Rhonda Kirkland

“Canada is the only G7 country in a recession, even though other countries face the same global problems. I want the government to explain why Canada is the only one in a recession.”

“Mr. Speaker, Canadians are seeing through the illusions. The Liberals keep rolling out more programs and calling them progress. If we need more government supports just to get by, that is not success. It is an admission of failure. All of the G7 countries face the same global pressures, yet only one has managed to turn these shared challenges into a recession at home. That is our Canada under the Liberal Prime Minister. Since the same global pressures are affecting everyone, why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession, while others have managed to avoid it?”

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  “Why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession?”

  Said 16 times by 13 members since May 29.

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“Canadians cannot afford groceries and rent, and auto workers are losing their jobs. I want the Prime Minister to admit that his policies caused this recession.”

“Mr. Speaker, the only thing growing faster than Canadians’ grocery bills is the gap between Liberal talking points and reality. The president and CEO of United Way warns, “This is not a crisis on the horizon. It is happening now”. In Oshawa, that is a single parent or a senior choosing between groceries and rent, or an auto worker who has lost their job and is still waiting on the U.S. trade deal the Prime Minister promised but has failed to deliver. Why does the Prime Minister refuse to accept the facts? His policies are driving the G20’s only recession, and Canadians are the ones paying the price.”

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  “Ordinary Canadians are paying the price.”

  Said 8 times by 8 members since May 7.

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“The Liberals want to let judges ignore mandatory minimum prison sentences for serious crimes like human trafficking and sexual assault with a gun. If judges can ignore these rules, they are not mandatory. I want the member to explain what she thinks the word 'mandatory' means.”

“Mr. Speaker, I appreciated this speech and all the things the member said about violence against women. Woman to woman, I have to understand here a couple of things about the word “mandatory”. The Liberals are trying to allow judges to ignore mandatory sentences for aggravated sexual assault with a gun, where victims are primarily women; human trafficking, where victims are primarily women; and multiple firearms offences. As an educator, I have to look up the word “mandatory”, which says very clearly that it is required or commanded by a law, rule or authority. If judges are allowed to ignore so-called mandatory sentences, and this bill claims it is strengthening mandatory minimum sentences, can the member maybe describe for me what she thinks the word “mandatory” means?”

“People are struggling to afford food, and the government's grocery benefit only gives some people about a dollar a week. Conservatives did not vote against this help. The government's many programs show that its policies have failed.”

“Mr. Speaker, I find it rather appalling the way the member stands up here and talks about how everything is so wonderful. I will ask him what I asked earlier this morning. Is he talking to folks in his riding? People are struggling. We Conservatives are fighting for those people, and we are talking to them every day. I spoke with one of my constituents, who talked about the groceries and essentials benefit. I should correct the record because the Liberals keep saying that we voted against it, which is patently untrue. Since that is not the case, I did ask how the groceries and essentials benefit was helping her. My constituent said that it is giving her $1.31 per week, which might help her buy another package of ramen noodles. I wonder if the member would recognize that having all of these programs is really just a recognition of the government’s failure.”

“Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. I want the government to admit that our economy is in a recession.”

“Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that the first step to fixing a problem is admitting that there is one. Liberals think the word “recession” is like the word “Beetlejuice”. If they do not say it, then it does not exist, but ignoring reality does not change reality. The Liberal government has spent months telling Canadians it has the fastest-growing economy in the G7. The reality is that we are the only country in the G20 in a recession. Will the government finally answer if Canada is in a recession, or is it just a technical one?”

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  “The first step to fixing a problem is acknowledging that there is one.”

  Said 4 times by 3 members since June 4.

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“I want to honour David Burns, who died this week. He was an important community leader in Oshawa and worked on Conservative campaigns there for many years.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart today to pay tribute to one of Oshawa’s most devoted and generous community leaders, David Burns, who passed away this past Wednesday. Dave was the cherished husband of Christine for 62 years, a loving father and proud grandfather. Born in Halifax, he moved to Ontario to start a life grounded in faith, family and later politics. While his family will miss him terribly, he also leaves a deep void in Oshawa’s tightly woven Conservative family. He was a long-time federal PC supporter who would become one of Oshawa’s original Reformers, and in 2004, he became a founding member and director of the Oshawa Conservative Association, which he served continuously until just last year. From the nineties through to my own campaign last year, Dave was on the front lines of nearly every single Oshawa election. Known for his dry humour and quick wit, he was a passionate man who stood unapologetically for his principles. That is the man our team and I will miss and remember. I thank Dave for his unwavering service, humour and generosity. May God bless Christine and the entire Burns family.”

“The minister said this bill has guardrails for government loans, payments, and grants. I want him to list those guardrails.”

“Madam Speaker, I am starting to understand why the Premier of Quebec called the minister a disgrace to all Quebeckers. A day after he was made the Minister of Culture, he said he was fed up with language debate. It is clear the minister is fed up with all debate, based on his answers in this session this afternoon. The member for Red Deer asked a question about guardrails. He asked if there are “guardrails in this bill in regard to making loans, advance payments, government guarantees, loan and credit insurance and grants”. The minister said yes. Therefore, I would ask him to please list those guardrails.”

“Fiesta Week is happening in Oshawa from June 21 to 27. It celebrates cultures from around the world with food, music, and displays. I encourage everyone to attend.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of Oshawa’s most cherished annual traditions, Fiesta Week. For 52 years, Fiesta Week has brought our community together through cultural performances, traditional foods, costumes and displays from around the world. This year, residents and visitors will once again experience long-standing Greek, Caribbean, French Canadian, Polish, German, Ukrainian, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian pavilions. We are also proud to welcome the new Indian pavilion and welcome back the Hungarian pavilion. Volunteers work all year long preparing for this week-long celebration. I encourage everyone to join us in Oshawa from June 21 to 27 to experience 14 incredible cultural pavilions in our city. The doors are open, and people do not want to miss it. Follow along with Oshawa Fiesta Week on Facebook. Happy Fiesta Week, Oshawa.”

In response to a question from Martin Champoux

“It is good to spend money to train people in the skilled trades, but they also need jobs once they finish training. Workers in my riding are worried there will not be enough jobs for them, and I want the member to address this.”

“Mr. Speaker, we are all up here and have lots of questions for this member, so I am grateful that you called on me. Last Friday, I spent some time with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Oshawa, and we talked about money for the trades. I can appreciate that they are giving the Liberals some props for putting money towards that, but they have a real concern, and I have one too: What about jobs? We are going to spend all this money on trades. It is great to invest in trades, but these folks need jobs when they are trained, and right now the electrical workers and folks in my riding are very concerned about that. I wonder if the member could comment on that.”

“Canadians are struggling with high prices for gas, food, and rent. The government should remove all federal fuel taxes for the whole year to lower costs.”

“Mr. Speaker, once again, Canadians are not asking for excuses or these so-called half measures that the Liberals mention. They deserve relief. Every time my neighbours in Oshawa fill up their tank, buy groceries or pay rent, they feel the impact of Liberal inflation. The Conservatives have a real plan to put money back into Canadians’ pockets by removing all federal fuel taxes for all the year to bring the costs down immediately at the pump and across the entire economy. Will the Prime Minister finally adopt this common-sense plan and give Canadians a break?”

“Liberal taxes and debt are driving up the cost of living. Gas prices jumped by almost 29 cents a litre in April. Does the Prime Minister think Canadians can afford these rising costs?”

“Mr. Speaker, under this Prime Minister, we have the same old, same old, costly Liberals: more taxes, more debt, more on the national credit card and nothing to show for the waste. In April, gas prices exploded by 28.6¢ per litre, the largest monthly increase on record, hammering Canadians every time they fill up, and driving up the cost of everything. Now, the Liberal finance minister has even signalled that the Liberals think they have done enough. Does the Prime Minister actually believe Canadians can afford this level of Liberal inflation?”

“Auto workers in Oshawa have waited over a year for the government to help them, but the Prime Minister broke his promises. The finance minister is not answering our questions. Three hours is not enough time to debate this bill.”

“Mr. Speaker, I find it remarkable to listen to the finance minister talk about how Canadians demand action, when auto workers in Oshawa have been asking for action from the government for well over a year. They believed the Prime Minister during the election campaign, when he said he was the guy to get a deal. They believed him when he said he would go to Washington and get a deal by July 21 last year. Why should they believe that the government wants action now? Is the minister listening to the Bloc, Conservative and Green members when they talk about the affront to democracy this is? Is he listening to the questions? He says he is answering them, but, frankly, he is not. The question that was posed to him several times is whether three hours is enough. That is just over three minutes per section. Is that enough time to be held accountable?”

“I care about this bill because women are most often the victims of sexual assault. But this bill takes away victims' choice in how their cases are handled. Also, the other three parties agreed on changes to this bill, but the Liberals rejected them. I want to know why.”

“Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the words coming from the parliamentary secretary, and I can agree with some of them. As a woman, I know that women are more predominantly the victims of sexual misconduct and sexual assault, so this bill means something to me. However, for women and all victims and survivors of sexual assault, the thing that is taken from them is choice at that time. I would suggest that this bill would also remove choice for those folks who want choice in how justice is continued for their case. In addition, she said that this was non-partisan. It is my understanding that the Conservatives, the NDP and the Bloc put forward amendments that were passed and that the Liberals have rejected. I would like to understand that as well.”