Bringing Lethbridge’s Voice Back to Ottawa

This summer, I hosted my 10th annual Whoop-Up Days pancake breakfast. Beyond the festivities, what makes this tradition invaluable to me is the chance to connect directly with the people of Lethbridge. Every conversation offers a clear snapshot of what matters most to our community—insights I am determined to bring with me when Parliament reconvenes on September 21. 

As I return to the House of Commons, my focus remains squarely on what I heard most from our community: making life more affordable, securing a fair trade deal with the United States, and building a strong Alberta within a united Canada.

Over a decade of Liberal financial mismanagement has made life unaffordable for many Canadians. Massive Liberal spending creates inflationary prices, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has managed to outspend Justin Trudeau, delivering the most expensive deficit in Canadian history outside of the COVID-10 years. Canadians are faced with massive food inflation, the worst household debt in the G7, and personal insolvencies at their worst since the Great Global Recession.

Conservatives fought the Carney Liberals’ planned gas tax hike, and this week they were forced to back down. Only after months of Conservative pressure, Liberal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced a delay of the government’s proposed gas tax hike until early next year. While Conservatives won another battle for Canadian families, this modest extension of the Liberals’ current tax plan will not be enough for Canadians already squeezed by higher costs.

Conservatives continue to call for the government to remove all federal taxes on gas and diesel until at least Canada Day 2027 to save Canadians up to 25 cents per litre. That includes the 7-cent-per-litre Clean Fuel Regulations, the GST, and a permanent cancellation of the Industrial Carbon Tax so Canadians aren’t forced to pay more for food and fuel. We will never stop fighting for an affordable Canada.

Economic stability relies heavily on our trade relationship with the United States. In Lethbridge alone, our region exports over $2.2 billion in goods every year, with nearly 92 per cent bound for American markets. Conservatives stand firmly with Canadians against unjustified attacks from Washington; we cannot accept a one-sided deal that de-industrializes our nation, and we will always defend Canadian workers.

But effective leadership demands transparency, which Prime Minister Carney has failed to provide. Carney himself warned that tariffs are “taxes which are ultimately paid by consumers,” yet the Liberals proceeded to roll out dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs anyway. The hardest hit will be families already living on tight budgets, as new tariffs on items like food and hygiene products push everyday grocery bills even higher, alongside rising costs for appliances and electronics.

Over a year after missing his self-imposed July 21, 2025 deadline, Carney has still failed to deliver the trade agreement he promised Canadians. With conflicting stories surrounding the breakdown in talks, he must release the rejected deal so Canadians can see the facts for themselves.

Underpinning all of these national issues is the clear imperative for Ottawa to respect Alberta and its rightful place in Confederation. Canada was built on the practical principle that power belongs as close to the people as possible. The British North America Act established a framework designed to balance local autonomy with shared national strength—assigning local priorities like natural resources, health, and education to the provinces, while reserving Ottawa’s role for national matters like defence and borders.

Over the last decade, Ottawa has failed at its core duties while overreaching into provincial jurisdiction—taxing industrial carbon, blocking energy projects, and pushing divisive ideologies that erode our shared identity. This overreach harms not just Alberta, but all of Canada.

Throughout my conversations across Lethbridge, the message from our community has been consistent: Albertans want the freedom to develop our natural resources and protect our core values, with a federal government that respects our contribution. My Conservative colleagues and I will continue to fight to unleash Alberta’s economic potential, amplify our voice in Ottawa, and secure a stronger Alberta within a united Canada.

Canadians simply cannot afford more broken promises, higher taxes, or secret backroom deals. As Parliament returns on September 21, I will champion total transparency, real tax relief, and the accountability our community deserves.

Elbows Up, Results Down!

“Elbows up.”

That was Prime Minister Mark Carney’s message to Canadians. It was meant to project strength against Washington and reassure the country that he could handle President Donald Trump.

Canadians should judge that promise with the answer to one simple question: has the Prime Minister’s approach actually made Canada stronger?

Since Carney took office, tariffs have escalated, negotiations remain unresolved, businesses are holding back investment, and a recent KPMG survey reveals that 42 per cent of Canadian manufacturing companies have either already moved production to the United States or are considering doing so.

Instead of putting forward a strategy that delivers results, the Liberals have repeatedly caved. Carney’s elbows are supposedly up, but the results are discouraging. His approach is doing more harm than good, and the consequences are hitting close to home—especially in Lethbridge.

Lethbridge has far more at stake than most. In 2023, businesses in our region exported more than $2 billion worth of goods to the United States, accounting for a staggering 91.7 per cent of all local merchandise exports and nearly one-fifth of our total regional GDP. It is no surprise the Canadian Chamber of Commerce ranked Lethbridge 10th out of 41 Canadian cities for vulnerability to U.S. tariffs.

These figures are not abstract. They represent family farms, processing plants, and manufacturers across southern Alberta, alongside hardworking people whose paycheques depend on reliable access to our largest customer. The United States is not just another market for us; it buys our beef, canola, potatoes, and manufactured goods. When that access becomes uncertain, the shockwaves hit farm gates, factory floors, and family budgets directly.

President Trump’s tariffs belong to his administration, but Canadians rightly expect their government to prepare for foreseeable risks and defend our national interests.

A strong government would make restoring free trade with the United States its top priority. Yet, under the Carney Liberals, tariffs have worsened, and major concessions have been handed out for nothing in return. Recently, the government agreed to hand over half of the Gordie Howe International Bridge’s net revenues to a U.S.-controlled fund for its first 15 years—surrendering revenue from a bridge Canada fully financed.

To make matters worse, the Bank of Canada warns that persistent trade uncertainty has left business investment flat as companies indefinitely freeze expansions and equipment purchases.

Real strength does not mean picking fights for political applause. It means knowing what Canada needs, defending it tactfully, and securing results. Canada must restore stable, tariff-free access to the United States and give businesses the certainty to invest. That is impossible if Carney continues to needlessly antagonize President Trump, as he has done on multiple occasions, including during his speech at Davos.

Serious economic challenges require serious negotiation, not theatrics.

While economic diversification is a vital long-term goal, it cannot become an excuse to neglect the customer buying nearly 92 per cent of Lethbridge’s exports today. New markets cannot replace American demand overnight, nor can the necessary infrastructure be built quickly enough to protect producers facing tariffs right now.

A responsible government treats our relationship with our largest customer as an economic necessity. Tough talk may generate headlines, but it doesn’t move trucks across the border. Canada’s trade policy must be grounded in the livelihoods at stake—especially in communities like Lethbridge.

When a Prime Minister raises his elbows without a plan, it's everyday Canadians who take the hit.

Bailouts for Insiders, Burdens for Canadians

There are two realities in Canada today.

In one Canada, wealthy insiders are protected by an elitist Liberal government that looks after its own.

In the other Canada, everyday Canadians are lining up at food banks, struggling to pay rent, and watching the dream of home ownership slip further out of reach.

Under the Carney Liberals, the message is clear: if you’re not in the inner circle, you’re on your own.

Instead of helping the Canadian public, the Liberal Government has chosen to help wealthy developers by putting taxpayers on the hook for unsold luxury condos—all while Canadians struggle with the cost of living.

The Carney Liberals recently announced they would use taxpayer dollars to purchase more than 2,200 unsold condominium units in British Columbia. Instead of allowing prices to adjust so Canadians can actually afford homes, the government has chosen to protect developers’ profits and make taxpayers pick up the bill.

The Liberals would like to have Canadians believe that it’s one of the fastest ways to increase the supply of housing. But buying existing condos is not building new homes, and it does nothing to get government out of the way so more homes can get built.

Here is the simple truth: it is taking units that developers could not sell at the sky-high prices they wanted and using taxpayer support to rescue them from the consequences of their bad decisions.

That’s not a free market.

The whole point of a market correction is that prices adjust. If developers overbuild expensive condos that buyers cannot afford, the government shouldn’t protect those prices. Bailing out the very people who profit from Canada’s housing crisis does not keep home prices down. In fact, it does the opposite. How is affordability supposed to improve?

Canadians are understandably frustrated that large developers receive government funding while many families struggle to afford housing and make ends meet.

Homeownership is becoming increasingly out of reach for young Canadians, while some seniors are being pushed into extreme housing insecurity, sleeping in Tim Hortons locations or living in tents because they cannot afford a place to live.

Instead of helping the people who need it most by lowering taxes and allowing Canadians to keep more of their hard-earned paycheques, the Liberals are choosing to protect wealthy insiders.

The disconnect is astonishing.

The timing of the proposal has prompted ethical questions. It came after two Liberal fundraisers were held in Vancouver, where attendees paid up to $1,750 to attend a closed-door "Evening with Mark Carney." According to reports, developers attended these events.

Canadians deserve transparency. Which is why, on June 26, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wrote to the Ethics Committee calling for parliamentary oversight into this issue.

In response to the letter, the Chair of the Ethics Committee, Conservative MP John Brassard, has called for the committee to meet and examine the matter.

Conservatives will continue fighting for answers and holding the Liberal government accountable when its decisions leave everyday Canadians behind.

Unfortunately, the condo bailout is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of government disconnect from everyday Canadians.

Over and over again, the Liberals have demonstrated that they are out of touch.

While record numbers of Canadians are relying on food banks, Mark Carney spent nearly $1 million on luxury in-flight catering over the past year alone, including fine wines, braised beef, Normandy butter cups, and other premium menu items.

And while many Canadians are feeling hopeless in the midst of price increases, Mark Carney is doubling Justin Trudeau’s deficit and driving up the cost of inflation.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that under the Carney Liberals, there are two Canadas: one for everyday Canadians struggling to get by, and another for wealthy Liberal insiders.

Conservatives reject that vision. We believe in one Canada where the government works for the people, not the privileged few. Where hard work is rewarded, homes are affordable, builders can build, and grocery prices are stable.  

That is the Canada that Conservatives are fighting for.