Pierre Poilievre

“The Prime Minister failed to build more homes, and homebuilding has dropped. A new report says most Canadians who do not own a home think they never will, and two-thirds have skipped other bills to pay for housing. I want the Prime Minister to use my plan to build homes instead of adding more bureaucracy.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised that he would double homebuilding, but once again, it was all talk and no results. In fact, homebuilding is down, and today, Habitat for Humanity International published a report showing that 56% of Canadians who do not own homes believe they never will. That is the highest number out of 22 surveyed countries. Also, two-thirds of Canadians have skipped other payments so that they can pay for their housing. Canadians are paying for this costly Prime Minister. When will he adopt our plan to build homes and not bureaucracy?”

“A major Canadian project is buying its steel from China instead of Canada, right after hundreds of Hamilton steelworkers were laid off. The Prime Minister is letting cheap Chinese steel take jobs from Canadian workers. I want this project to be built with Canadian steel.”

“Mr. Speaker, the principal supplier of steel for the project will, again, be China. That is something we found out the very week the legendary company Stelco announced it was going to be laying off 350 people and idling its plant in Hamilton. The Prime Minister puts Canadian steelworkers out of a job and grants a permit for Beijing to dump its artificially subsidized steel on Canadian soil. Why can we not build Canadian with Canadian steel?”

“The Prime Minister is allowing a new gas project to use steel from China instead of steel from Canadian workers. I want him to explain why he is sending these jobs out of the country.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister loves to take credit for projects that were approved before he ever became Prime Minister. Soon enough, he is going to be announcing that he is granting a permit for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Speaking of those projects, not only has he failed to buy Canadian; he now cannot build Canadian. Just after the announcement that, after a 10-year delay, LNG phase two is going ahead, we now learn that the steel will not come from the out-of-work Hamilton steelworkers. It will come from China. Why is the Prime Minister sending our steel jobs to Beijing?”

“The Prime Minister promised to buy Canadian goods, but he broke that promise. Spending on American companies went up by 50 percent to 7.8 billion dollars. Why is he sending more Canadian tax dollars to the United States?”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made a big show of promising to buy and build Canadian, but it was all talk and no results. Today, an analysis by the Toronto Star demonstrated that he increased the amount destined for American companies to $7.8 billion. The share of the money for government contracts that goes to the U.S. is up 50%. Why did the Prime Minister put on a big show of theatrics with elbows up, break his promise and force Canadian workers to send more of their tax dollars south?”

“The Prime Minister promised to buy Canadian goods, but government spending on American companies went up 50% to $7.8 billion. Why did he break his promise while Canadian workers are losing their jobs?”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made a big show about promising to buy and build Canadian, yet an analysis by the Toronto Star demonstrated that since he made that promise, government purchases from American companies have increased and the share of money destined for American companies has increased by 50% to $7.8 billion. Why does the Prime Minister say one thing, do the opposite and force workers who lost their jobs to send their cheques to the United States?”

“Housing is too expensive and fewer homes are being built. I want the Prime Minister to tell struggling Canadians to their faces that life has never been more affordable.”

“Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister does not want to answer to Robin or Markita, maybe he will answer to Mike, who is working as a small businessman and a firefighter, on top of his wife’s job. They had to pay $879,000 for a home. They wrote to say they are barely keeping their heads above water as homebuilding declines and housing costs become more out of reach for Canadians. Will the Prime Minister look Mike in the eye and make his ridiculous claim that affordability has never been better in the last decade?”

“I oppose this school food program. It pays for government bureaucracy instead of feeding kids. Since it started, twice as many children have to use food banks.”

“Mr. Speaker, another program that feeds bureaucracy rather than feeding kids. That is why the number of kids relying on food banks has doubled since that program came into place— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”

“The government's spending and promises have not made life affordable for struggling Canadians. I want the Prime Minister to stand up and tell these people that life is more affordable now than it was ten years ago.”

“Mr. Speaker, when Conservatives hear stories of suffering Canadians, we stand up, and the Prime Minister sits down. He cannot answer to Markita, who cannot pay her bills a year and a half after he promised to make life affordable, but maybe he can answer to Robin. She measures affordability by whether she can afford the three-dollar snack that her children ask for, or whether she has to tell them that this week is rent week. All the spending and promises and programs in the world have not helped her. Will the Prime Minister stand up now, look her in the eye and tell her that affordability is the best it has been in a decade?”

“The Prime Minister says life is more affordable now than it has been in ten years. But a woman with cancer told me she must stop her treatments and work because she cannot afford rent and food. Will the Prime Minister tell her that life is affordable?”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told the House on March 25 of this year that “Affordability is the best it has been in over a decade.” Markita might disagree. She wrote me a letter recently saying that she is on chemotherapy, but she is going to have to stop her cancer treatments so that she can go back to work because she cannot afford to pay her bills. She cannot afford her rent and her groceries. Will the Prime Minister look into the camera now and tell Markita that affordability is the best it has been for her in over a decade?”

“The Prime Minister is not used to tough questions. He rarely shows up to Parliament.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is not used to taking tough questions. He barely shows up to Parliament. When he is around the world— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”

“The Prime Minister's fuel taxes make diesel too expensive for farmers. He said his clean fuel rules would cost nothing, but his own department says they will add up to 17 cents a litre. Who should farmers believe?”

“Mr. Speaker, I am sure if he were a farmer, he would be out standing in his field, scratching his head about why he is forced to pay $5,000 a day for diesel costs, diesel costs that are made worse by the Prime Minister’s additional taxes. Earlier this week, he said that the clean fuel standard would cost nothing. I quoted documents from his own department showing that it will rise to as much as 17¢ a litre. Should the farmers who are actually out in the field believe the Prime Minister, or should they believe his own department documents, which show that his tax will cost them more?”

• Personal attack
  ?

  Opposition question in Question Period

  Respect 52 of 100

  This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “I am sure if he were a farmer, he would be out standing in his field”.

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“The Prime Minister said the clean fuel standard adds no cost at the pump. But his own department says it adds seven cents a litre this year and will rise to 17 cents. Why did he mislead the House about this?”

“Mr. Speaker, the other day, the Prime Minister said that his fuel standard tax added zero cost at the pump. Today he claimed that there were no federal taxes. Again, this is the Liberal tradition of telling Canadians that Liberal taxes will make them richer. I have here a study from his own environment department that has the impact of the clean fuel standard on gasoline and diesel prices. It shows that this year it is seven cents, and next year it will be eight cents, then 10¢, then 13¢ and then 17¢ a litre. Why did the Prime Minister mislead the House? Was it to cover up the cost of his tax or because he did not do his homework?”

“The Prime Minister is taking credit for old projects. I want him to adopt our diesel plan instead. It would cut all diesel taxes until July 1, 2027, and make it faster and cheaper to build diesel refineries and transport. This will lower prices and protect Canada from Donald Trump's threats.”

“Again, he is talking about projects that were approved long before he got here, Mr. Speaker. To protect us from President Trump’s threats, make Canada affordable and independent and save money, the Conservatives are calling for a diesel price relief plan that involves eliminating all diesel taxes until July 1, 2027, and having emergency pre-permitting and tax relief to accelerate investment in diesel refining and transportation. Will the Prime Minister take our plan to lower prices and make Canada more independent?”

“We should not have to rely on the United States for our own diesel. I want the government to adopt our plan to lower prices. We want to cut all diesel taxes until at least Canada Day. We also want to speed up permits and give tax relief to build diesel refineries and transport.”

“Mr. Speaker, he is literally bragging about promises that he has made and broken. Now the U.S. President is blustering ridiculously about a diesel export plan. Even if that bluster is meaningless, we should not have to rely on the Americans to give us diesel that comes out of our own ground. That is why Conservatives are acting today. We are calling for an emergency diesel price relief plan to, one, eliminate all diesel taxes until at least Canada Day and, two, have emergency pre-permitting and tax relief for the construction of diesel transportation and refining. Will he take up our plan to lower prices for Canadians?”