate on the industrial carbon tax, the GST and all of the taxes on diesel fuel. They want to scrap them. They want to get credit now. We said to scrap the tax on diesel fuel months ago and years ago, and now they want to once again jump up and beat their chests, saying they are going to scrap the tax on diesel fuel until January 2027 like it is a novel idea. They are going to say they are heroes. This is not to mention that they are the ones who put the taxes in in the first place. They want to be heroes. The Liberals are going to go to their ridings and say they are going to scrap this tax until January 2027, and Canadians should thank them. Never mind that they were the ones to put the tax on them in the first place. Never mind that they were the ones who drove up the cost of food and everything farmers need to grow food. That was all them, but now Canadians should think they are heroes because they are going to scrap the tax they implemented in the first place. How hypocritical. They have literally taken good idea after good idea. The housing minister jumps up in question period and says they are going to take the GST off new homes. Where do the Liberals think they got that idea? It was from the Conservative platform in 2025, except that, once again, they have not gone far enough. They did a half measure, just as they are doing with the tax rebate on diesel. They are going halfway again because they just do not have, I would say, the ability to tell Canadians the truth and say they made a mistake. They should have done that with the carbon tax. Instead of beating their chests, they should have told Canadians they were sorry, they got it wrong and the carbon tax is a stupid policy, and apologized for foisting it upon the Canadian population for 10 years. If they had any credibility with their constituents, they would go back to their ridings this Thanksgiving and say they got it wrong and they never should have put taxes on diesel fuel, because it costs Canadians more money to purchase what gets trucked in this country, which is almost everything. The people in northern Saskatchewan should be the maddest at their members of Parliament, because everything in northern Saskatchewan gets trucked there. They truck in food and milk. Why does milk cost so much more in northern Saskatchewan? It is because it gets trucked so far, and the people there are paying the price of the Liberal government’s taxes on diesel fuel each and every day. They know that. I think those members are going to get a bit of a surprise when they go home for Thanksgiving. Speaking about Thanksgiving, the member for Whitby gave an average speech. It was from 2024, I believe. He talked about lowering grocery prices. This is the exact same thing the Minister of Finance, then the minister of industry, committed to in 2024. He said grocery prices were going to drop by 2024. He brought in all of the CEOs of the big grocery companies, made a big to-do, had a wonderful photo op, which is the thing the government can do best, and said he was going to make sure that grocery prices drop. I asked the member for Whitby how much lower grocery prices are now after that photo op, and he never answered the question. He never said a word about grocery prices in Canada being the highest in the G7 again, because the Liberals did not fulfill any of those commitments. The most frustrating thing as I sit here each and every day is listening to outrageous Liberal speeches. They beat their chests and say they will take no lessons from the Conservatives. I am not going to take lessons from a government that put 2.2 million people in the food bank line. They never talk about that. I am not going to take lessons from a Liberal government that says it is going to help parents feed their kids. Why can parents not feed their kids? It is because the Liberals have taxed them to death. That is why they cannot afford groceries. The Liberals taxed the diesel that gets the groceries to the grocery stores. That is why parents cannot feed their kids. The Liberals jump up each and every day, talking about a school food program and a groceries benefit. The Liberal government is proud that it makes 12 million people use food stamps because they do not have good jobs. They cannot afford groceries because of the policies the Liberal government has put in place for the last 10 years. The Liberals should be ashamed that they have to give food stamps to Canadians, not brag about it each and every question period. If that was my record in government, I would be embarrassed to stand up and talk about a program because Canadians cannot afford food under my watch. Those are the policies each and every one of these Liberals put in place, and now they are bragging about Canadians needing to use food stamps to feed their families and kids. On this side, the Conservatives are going to work as hard as we can to save Canadians money and put more money back into their pockets so that they can feed their families and get good-paying jobs. That is what this motion is about. It is about getting diesel production and good jobs back in our country so that families can afford to feed themselves and not have to rely on the government.”

“The Prime Minister is not new. He helped create the bad economic policies of the last government. The Liberals are copying Conservative ideas, but they only do half the job. They should remove the sales tax on all homes, not just new ones. They should also cut the fuel tax for longer to save people more money.”

“Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister is definitely not new, because he was the economic adviser to Justin Trudeau, who started the downfall of the economy in the first place. For the Liberals to say that they are taking good ideas, that would be a novel idea. I would like them to steal more of our ideas. I would like the Liberal government to steal more good Conservative policies and just implement them properly. They always do half measures. The GST rebate is on new houses, but why not on all houses? On the rebate on diesel that they are talking about with Bill C-38, why not do it for longer and save people more money? There is nothing new about the Prime Minister. He is following the terrible policies of Justin Trudeau that he helped implement, and he is making life less affordable for all Canadians each and every day.”

“Rural people in Saskatchewan have to drive long distances to cities, which supports our local economy. I want the government to pass this motion on fuel tax relief to help them.”

“Madam Speaker, I really appreciated my colleague’s speech. One thing we both do is represent Saskatchewan and people who live in rural areas. A lot of people from rural communities drive into the city of Regina, and they support the rural economy that exists in Saskatchewan. Could the member explain to the Liberal government, and particularly the member for Winnipeg North, how important it is to pass this motion to support the rural economy in Saskatchewan?”

“Fuel costs for farmers have doubled this year. That drives up the price of food at the grocery store.”

“Madam Speaker, I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who lives in Regina—Lewvan and has a farm. We talked about fuel costs. He said that he paid $10 an acre for fuel costs last year, and this year he is paying $20 an acre for fuel costs. His fuel bill on his farm this year is going to be $400,000. I would love for a Liberal to try to explain to me how the price of fuel, when it is being doubled for our farmers across the country, does not affect the price of food at the grocery store.”

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“It is not true that Conservatives do not care about feeding hungry kids. Parents and businesses were already running good school food programs before the Liberals stepped in and took over.”

“Madam Speaker, here comes the lie of the left that we do not care. There were many school food programs across Regina and across the country, some brought in by Mosaic and private companies that helped do this. There was Chili for Children in Regina. I could go on and on. The one thing the Liberals have never realized is that there were people doing this good work. There were private companies that stepped up to make sure kids were fed, but the Liberals wanted to come in on their white horses and say, “No, the government can look after kids better.” Parents wanted to feed their own kids, and when that could not happen, there were private companies doing it. The Liberal government took that away, and it should be ashamed.”

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“I want the House to pass our motion to lower fuel costs. High fuel prices make food and heating too expensive for Canadians, especially in Atlantic Canada. Our plan cuts taxes on diesel, speeds up permits for fuel projects, and increases Canadian fuel production.”

“Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the people’s House and share some thoughts on the motion that we brought forward and are asking this House to consider, which is our plan for emergency relief for all Canadians, in particular those who are feeling the effects, Canadians from coast to coast to coast, of the devastating hike in fuel costs and the cost of diesel and all types of fuels. Sometimes what happens is there is a disconnect, which people pick up on from coast to coast, between those in this House and people’s lived reality back home. Their concern is whether anyone here in Ottawa, in the nation’s capital, is really listening to them and what they are going through. I want to tell members how real this is. It is hitting home for Canadians from coast to coast, and it is important that government responds with the urgency the situation demands. First off, here are some relevant statistics for us to consider: 5.6% of Canadian households are considered energy poor, 12% of Atlantic Canadian households, on average, are energy poor, and what New Brunswick is spending on gasoline has increased 85% between the years 2021 and 2023. Can members imagine how much it is going up again right now under current prices? My province of New Brunswick has the largest increase in Canada. Of New Brunswick families, 22% have experienced food insecurity. In Newfoundland and Labrador, it is 23%. In Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, it is 21%. A week’s worth of diesel on a lobster boat or crab vessel can now cost upward of $6,000. That is coming right out of the back pockets of the producers and fish harvesters on our waters. Our current prices are affecting some of the large farms, which are having to spend as much as $5,000 per day in fuel costs alone. There is no way those costs are not going to be transmitted back to every Canadian from coast to coast through the increased cost of food and groceries on the shelf. Why is that? It is because input costs are soaring. Our plan is a practical plan that addresses one of the root causes of the soaring costs and prices, which is the cost of fuel. Diesel fuel affects every Canadian who buys, purchases and receives the goods off our shelves that are trucked or shipped. In Atlantic Canada, everything we get on our shelves, as in most of Canada, has arrived by means of transport. Thankfully, we have great transport drivers and an amazing transportation sector, but their costs are going through the roof. If it comes by ship, those costs are only going up. We have to address this, and we have laid out a concrete plan to do so. What does our plan do? It provides for emergency prepermitting and tax relief for the construction of diesel infrastructure, such as refineries, pipelines, rail and storage. It also eliminates all taxes on diesel consumption until at least Canada Day of next year, 2027. It permanently eliminates taxes on diesel production, and it calls on the government to set the goal of boosting Canadian diesel production to one million barrels per day. These are practical steps that the government can take right away that would provide immediate relief for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. I could not help but be drawn to a story as I was reflecting on and preparing for the remarks I would give today. It is an ancient story of a wise young man who was put in a position of great responsibility. This young man was entrusted with coming up with a plan. How did he get that position for the nation that he was second in command over? It was because the ruler at that time was facing a great dilemma. He was disturbed by some things that he was seeing and sensing, but he did not know the path forward and was seeking wisdom and insight. He brought in all the normal people he would confer and consult with. They would just further diagnose, leave perplexed and really not provide clarity, certainty or practical answers for this ruler’s dilemma. There was a young man named Joseph who had amazing insight into the dilemma they were facing. In fact, he understood and was able to interpret the instinct and feeling the ruler had. What was that? He said that they were in a time of great blessing and great favour, that they were having bountiful crops, that their GDP was tremendous and that they were producing great wealth. He said they needed to, for the next seven years, take a portion of that and set it aside and plan for the future perils they were going to face, because it looked like, from what he was understanding, there would be seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of famine. He said they had to understand and enact the principle of using their years of favour and years of plenty to set aside some wealth so they could combat the years of famine and years of peril. I cannot help but think of a tremendous parallel to where we are today. The country has been blessed with amazing resources and incredible goods under our feet, in our soil, on our lands and in our people, yet we have not properly allocated those resources, properly unleashed and utilized those resources, and planned for the future out of those resources. In fact, we have done the opposite. For 10 or 11 years straight, we talked about dirty oil, dirty gas and keeping it in the ground, and said we were going to burn the planet, we were not going to utilize it, we were going to shut it down and we were getting away from it. Instead of using what could bring us the most wealth and potential and prepare us for the headwinds that we are currently facing, we shut it down, turned it off and spoke ill of it. Now that we are in the time of peril, challenge and uncertainty, we have instant fans of oil and gas on the other side. That is wonderful. I am thankful for the backflip to reality and the inverted suplex of policy. I think it is wonderful that they have seen the light and are now going to say that we need pipelines, that we need to develop oil and gas and that they are champions of energy from coast to coast. It is refreshing and it is wonderful, and I am thrilled and enthralled at the enlightenment that has come, but Canadians also recognize that it is the same government that has had this opportunity since 2015 and chose the exact opposite approach. Instead of storing up in the years of plenty, the Liberals spent the cupboards bare, rammed up debt and increased our deficits at astronomical rates. Now, after the fact, 11 or 12 years later, they are stepping in and saying that we have to do this, but there are still no real shovels in the ground. There are lots of grand proclamations and many great announcements about many projects. In fact, I think that no less than 500 have been announced, but I do not believe there has yet been one approval of the 500 that have been announced. I think Canadians are saying that we need action and need it now and we need relief now. As much as the announcement sounds great, we have to move beyond the announcement and beyond the diagnosis and somehow get to a place of practical solutions and real relief for our people. The lesson that we hear from Joseph and this wonderful story is to use the years of plenty to fight the years of peril. We must plan now for the times when we are going to be under duress, release the potential that is within our own economy and get off the backs of our own people so they can do what they do best, which is work, produce, innovate, grow, dream and develop. We must stop standing in their way and release the pressure that is on their backs. When we do that, we unleash the potential that is Canada. The time for action is now, and the Liberals can take that wonderful first step. They have already inverted themselves beautifully, saying that they are for oil and gas and the development of those resources. Let us take that to the next step and provide real tax relief on the fuels that Canadians consume by supporting our motion.”

“The government hurts Canadians by keeping taxes high and spending too much. Between 2015 and 2024, more than $1 trillion in investment left Canada. We need to lower taxes and bring investment back so we can create good-paying jobs.”

“Madam Speaker, I will say this. It is interesting that in the estimation of the government, there are no new programs, no new taxes and no new levels of spending that will ever harm a Canadian or their future. Instead of lightening the load and the burden on Canadians, the government has created a further load on the backs of Canadians by keeping taxes high and continuously spending without ever doing things to attract capital investment into our country and produce real jobs and real wealth. In fact, according to RBC, the Royal Bank of Canada, between 2015 and 2024, more than $1 trillion in net capital investment fled this country for other jurisdictions. That was terrible policy, overspending and a lack of really addressing the real problem of attracting real dollars into our economy to produce good-paying jobs. That is what we need to do.”

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“More people in Saskatoon need to use the food bank now than in 2015. A record 26,000 people go each month. I blame the Liberal government's policies for this.”

“Madam Speaker, it is good to have you in the chair here this afternoon. To my hon. member from New Brunswick, it is interesting because the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre set a record in August:26,000 people went through its doors. Let us think about this. I come from Saskatchewan where we feed the world. Twenty-six thousand people in a city of 310,000 have gone to the food bank each and every month, starting in August. I believe it was the policies set by the Liberal government in 2015 that caused the increase of, let us say, 16,000. From when I started being an MP in 2015, we have had over 10,000 more people going to the food bank, thanks to this Liberal policy.”

“Government programs make people too dependent on the state. The best social program is a good job. Right now, bad policies are pushing up to 42% of our manufacturers to consider moving their money to other countries. The government needs to focus on creating jobs and making Canada a good place to invest.”

“Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague was absolutely right about what he said the government has done. The Liberals say they are helping people by continuing these grand programs and growing the level of dependency upon an ever-expanding government. We on this side of the House believe that the best program in the world and the best social program in the world is a job, a job that can help pay the bills, put food on tables and give people a good paycheque. It is time we get back to that philosophy and say what can we do as a government for the people of Canada, and create an atmosphere where the rest of the world wants to come and put their capital, rather than the current approach which has driven up to 42% of Canadian manufacturers to consider taking their wealth elsewhere and invest it in our neighbouring jurisdiction rather than here. We can blame everyone else, but the bottom line is that this problem has grown right here at home. We need to address those problems here at home and start fixing the house from within.”

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“The government keeps making announcements instead of getting results. It tells Canadians to wait for future promises while people are struggling right now.”

“Madam Speaker, I will say once again that we have had more announcements. We have had proclamations. We are talking about purchasing government bonds, doing some of this. It is out somewhere into the future, on something that we hope will come someday. Do not worry. Just hang on, Canadians. We need to bide our time because no matter how despairing the situation is, the government is going to rush in with an immediate fresh announcement of an announcement that it may—”

“I want the House to pass our motion to remove taxes on diesel. High fuel costs are hurting small businesses. The government's bills give the Prime Minister too much control over which projects get built instead of fixing the rules for everyone. The government needs to cut taxes and work with Conservatives to help our economy.”

“Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise at the end of this incredible debate that has been going on in the people’s House of democracy: the House of Commons. The government has, before this House, Bill C-39. About a year ago, we voted on Bill C-5. A year ago, we were promised and we were told by the Prime Minister that the bill before this House would be instrumental in breaking down barriers, would lead to new investment and would unleash the Canadian economy like we had never seen before. One year later, we are not that much further ahead. Canadians, frankly, expected more announcements, bigger announcements and more things through the Major Projects Office, which was established in that legislation. My big worry, and the point I would like to raise today in my limited time, is that what we are seeing with the government is a policy of workarounds and build-arounds. For 10 years under Justin Trudeau, it was wrong for Liberals to speak about building energy infrastructure. They were chastised for it. They were not allowed to speak about Canada’s benefits. The former member for North Vancouver, Jonathan Wilkinson, said there was no business case for building energy projects in Canada. Justin Trudeau, in some of his last acts as Prime Minister, said to Europe that there was no business case for us to sell our oil and gas, our resources, in a responsible way to our European allies. I am very happy today that the Prime Minister has changed his tone and has started to do some positive things for Canada by acknowledging that we have to use our resources for the betterment of Canada and for what this country can be. That is positive. However, unfortunately, despite the workarounds and the build-arounds that he is putting in place, because of the political pressure of the extremist left in the Liberal Party, we are not seeing the real transformations we need to see from a regulatory perspective in Canada to unleash the entirety of Canada’s economy. Why do I mention this? Under Bill C-39 and Bill C-5, so much of the power rests with the governor in council, the Prime Minister’s Office. It is not in the hands of small businesses. It is not in the hands of investors. It is in the hands of the Prime Minister. I do not want to create a command economy. That is not a long-term solution to the challenges Canada is facing today. The only way for Canada to succeed long term is to complete the erasure of Justin Trudeau’s march to socialism and give Canadian businesses the certainty they need and the assurances they need. The framework for doing business in Canada is not one path over here, one through the Major Projects Office and one through a cabinet minister’s office. We need one way for any project to move forward, not the chosen projects of the Government of Canada. That is not a safe approach and that is not a sustainable approach. Today, the Conservatives have put forward a motion asking for taxes on diesel to be removed. One of my best friends, Anthony Geertsma, called me the other day. Anthony is one of the smartest guys I know. He can fix literally anything and he makes a living doing just that. However, he said, as a business owner, his costs are skyrocketing because he is driving between Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack every single day, and diesel prices have more than doubled. He can remember when he was paying half of what he is paying today just to do business. That is not sustainable. The Conservatives are putting forward this motion because we need to get back to basics. We need to empower our small business owners who already are in Canada with tax changes that would allow them to flourish. This is one small step that is part of a bigger project for energy independence and for broad-based reform that would help our small business owners. These are changes that Canadians want to see and that will trickle down to grocery stores. To conclude my remarks today, we cannot simply rely on big projects, workarounds and build-arounds. We need to focus on structural reforms that complete the erasure of Justin Trudeau’s socialist policies, which put our country so far back. We have to be responsible, and we have to work together. Conservatives are asking the Liberals to put aside their partisanship and to work with us for the betterment of our country. We have to stand up for Canada. They are not doing enough to stand up for Canada. Here, on this side, we are going to stand up for Canada. We are going to stand up for Canada, because we cannot entrust the well-being of Canada’s economy to one man. Again, we ask the Liberals to please work with Conservatives. Stand up for Canada. If they believe their words about being at economic war with the United States and the need for energy independence, please work with us. Protect our sovereignty. Their approach is not doing that. They should listen to the ideas from this side of the House. We have good ideas, and they are going to make measurable changes in the lives of Canadians. Please, put aside partisanship. Stop the internal battles between the blue Liberals and the red Liberals, and just stand for Canada with the Conservative Party of Canada.”