Canada First, Canada Last, Canada Always.
Fall 2024: Parliamentary Paralysis, Liberal Chaos, and the Conservative Fight for Canada's Future
The Fall 2024 session of Parliament is now over and I thought I would give residents an overview of my work as well as how chaotic an ending the Liberal government has orchestrated. Parliament was paralyzed for nearly the entire Fall with the ongoing refusal of the Liberals to produce documents related to the Green Slush Fund scandal. I encourage residents to look back at the Substack newsletter here for more details on the scandal. The question now remains the fate of 30,000 pages of redacted documentation that the Liberal government continues to defy a lawful Order of Parliament to produce in full so that it can be transferred to the RCMP. This paralysis is entirely of the Liberal government’s doing in defying a majority vote of MPs and seeing only two government bills pass into law this Fall. Those two bills were spending measures, both matters of confidence, including Bill C-79 that continues Budget 2024 spending and C-78, the misnamed temporary cost of living relief law that temporarily suspended the GST on certain goods over the holidays. Not only has the latter been a headache for small businesses to implement but late news was circulating online that its measures were being made optional by the Liberal government according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The former law implementing Budget 2024 spending, Bill C-79, continues the spending that according to the Fall Economic Statement delivered this week will see an eye watering near $62 billion deficit for fiscal year 2024-2025. That is a deficit more than 50% larger than originally announced. It is also a deficit that destroyed the fiscal guardrails promised by the now former Liberal finance minister who quit or was fired, it’s hard to tell, before the Fall Economic Statement was made public. Before moving on to more on the mini-budget or Fall Economic Statement, I wanted to mention that Conservatives did pass yet another private member’s bill, C-280, that will provide fruit and vegetable farmers with a better position during bankruptcy proceedings providing more stability to food prices. We passed Bill C-291 which replaces the term “child pornography” in the Criminal Code and other federal statutes with the more accurate and appropriate term “child sexual abuse and exploitation material.” We passed Bill C-294 to align Canada’s Copyright Act with the same interoperability language in the U.S. It is important because it helps farmers and equipment users by ensuring that machines from different manufacturers can work together seamlessly. That’s right, Conservatives passed more laws this Fall than the NDP-Liberals despite not having a working majority and our legislation was entirely focused on what’s good for Canada, not just our political self-interest.
Now on the Fall Economic Statement, a sort of mini-budget that updates the official budget provided earlier in the year, with its supersized deficit we are now looking at $62 billion in deficit spending by end of March 31, 2025. Debt servicing costs will now surpass annual transfers from the federal treasury to pay for healthcare. The debt servicing costs will also exceed the annual revenue generated by the GST. A columnist and writer I was reading prior to the budget being presented noted that between 2015 and the third quarter of 2024, the cumulative real GDP per capita growth was 1.7% in Canada and during that same time span America’s equivalent growth was 18.6%. That is a staggering chasm that has opened up. Our GDP per capita is now half of what it is in America. Why does that matter? GDP per capita is a good measure of our prosperity and how individually we are fairing in our economy. It means the average American worker is now 50% richer and more productive than we are in a general sense. And we are falling behind. As a comparison point, between 2006 and 2014 for the same metrics, Canada’s real GDP per capita grew roughly 5.2% while America’s grew 7.7%. We were keeping up then. The Fall Economic Statement ensures only that we will fall further behind and that Trudeau’s collapsing government cannot be trusted to deal with Trump’s tariffs. That is also partially the message that the former Liberal finance minister sent in her resignation letter when she accused the prime minister of engaging in election gimmicks (her words), thinking only of himself (her words), and of their time in government coming to an end (also her words). This is why common sense Conservatives on Parliament Hill have called for emergency meetings of the international trade parliamentary committee to dive deep into the 25% Trump tariffs to assess the Liberal government’s plan and for these meetings to start January 6th until January 20th.
My work on Parliament Hill has been focused squarely on representing the views of Calgary Shepard residents who are primarily worried about the cost of living crisis and affordability. The outsized structural deficit and nearly $1.4 trillion national debt is a major worry. The latest firearms confiscation scheme has also come up quite often in emails and direct messages over social media. I have spoken in Parliament 505 times in Parliament ranking me 51st amongst all non-cabinet MPs. I have presented publicly 56 petitions on behalf of residents which is the 11th most of any parliamentarian. I have also been actively legislating sponsoring or co-sponsoring 12 legislative initiatives which ranks me 25th out of 338 MPs. My work at parliamentary committees has also caught the attention of national media outlets such as my questioning of the immigration minister and concerns regarding immigration fraud.
I am busy wrapping up at this year-end with meetings at my Calgary office and responding to outstanding emails. I assure residents that I will respond to the emails and letters as quickly as I can in the coming weeks as I catch up from this busy Fall sitting of Parliament. As always, it continues to be a privilege representing Calgary and especially the southeast communities in Parliament making sure our voices are heard loud and clear in our Parliament. I look forward to the eventual federal election in 2025 and standing again for re-election to continue fighting hard for our communities, for Calgary and for Canada. Though we face an incompetent Liberal government, with its infighting and chaos reaching new levels, we still live in the greatest country in the world. As we rest over the winter break, common sense Conservatives are preparing and recharging ourselves for the coming carbon tax election and the fight against the 25% Trump tariffs that the incompetent and chaotic Liberals are unprepared to fight. It will always be Canada first, Canada last, and Canada always.
This week, I presented Zia Khedri, the owner and operator of the Good Earth Café at the Seton YMCA, with the King’s Coronation Medal. This medal is a tribute to individuals who exemplify dedication to their community, and Zia is a shining example of such commitment. His tireless efforts to support newcomers, particularly within the Hazara community, have made a meaningful difference in the lives of so many. Zia’s work goes beyond advocacy—he actively invests in the future of our communities. One standout example is his focus on creating opportunities for local youth, including hiring high school students to provide them with valuable work experience. This initiative not only helps young people build their confidence and skills but also strengthens the bonds that tie our community together.
Thank you, Zia, for all that you do!
I will be hosting my New Year Levée, a uniquely Canadian experience that's brings in the new year. Levées have been part of Canada's traditions for hundreds of years with the first being held in Quebec City, the oldest continuous settlement in Canada. This year I will also be marking the first new year for many new citizens with a special invitation to them to join in a Canadian Levée.
Everyone is welcome to attend, so please invite your friends and family!
DATE: Saturday, January 4, 2025
TIME: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
LOCATION: Mahogany Beach Club, 29 Masters Park SE
Light refreshments will be provided, including Moose Milk!
I look forward to seeing you there!
I want to take this opportunity to wish all who read this newsletter a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and happy holidays. I appreciate every email, letter, phone call, and direct message you send me; it gives me clear marching orders for how best to represent you in Ottawa. As the new year approaches, let’s look forward to the new possibilities that await us, including change in this country.
Resuming Debate returns the first week of February. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you very much Tom for your unwavering efforts to defend people’s rights in the parliament.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!