Mr. Speaker, after nine long years of hardship from the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are tired of being confronted again and again with undeniable evidence of corruption, mismanagement and a complete lack of regard for accountability. The negligent Liberal government, propped up by its NDP accomplices, has consistently failed Canadians, leading us down a path of rising costs, crime and scandals.

The time has come for us to question the integrity of the elected people who choose to benefit themselves instead of doing their duty to serve the public. We must face the truth: The NDP-Liberal government is not only unreliable but also fundamentally untrustworthy. We as Canadians deserve leadership that serves the people, not leadership that serves itself. We deserve transparency and accountability, not a government that uses its power to cover up its misdeeds. We deserve a country where the priorities are affordable living, public safety and honest governance, not one plagued by scandal after scandal.

Let us take a moment to reflect on how damaging the past nine years have been. One of the most blatant examples of the government's betrayal of public trust is why we are holding today's debate: the $390-million corruption scandal tied to Liberal appointees in Sustainable Development Technology Canada, SDTC. The Auditor General's report uncovered 186 conflicts of interest in which Liberal insiders used taxpayer dollars to enrich themselves through various companies. Members should let that sink in. Through the green slush fund, there were 186 separate instances in which people in positions of trust exploited public funds to line their own pockets. That is not mere incompetence; that is corruption at its absolute worst.

In response, what has there been from the Liberal government? There has been deflection, obstruction and a refusal to accept responsibility. It has paralyzed Parliament by refusing to hand over unredacted documents to the police for a criminal investigation. The Speaker of the House has ruled that this refusal is a violation of parliamentary privilege. It has even been revealed that, despite the Speaker's ruling, the Liberal government is still withholding and censoring information. I am not going to sugar-coat this. The Liberals even lack the integrity to follow the rules made by one of their own members, yet the NDP-Liberal coalition continues to obstruct justice, protecting its friends while Canadians suffer.

The government is more focused on safeguarding its own interests than on addressing the real issues that are crippling Canadian families right now. This pattern of scandal and corruption runs deep. The government has continuously attempted to bury its wrongdoings, not only in this case but also on over 15 other occasions in the past nine years. The integrity of our democracy is at stake when those who are in power believe that they are above the law. Canadians deserve better, and they will get that when they elect a Conservative government.

The current $390-million corruption case is just one scandal in a long line of Liberal misconduct since the Prime Minister took office in 2015, from the SNC-Lavalin affair to the WE Charity scandal and to invoking the Emergencies Act without cause and freezing citizens' bank accounts. The NDP-Liberal government has demonstrated time and again that it is willing to break the rules to serve its own interests.

Let us start with the SNC-Lavalin affair of 2019, one of the most high-profile scandals in recent memory. The case involved allegations of the Prime Minister and his staff when they attempted to pressure the then attorney general, Jody Wilson-Raybould, to intervene in a criminal prosecution of the Quebec-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin, which was accused of bribery in Libya. When Wilson-Raybould refused to comply, she was removed from her position.

That scandal sparked outrage, leading to Wilson-Raybould's resignation from the cabinet. The Ethics Commissioner ultimately ruled that the Prime Minister had violated ethics laws by exerting undue pressure, showing a blatant disregard for the rule of law in Canada.

Then there was the WE Charity scandal in 2020. The Liberal government awarded $912 million in student grant contracts to WE Charity, an organization with very close ties to the Prime Minister and his family. It was later revealed that both the Prime Minister and the then finance minister, Bill Morneau, had family members who received payments from WE Charity for speaking engagements. In the face of conflict of interest, the contract was cancelled and Morneau resigned. While the Prime Minister was cleared by the Ethics Commissioner of any wrongdoing in this case, Morneau was found guilty of breeching ethics rules. Once again we saw a Liberal government mired in scandal and corruption.

Then there was the Aga Khan vacation scandal of 2017, yet another example of the Prime Minister's personal disregard for ethical governance. The Prime Minister and his family accepted a vacation on the private island of the Aga Khan, whose foundation receives millions of dollars in taxpayer money through federal funding. The trip was paid for by the Aga Khan, and this led to the Ethics Commissioner's ruling that the Prime Minister had violated four sections of the Conflict of Interest Act, making him the first sitting Prime Minister in Canadian history to be found in violation of the act.

Who can forget the blackface scandal of 2019? During the federal election campaign, multiple photos and videos surfaced of the Prime Minister wearing blackface and brownface makeup at various events. Although the Prime Minister issued a half-hearted public apology, Canadians were left questioning his judgment and values.

The list of scandals does not stop there. In the trip to India controversy in 2018, the Prime Minister's official trip to India turn into an international embarrassment when it was revealed that Jaspal Atwal, a convicted Sikh extremist, had been invited to official events with the Canadian delegation. The trip was widely regarded as a diplomatic failure, and questions were raised about the Prime Minister's judgment and the government's vetting processes.

Then there was the cash-for-access fundraising scandal of 2016, in which wealthy individuals paid large sums of money to attend exclusive fundraising events where they were gaining personal access to the Prime Minister and senior Liberal ministers. This scandal was so blatantly corrupt that it prompted changes to Canada's political financing laws and raised concerns about the integrity of the Liberal government's dealings with donors.

There was also the issue of former governor general Julie Payette. She was a Liberal appointee who created an environment of toxicity and harassment and needed to be fired for her gross misconduct. What else would we expect from a friend of the current Prime Minister? Of course we cannot forget the reckless spending; despite racking up expenses while in her role, she went on to cause over $277,000 in additional legal expenditures. Ultimately, the lack of scrutiny in making government appointments, and the problems this causes, is a very common theme for the Liberal government.

In the Winnipeg virology lab scandal in 2021, the Liberal government came under fire for refusing to provide Parliament with unredacted documents about the firing of two scientists from a high-security virology lab. The case remained shrouded in secrecy, with concerns about potential security breeches and the shipment of dangerous viruses to a Communist Chinese military research facility. The government's refusal to comply with House orders has raised serious questions about transparency and national security.

More recently, in 2023 we learned about the McKinsey contract scandal, in which the federal government awarded $209 million in contracts to McKinsey & Company without proper and adequate oversight. Many of these contracts were awarded on a non-competitive basis, raising concerns about the government's procurement practices and the potential conflicts of interest. Once again the Liberals were giving away Canadian taxpayer dollars to their friends. It was remorseless corruption to the core.

We also have the ArriveCAN controversy, or should I say arrive scam? Corruption was evident throughout the entire saga of the NDP-Liberal government's $60-million arrive scam app, which could have been developed for a fraction of the price. It ended up enriching GC Strategies, a shady two-person IT company that did no actual IT work but had strong connections to officials in the Liberal upper ranks.

The Auditor General has confirmed that they will be conducting a performance audit of all contracts and payments related to GC Strategies and other companies incorporated by the founders. This will have an impact on all departments, agencies and Crown corporations that had dealings with the group.

Lianne Rood

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