Lethbridge Herald: Reflecting on Parliament’s Spring Session

Following a busy session holding the government accountable in Parliament, it feels great to be home in Lethbridge for the summer. I look forward to connecting with many of you at parades and other summer events!

There truly is no greater honour than getting to bring the voices of Lethbridge constituents to Ottawa. I am even more grateful to be able to do that alongside my colleagues in the Conservative caucus, united under a common vision for Canada and the people who call it home.

By attending my spring town hall, sending emails, phoning my office, and meeting with me, residents of the Lethbridge constituency have clearly communicated what matters most to them. This spring, I was asked to stand up against Trudeau’s out-of-control inflationary spending and punitive carbon tax, while advocating for policies that make life more affordable.

Canadians are experiencing the worst decline in living standards in generations.

Across the country, Canadians are begging for much-needed relief. Instead, Trudeau hiked the carbon tax by 23 per cent on April 1st, further driving up the cost of food, gas, and home-heating.

As he did this, he looked at struggling Canadians and falsely claimed this tax hike would leave them better off. The Liberals have repeatedly claimed that Canadians will receive more in rebates than what they will pay in carbon tax. But this is a lie.

Conservatives have known all along that this was propaganda. It’s thanks to our recent motion in the House of Commons that the truth finally came to light.

For years, while Trudeau and his Environment Minister, Steven Guilbeault, told Canadians the carbon tax was somehow making them richer, they were hiding a secret internal report that proved the carbon tax will cost Canadians $30.5 billion every year by 2030. That means the tax will cost each Canadian family nearly $2,000 per year.

The carbon tax hike isn’t the only punitive strike against Canadians. Over the spring, Trudeau piled on several more tax hikes as well.

Nine years after he promised to “fight for the middle class and those working hard to join it,” Nine out of 10 middle-class Canadians are paying more in taxes.

Trudeau is not making Canada fairer. He is making Canada poorer.

But despite these challenging times, there is hope.

Things were not like this before Trudeau took power, and they will not be like this after he is gone. Better days are ahead for Canada.

Canadians are smart, hardworking people, and they have indicated they are ready for change. At the end of June, the long-time Liberal riding in the urban heart of downtown Toronto said “no” to Trudeau’s damaging policies and divisive rhetoric and elected a Conservative to be their voice in Parliament.

No doubt, Canadians are ready for change. They are ready for hope.

A Conservative government will green-light energy projects here at home. Instead of driving away production into the hands of dirty dictators abroad, we will unleash the power of our clean and ethical Canadian energy and bring home powerful paycheques for our people.

We are going to end the assault on your money by ending the deficits that have led to inflation. Inflation is an attack on your freedom because it concentrates wealth and power in the hands of a few. It means big government and small citizens.

We will axe Trudeau’s carbon tax to bring down the cost of heat, gas, and groceries.

We will bring back powerful paycheques and taxes that are lower, simpler, and fairer so people can once again reap the benefits of their hard work and thrive in a country they can be proud of—a place where people from all walks of life can take advantage of opportunity and enjoy prosperity.

This is the Canada we all long for.

Let’s bring it home!

Lethbridge Herald: Axe Fuel Taxes to Give Canadians a Summer Break

There is nothing like summer in Canada. Taking a road trip to Calgary to enjoy the zoo, camping out under the stars in Waterton, or spending the day in Writing-on-Stone National Park are just a few of the summer activities many of us enjoy each year. Summer is when memories are made as Canadians take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

These moments are precious, especially as we experience challenging times. Sadly, the reality is that Canadians are struggling to afford basic necessities, let alone a summer vacation.

This is why my Conservative colleagues and I are fighting to bring back the fun of summer.

We are calling on the federal government to suspend all gas and diesel taxes from Victoria Day to Labour Day to give Canadians a break. The move would suspend the carbon tax, the excise tax, and the GST on fuels, which would lower gas prices by 35.6 cents per litre on average.

I continuously hear from people in the community who are struggling to make ends meet. Due to inflation and taxation, the cost of living is rising, and it is causing the chasm between the rich and the poor to widen. Prime Minister Trudeau promised to grow “the middle class,” but in reality, his policies are making it more and more difficult for Canadians to afford food and shelter, let alone make financial gains.

Families will have to pay $700 more for food this year than they did in 2023. Food banks are finding it difficult to keep up with the level of demand on their doorstep. One of the biggest changes over the last few years is the rise in use by those who are employed and normally able to get by.

In the middle of this historic cost-of-living crisis, Trudeau and his NDP coalition partners decided to hike the carbon tax by 23 per cent. This is just one step in his plan to quadruple the carbon tax over the next six years, making everything more expensive at the worst possible time.

Taxes on gas and diesel are making everything unaffordable. In fact, since Trudeau took office, fuel prices have surged by more than 50 per cent. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has been clear that most families will pay more on the carbon tax than they receive in the rebate. Our own province suffers from the highest rate of carbon tax, costing the average Albertan family $2,943 per year.

Taking a grassroots approach in government is critical for creating legislation that aligns with those who call Canada home. 70 per cent of Canadians oppose the carbon tax and its damaging effects. Despite this overwhelming opposition to the carbon tax, the Liberal government refuses to scrap it, showing complete disregard for the will of the people.

Distain for the carbon tax is shared by 70 per cent of premiers too. Recently, Conservatives moved a motion to have the Prime Minister meet with provincial leaders to discuss the carbon tax and its detrimental impacts. Although the motion passed, Trudeau has refused to give them an hour of his time. This is just one example of the Liberal government’s out-of-touch policies that are harming families.

Canadians deserve better.

A break from extreme taxation on gas and diesel could save the average family $670 over the summer. And to pay for it, Conservatives are calling on the Liberals to cut back on the $21 billion they spend on overpriced consultants.

Conservatives will axe the tax on everything for everyone in a carbon tax election, but until that can happen, Trudeau must adopt our common-sense measure to give Canadians a summer break.

The Prime Minister might be able to fly off to a luxury resort for a $230,000 taxpayer-funded vacation, but most families are being forced to scale back or cancel their road trips thanks to Trudeau’s out-of-touch inflationary spending and increased taxation.

Canadians deserve relief, not more taxes.

Lethbridge Herald: Canadians are not Fooled by Trudeau’s Empty Promises

Have you ever heard of a snake oil salesman?

The term originated in the 1900s from an infamous impostor who sold snake oil as a miracle medicine. It turns out the supposed “snake oil” was just a concoction of mineral oil, beef fat, red pepper, and turpentine.

It was not at all a remedy for sick people.

The con artist was eventually exposed in 1917, and he became a powerful symbol of warning against false advertising.

When looking at the Liberals’ 2024 budget, it is difficult not to think of a snake oil salesman.

On April 16th, the Liberals announced they will be strapping another $40 billion in new deficit spending to the backs of Canadians, which makes this the nineth year in a row that Mr. Trudeau has run deficits, while claiming the budget will balance itself.

Trudeau continues to claim families will be better off with more government spending—but we know this is rubbish. 

This year, Canadians will pay $54.1 billion just to cover the interest owed on the deficit incurred since the Liberals took office. This is more than the government collects in GST; almost double what we spend on Canada’s military; and more than the federal government transfers to the provinces for health care.

When the government spends money it does not have, it causes inflation to rise, which drives up the cost of everything. Thanks to Trudeau’s out-of-control spending, Canadians are stuck paying more for housing, groceries, fuel, and other essentials. The prosperity most people enjoyed less than a decade ago has become a distant memory and altogether unattainable.

In 2014, under the previous Conservative government, Canada was home to the world’s most affluent middle class. Today, Bloomberg reports that Canada is home to a “housing crisis, packed hospitals and food lines.” The National Post recently reported that child poverty is rising at an astronomical rate.

All of this has to do with the Liberals’ tax-and-spend policies.

On April 22nd I hosted a public town hall that drew a full room. As individuals came to the mic with their questions and concerns, the resounding plea was that something must change. The cost and corruption of the current government cannot be allowed to continue.

Every month, I hear from hundreds of families in Lethbridge who are struggling to pay their rent, put food on their tables, or fuel up their vehicles. Much of this has to do with Trudeau’s punitive carbon tax, which was hiked by 23 percent on April 1st. The Liberals’ latest budget will only make things worse.

In Lethbridge, the Interfaith Food Bank has experienced a 75 percent increase in usage by working individuals, and food banks across the nation witnessed a staggering two million visits in a single month last year. An additional one million visits are expected in 2024.

To help Canadians through this affordability crisis, Common Sense Conservatives proposed three critical directives to correct the Liberals’ devastating mismanagement: axe the tax on farmers and food; build homes not bureaucracy; and cap spending by enforcing a dollar-for-dollar rule to curb out-of-control spending.

Trudeau has been touring the country the last few weeks, attempting to sell his snake oil to Canadians. He wants you to think he has the cure to the very sickness he created.

After nine years of Trudeau, Canadians are tired of snake oil and want actual solutions. The answer is simple: we need the government to get out of the way and let Canadians keep more of their hard-earned pay cheques.

People in Lethbridge must be allowed to invent, invest, and innovate. We need a smaller government to accommodate bigger citizens.