“I want answers and accountability from the government. Young Canadians work hard and do everything right, but high costs, expensive homes, and a lack of good jobs keep them from getting ahead. Government benefits and child care programs are not fixing this. Wealthy people are doing fine, but regular workers are falling behind.”

“Mr. Speaker, good morning. It is 12:21 a.m., and I rise to get answers and accountability from the Liberal government on behalf of the hard-working people of York—South Simcoe. Recently during question period, I referenced a letter written by one of my constituents, Margaret Haddon. In her letter, Margaret expressed concerns about the future facing young Canadians. She wrote to say that she raised her children to believe that if they worked hard, stayed focused and pursued an education, they would be able to build stable and independent lives. This is the promise many of us believed in when we raised our families here. She continued on to say that today she is watching that promise slip further out of reach for them. Her children are now young adults who are working, studying and trying to build their futures. They are not asking for handouts. They are doing exactly what society expects of them, yet despite doing everything right, they are facing barriers that her generation never imagined. She goes on to highlight many of these barriers brought on after 11 years of the Liberal government: high inflation, the rising cost of living, unattainable housing prices, and few good-paying jobs for domestic Canadians. When I raised the contents of this letter, I was very disappointed when the parliamentary secretary, on behalf of the Prime Minister, referenced the national child care program. According to Statistics Canada, more than half of Ontario families using child care, 52%, report difficulty finding it, which is up from 40% in 2022, the year Ontario signed on. The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario projects that families of more than 220,000 children will be left without a space. He referenced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which pays a measly $56 a month to a single adult, and only if that adult earns less than $60,000 a year. People must always read the fine print. Margaret said in her letter that Canadians are not asking for handouts, but that is all the government can offer, despite the fact that many of these programs and handouts do not even move the needle for most families. Sadly, under the Prime Minister, we now live in a K-shaped economy, where Liberal insiders, the wealthy, the bankers and the bondholders climb higher while working Canadians fall further behind. It is truly unacceptable. Conservatives are fighting every day for Canadians such as Margaret and her children and for everyone from coast to coast to coast who feels that the formula that worked here for over 150 years is now broken. Canadians are tired of empty Liberal promises. They want the made-in-Canada formula for prosperity to work once more. They should be able to work hard, invest and save, and to work towards goals and dreams for the future. They should not have to resort to government programs, food banks and extreme cost cutting just to get by.”

“The Liberals voted against admitting there is an affordability crisis in Canada, and they will not answer my questions about it. Their programs are not working. In my community, store shelves are empty. Canadians lost 68,000 jobs, and more people cannot pay their debts. Prices will keep rising because the government keeps spending and borrowing money.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government literally just voted against our motion to recognize that there is an affordability crisis in Canada. I asked six Liberal members of Parliament across the way if there is an affordability crisis in Canada. Do members know what happened? It is the thing that frustrates Canadians every time. There was a mumbo-jumbo word salad, and they would not answer the question. None of these programs are working. If they were so great and worked the way the Liberals say they do, the shelves would not be empty in my community of Bradford right now. Canadians would not have lost 68,000 jobs, and insolvency rates would not be up to numbers that we have not seen before. Canada is continuing to be uncompetitive, and inflation will keep rising as the government keeps spending and keeps borrowing money.”