Mr. Speaker, it is the honour of a lifetime to rise for my first speech in this chamber.

As I stand here today within these four walls, surrounded by well over a century of Canadian history, I am all too aware of the awesome responsibility I have been given, and I am humbled to be the first member of Parliament for the newly established riding of Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee.

Many years ago, when I worked here as a young legislative assistant, I promised myself that when I came back to the Hill, I would do so as a member of Parliament, and I promised myself I would model my career after Darrel Stinson, a former member of Parliament and a legend in his own right. Darrel was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2006 and advised to get his affairs in order. He survived that and then some time later went on to beat stage 4 cancer yet again. Darrel will be turning 80 this Thursday, almost two decades later. I wish a happy birthday to Darrel. I can only hope to fill his shoes in this place.

Our riding is a jewel of British Columbia, with towering forests, rolling vineyards, pristine lakes and snow-capped peaks, but it is not just the landscape that makes it exceptional; it is the resources and our people. There is gold in the Monashees, silver in the Slocan Valley, forestry in Lumby and Cherryville, agriculture in the Okanagan and tourism throughout. They are people who work hard, build communities and believe that if government just gets out of the way, they will get the job done.

Our riding is a microcosm of Canada. Canada should be one of the most prosperous nations on earth. We are rich in resources, talent and innovation. However, we are not rich. Our people are struggling. Our natural resources are vast, and our people are willing, but Liberal policies have stifled opportunity, burdened industry and made prosperity feel out of reach for far too many.

Let us call this what it is. It is a government that has lost faith in what built this country: work, resourcefulness and the industries that sustain our towns. Small businesses are struggling not because we lack potential but because we are being held back. I know this first-hand. My own small trucking business cannot move material on bicycles or in electric cars, so the carbon tax simply means I have to charge more and my customers have to pay more. That is the very definition of inflation. The endless seas of paper we have to swim through, the red tape and the crippling taxation make it almost impossible for small business to get ahead.

This Liberal government has made life harder for everyday Canadians. While Mr. Trudeau is gone, the architect of his economic disaster remains on the front bench across the aisle, and the brains behind it have taken his place. In fact, very little has changed, despite the Prime Minister's rhetoric to the contrary. Our last Liberal prime minister told Canadians the budget would balance itself. Now we do not even have a budget.

For the past 10 years, Ottawa has not just been in the way; it has been the problem. In Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, we see the consequences every single day. Forestry, once the backbone of communities like Lumby and Cherryville, has been crippled by indecision and red tape. Sawmills are shuttered. Skilled workers are unemployed, not because the trees are gone but because the political will is gone. In the Monashees, responsible mining projects with strong local support are stalled in endless federal reviews. While the world clamours for critical minerals, we are stuck in neutral.

Many of our residents once worked up north in the oil fields and on our pipelines and then came home for the weekends, because they could live in the beautiful Okanagan, but this Liberal government killed the northern gateway and energy east pipelines and left us at the mercy of the American energy industry and government tariffs.

Tourism operators, whether guiding hikes through forests or running lodges along our lakes, face rising costs, labour shortages and a government more interested in lecturing than listening. Then there is agriculture. Our orchards, wineries, breweries and distilleries are second to none, but if I ask any grower or small producer, they will tell me the same thing: They are being taxed, regulated and carbon-priced out of business. These are family operations, and they have so much potential. They do not ask for subsidies; they ask for fairness.

Instead of unleashing that potential, this Liberal government has spent a decade tying it up with bureaucracy, ideology and economic self-sabotage. This government has consistently treated prosperity like something to apologize for. I, for one, wholeheartedly reject that.

However, I did not come here to dwell in frustration. I came here because I believe in a better way forward. Our Conservative vision is simple: less interference, more opportunity; less punishment, more prosperity; and a government that respects hard work instead of penalizing it.

We believe in unlocking Canada's potential, which means, number one, reviving our forestry sector with clear, science-based regulations and the predictability that companies need to invest long-term; number two, fast-tracking responsible resource projects, particularly those critical to global supply chains and local paycheques; number three, cutting the red tape and tax burdens that are choking small farms, wineries and craft producers; and finally, concentrating revenue on tangible infrastructure, like safe highways, broadband for rural businesses and upgraded safety, not on more giveaways, handouts and social interference.

Most of all, we believe that families, not Ottawa, know what is best for themselves. That means allowing parents to guide their own children and keep more of what they earn, letting small business grow without fear of the next federal penalty and helping communities shape their own future.

The people of Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee did not send me here to manage decline. They sent me here to fight for growth and to restore faith in the promise of this country. This promise is not abstract. It is a father back to work at a reopened sawmill. It is a young entrepreneur opening a craft cidery without drowning in federal paperwork. It is tourists returning to Silver Star and the Shuswap with ease, because the infrastructure keeps up with demand. It is families paddling on a lake or sitting around a campfire, because their town did not become a victim of urban centralization. That is what I stand for, not more Ottawa, not more empty rhetoric. I stand for a Canada that believes in itself again.

Canadians are tired of government that spends more, delivers less and tells them they should feel guilty for wanting to succeed. They are tired of watching opportunity pass them by while their leaders play it safe, hedge their bets and avoid hard truths. As C.S. Lewis wrote, we all want progress, but progress means getting nearer to where one wants to be. If one is on the wrong road, progress means turning around and walking back to the right road. We are on the wrong road. It is time for a new approach. My riding and this country are ready to thrive again.

I stand here today not as a cynic but as a realist with hope: hope that Canada can rise to meet this moment, that we can be a nation where prosperity is earned, not punished; where natural beauty is matched by economic strength; where we are proud of who we are, not apologizing for it. I want to make one thing clear to everyone listening in this chamber and across Canada. I am not here to stoke division for its own sake. I am here to help Canadians pull toward the best possible future, where every resource, every community and every family has the freedom to flourish.

To my Liberal friends in particular, I invite them to set aside economic gaslighting and ideological double-talk and join us in practical steps to restore Canada to its rightful place as a global leader in resource-rich prosperity. When they talk about making us an energy superpower, let us follow it with actions to make it happen and not excuses about why it cannot be done. Empty slogans are not enough. Pipelines are crucial. Work with us to rebuild the forestry sector so the forest workers no longer worry about their next paycheque. Collaborate on intelligent mining reforms that honour both the environment and the people who earn their living from the land. Above all, let us recognize that our differences are far smaller than our shared dreams.

Whether one belongs to a small family restaurant in Lake Country or works for a forestry co-op in Cherryville, and regardless of which party we belong to, every Canadian wants good schools, safe neighbourhoods and a stable community. Every Canadian wants to look their children in the eye and say that tomorrow will be better than today. Let us stop pretending, and let us get to work to make that happen.

Scott Anderson

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Speech from the Throne

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