“Families are struggling to afford everyday things, and higher interest rates are driving up mortgage costs. Canadian families have to live within their means. The Prime Minister should stop running big deficits and do the same.”

“Mr. Speaker, what could a six-year-old boy’s birthday teach us about the struggles facing Canadian families? This weekend, we took our grandson to Canadian Tire to buy his birthday present. I saw his little eyes light up as he picked out his hockey stick, helmet and gloves. He could hardly wait to get home. There we were, out on the street, Grandma in goal and David’s little legs racing after the ball, shouting “goal” every time he got one past me. It was such a simple and wonderful afternoon. Later, around the dinner table, the conversation changed. My daughter talked about how even these little extras were becoming difficult to afford. My son-in-law, a schoolteacher, told us that his total mortgage cost had just increased by $6,000 following last week’s interest rate hike. How many young families are having these same conversations around the dinner table? They are making difficult choices to live within their means, while the Prime Minister continues running massive deficits, with inflation eating away at their paycheques. Why must Canadians live within their means when the government refuses to do the same?”