On May 8, I had the opportunity to speak at the Ottawa Press Gallery. The article below is a condensed version of my remarks. A video version of the press conference may be viewed here.

All Canadians want their children to be strong and healthy, confident and skilled, with the opportunity to prosper, to have access to services, to be free of fear and to be functional members of a compassionate and thoughtful community. The actions of our current government have sabotaged those hopes and dreams.

Home ownership, post-secondary education and vehicle purchases, maintenance and fuel are beyond the reach of many. Young couples fear that they won’t be able to feed and clothe a growing family . . . this fear is stunting natural population growth and decreasing—over time—the availability of entry-level workers for businesses. Canada’s current fertility rate is 1.483 births per woman, far below the 2.1 births required to sustain our population.

The government’s answer to that gap has been to bring in millions of immigrants—many of them poorly-vetted and poorly-equipped to fill the actual needs of our job market . . . and requiring vast amounts of government resources for housing, education, language accommodation and other aspects of adaptation to our culture, our climate and our commonly shared values. The most obvious impact of this influx of adult residents has been on the housing market. The need for new housing has far outstripped the ability of Canadian builders and investors to provide high-quality housing at affordable prices.

The price of land, the cost and time involved in securing permits and navigating the regulatory waters, combined with the soaring cost of labour, materials and transportation have pushed the price of new homes to record highs, and many young couples have abandoned the dream of ever owning their own home.

All these costs—of course—are driven inexorably higher by the federal and provincial carbon taxes which do nothing for the environment but employ a small army of regulatory bureaucrats to administer. And no, the average Canadian does not receive more back in rebates than he or she pays in carbon taxes.

In the long list of profligate and extravagant spending by the federal government, here are a few examples of unnecessary—and in many cases—harmful expenditures:

1. Excessive salaries and benefits for MPs, Senators, judges and federal bureaucrats at all levels. Just last month, MPs gave themselves yet another raise; base salary for a backbencher is now over $200,000.
2. Political welfare to the entranced and established political parties. After the 2015 election, $100 million of taxpayer money went to the Liberals, the Conservatives and the NDP. Smaller parties, like ours, are denied access to those same funds.
3. Corporate welfare is an insult to Canadian taxpayers and to small business owners. The Trudeau government’s $13 billion bribe to Volkwagen is a prime example. In 2022, the federal and provincial governments of Canada combined to give $52 billion in handouts to large corporations.
4. Large partisan delegations travelling to extravagant international gatherings to hobnob with the world’s globalist elites cost taxpayers a bundle! One conference alone in 2023, COP28, a UN conference on climate change, cost taxpayers $1.4 million. And of course, they all flew there using fossil fuel.
5. In 2021, Canada spent $8.4 billion on foreign aid. Meanwhile, the PM told wounded veterans that Canada couldn’t afford to give them the help they need.
6. Self-congratulatory promotional ad campaigns telling Canadians how great the government is; in 2021, over $140 million was spent on gov’t. “selfie” advertising.
7. Massive spending went into the covid hype and vaccine promotion. According to True North, Canada spent over $624 billion implementing and enforcing ineffective covid protocols.
8. The misuse and overuse of police forces and the courts to enforce unconstitutional mandates. Vast and valuable human resources were deployed against peaceful protestors before, during and after the Truckers Freedom Convoy.
9. The courts have also been endlessly and expensively preoccupied with disputes between freedom fighters and various arms of federal and provincial government.
10. The outrageous annual funding of the CBC—over $1.3 billion for this year—including generous bonuses for well-paid anchors and administrators.
11. This government has also used vast quantities of taxpayer money promoting and providing abortion both at home and abroad. It’s also spent horrendous amounts on pushing its gender agenda, including destructive puberty blockers and hormone treatments and irreversible, fertility-ending surgeries.
12. Interest payments on our $1.2 trillion national debt—$120 million every single day.

Regarding debt and deficit, it’s too easy for politicians to promise what they think voters want and to effectively buy votes with taxpayer money.

The Christian Heritage Party has long promoted a policy of mandatory balanced budgets. We do not allow deficit spending in our campaigns, nor do we rely on taxpayer funds to operate. As government, we would cut useless and wasteful spending and ensure that hard-earned tax dollars are used only for essential government services that fall within the legitimate reach of the federal government.

We would end the use of the taxpayers’ credit card and begin to pay down and eliminate the national debt and the crippling interest payments that come with it. We would end the automatic raises in pay and perks for MPs. We would help businesses prosper by cutting excessive taxes and regulatory burdens . . . not by handing out taxpayer dollars to giant corporations.

We would end the carbon tax / climate scam. We would prohibit the use of federal funds for abortion, euthanasia and genital mutilation. We would encourage the development of our abundant natural resources and make Canada energy-independent. And we would cheerfully and effectively work with the members of every other party in the House to restore Canada’s freedoms, justice and prosperity for future generations. Canadians deserve no less. Join CHP today and make a difference!