John Barlow

“High fertilizer costs are hurting farmers, and Canada is the only G7 country with a tariff on imported fertilizer. I want the minister to tell us how much money the government has collected from this 35 percent tariff.”

“Mr. Speaker, the president of Grain Farmers of Ontario warned that we cannot have affordable food if farmers cannot afford to farm. Fertilizer prices are crippling, and suppliers are now telling farmers they may not even have enough supply for next season. Canada is the only G7 country that has a tariff on fertilizer imports. Can the minister tell me exactly how much the Liberal government has collected from the 35% tariff and how much it has robbed from the pockets of Canadian farmers?”

“A man in my riding was charged with having over 500,000 pieces of child abuse material, but he was released on bail. People in my community do not feel safe. When will the government fix the bail system and keep people accused of serious crimes in jail?”

“Mr. Speaker, Foothills families are shaken. A local man was charged with more than 500,000 pieces of child exploitation material, and he was released. Ten-year-old Grace asked me why this man was not in jail. She does not feel safe playing outside with her friends, and that is not right. Okotoks families want to know why a man charged with such a heinous crime was released into the community. Conservatives offered a solution, jail not bail for serious offences, but the Liberals rejected it. When will the Liberals fix the bail system they broke so Okotoks families can feel safe again?”

“We need more time to debate this budget bill. It harms Canadian food production and makes groceries more expensive, especially by closing research farms and ignoring food transport in trade deals.”

“Madam Speaker, it is great to see you back in the chair today. It is a sight for sore eyes. In my colleague’s comments, he was talking about trade, not just north and south but east and west, even though our trading partner to the south of us is the most important trading partner for our economy, and the Liberals are turning their backs on it. Regarding the east-west comment, the member knows that food transportation was exempt from the Liberals Canadian free trade agreement. We are talking about food affordability and food production and the importance of that issue. We have not had an opportunity to even talk about that and why it is exempt from their Canadian free trade agreement, when they are closing down seven critical research centres and experimental farms, which again will impact food affordability and food production here in Canada. The Prime Minister himself spoke of food sovereignty and how a country that is unable to feed itself has few options. Well, we have hardly been able to scratch the surface of the impact that the decisions in this budget bill would have on food production and food affordability in Canada. Would the member not agree that food affordability is a top priority for all Canadians, and worth some time to discuss?”

“The head of Farm Credit Canada spent over $213,000 on travel and $53,000 on hospitality last year, including one meal that cost over $6,500. I want the minister to answer for how much more of this spending he will approve.”

“Mr. Speaker, well, that is no answer from the minister. We have 30 more of those. I sure hope they upped their game with the answers. The CEO of Farm Credit Canada last year, Justine Hendricks, spent more than $213,000 just on travel. She spent another $53,000 on hospitality, including one meal for more than $6,500. This is more than a third of what a family of four spends on groceries for an entire year. Can the minister tell me how much more out-of-control spending he is going to approve this year?”

“The head of Cenovus said building a new oil pipeline is impossible to fund. Liberal policies and the carbon tax make big projects like this impossible to invest in and have caused a recession. Why does the Prime Minister still support them?”

“Mr. Speaker, it is clear they are not taking any lessons from the business leaders in this industry. The CEO of Cenovus was crystal clear that building a new pipeline and expanding oil production to fill it is “unfinanceable”. That means the Liberals’ anti-energy policies and carbon tax make investing in nation-building projects impossible, but the Liberals supporting these anti-energy policies should not be a surprise. When he was Trudeau’s fiscal adviser, the Prime Minister endorsed those policies and implemented the carbon tax. Why does the Prime Minister still support these policies that have plunged Canada into a recession?”

“Canada is in a recession. Business leaders say the government's carbon tax and regulations make it impossible to invest in new energy projects. The Prime Minister broke his promise to build things. I want him to admit his plan is to shut down Canada's energy sector with taxes and rules.”

“Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G20 country in a recession, and the business leaders who actually create the jobs and attract the investment are raising the alarm. The CEO of one of Canada’s largest energy companies said the Liberals’ industrial carbon tax and antidevelopment laws make investing in new projects “unfinanceable”. That is interesting, because a year ago the Prime Minister promised Canadians we would “build, baby, build”, but “build, baby, build” is now another Liberal broken promise. Will the Prime Minister just admit that his vision for Canada’s energy sector is to tax it, regulate it and eventually kill it?”

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  “Canada is the only G20 country in a recession.”

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“Canada is the only G7 country in a recession, and over 100,000 Canadians have lost their jobs recently. I blame the government's high taxes and bad economic policies. I want the Prime Minister to hold an emergency debate on this crisis.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he had a plan, but he did not say his plan was to plunge Canada into a recession. Every G7 country is facing global instability, economic headwinds and tariffs, but Canada stands alone as the only G7 country in a recession. Canada stands alone as the only G7 country whose economy has contracted in three of the last four quarters. Canada stands alone in a recession because of Liberal policies that have stalled our economic engines, like natural resources, agriculture and manufacturing. There are consequences, as more than 100,000 Canadians have lost their jobs over just the last few months. Canadians have already suffered through the lost Liberal decade. They do not need any more economic mismanagement, deficit spending and high taxes. Canadians want answers, not photo ops. That is why Conservatives are asking the Prime Minister to hold an emergency debate on this economic crisis, which his government has caused.”

• Echo ×104

  A repeated line

  “Canada is the only G20 country in a recession.”

  Said 104 times by 61 members since May 29.

  Every time it was said →

“I want to honour the life of Don Seaman. He helped build Alberta's energy industry, funded local charities, and helped create the baseball stadium and youth program in Okotoks.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the remarkable life of the iconic Albertan Don Seaman. His influence in Alberta and all of Canada will be felt for generations, especially by his friends and family and by the business leaders he mentored. A visionary pioneer of Alberta’s energy sector, Don helped build Canada’s economy, but his impact will reach far beyond business. In the true spirit of “build it and they will come”, Don helped build a field of dreams in Okotoks, where Seaman Stadium is the crown jewel of Canadian baseball. He literally placed the building blocks not only of a stadium but also of the renowned Okotoks Dawgs Baseball program, which stands as a proud symbol of his commitment to youth, sport and country. Through the Donald and Eleanor Seaman Family Foundation, he supported education, health care and community development, and he improved countless lives. Now as we celebrate Don’s beloved Dawgs’ 20th baseball season in Okotoks, I will remember him sitting in the warm summer sun watching baseball, savouring a life well lived with thousands of friends in what we now call our field of dreams.”

“Liberal policies are making groceries too expensive. Two million Canadians now use food banks every month. I want my colleague to talk about how these policies caused this problem.”

“Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that our Liberal colleague does not believe that Canadians are going without and having to skip meals. We know that the facts tell a very different story. There was the Great Depression, World War I, World War II and the global recession, and never had a Canadian government had to borrow money to help Canadians buy groceries, but that has happened twice in the last three years as a result of Liberal policy that is driving Canadians to food banks. I would like to ask my colleague, after his excellent speech, about the impact Liberal policies are having on food inflation and grocery prices that are resulting in two million Canadians lining up at a food bank every single month.”

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  This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “our Liberal colleague does not believe that Canadians are going without and having to skip meals”.

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“The government is rushing to sign a trade deal with countries that have lower food safety and environmental rules. This will hurt Canadian meat farmers. Why is the government putting our farmers and food at risk?”

“Mr. Speaker, Canadian farmers expect the government to defend them at the negotiation table, not leave them behind, yet the Liberals constantly fail farmers in trade disputes. Canadian beef and pork exports to Europe and the United Kingdom dropped to zero last year, yet the Liberals are rushing into a Mercosur agreement despite the risk to Canadian cattle, pork and poultry. Mercosur countries do not meet our standards on animal health, food safety or the environment. Why are the Liberals rushing in to sign an agreement that puts our food security, our food safety and Canadian farmers at risk?”