A challenging and uncertain start to 2025 says MP

Parliament remains prorogued (shut down), with all parliamentary activities in the House of Commons, parliamentary committees and the Senate suspended. Instead of focussing on issues that matter to residents in my community and Canadians across the country, the governing Liberals are now focused on choosing a new political party leader.

This is irresponsible given the many issues facing Canadians, including, as of the writing of this, tariff threats which pose an economic crisis.

The United States’ administration stated it wants to stop the illegal flow of drugs and other criminal activity at the border. Canada’s federal government even admitted the weak border is a problem.

Over the past nine years, due to the government’s fiscal and economic decisions, Canada grew its national debt to the highest it’s ever been, $176 billion worth of proposed resource projects or investments were cancelled, real GDP per capital declined, productivity declined and the Canadian economy is in an overall weakened position.

Many residents (in my riding) are already struggling financially. The input I receive from conversations, whether at my community office, at community events or on people’s doorsteps is similar—many personal stories of people struggling to pay their bills and who are concerned about planning for their future. Despite that, the Liberals are still focused on themselves.

The governments capital gains tax increase is set to continue according to the Canada Revenue Agency, even though Parliament is prorogued. Legislation on the tax hike was not debated or voted on in the House of Commons. I’ve heard overwhelmingly from industry leaders and experts how that is driving investment out of Canada, reducing our competitiveness and affecting retirement plans.

Canada’s independent and non-partisan Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed in a recent report that federal finance decisions have created higher deficits, downplayed risks, made assumptions lacking transparency and increased financial risks.

The PBO also released a report regarding core housing needs of Canadians. The report demonstrated the mortgage debt per person for homeowners rose from $45,488 in 2015 to $65,604 in 2023 and is forecasted to be a shocking $74,424 by 2027.

That is a direct result of “rising interest rates and rising average mortgage debt,” as per the report. The PBO also stated rents are 26% higher today than they would have been as a result of not enough homes being built and because of the federal government losing control of immigration.

In addition, housing inflation is rising faster in Canada than in any other G7 country.

The MNP Consumer Debt Index report gages how Canadians feel about their ability to pay down debt. Half of Canadians now believe they will not be able to cover all their living and family expenses in the next 12 months without going further into debt.

On top of that, many retirees are increasingly needing to dip into their savings. I talked to a single senior just a few days ago who told me he was having to subsidize his modest living expenses each month from his savings. He estimated having only about 13 months before running out and didn’t know what he is going to do after that.

All those reasons, and others, have led to Conservatives calling for the reopening of Parliament, if the (prime minister) won’t call an election, so Canadians can decide on a government that has a clear mandate.

Canada must pass new border controls, agree on trade retaliation and prepare a plan to rescue Canada’s ailing economy. We simply cannot afford weak leadership during this unprecedented time for Canada.

There are so many important issues on top of these that we should be focusing on in Ottawa, including increases in taxes, crime, drug overdoses, homelessness, addiction and our national debt. Parliament and its committees were seized at the end of last year dealing with corruption, conflict of interest issues and the misappropriation of funds within several federal government programs.

There is much work to do in 2025, and beyond, to restore the promise of Canada and fix what this Liberal government has broken. Conservatives do not have confidence in the Liberal team, regardless of which long-time insider may become their leader.

Canada’s Conservatives are ready to meet these challenges and will bring home the Canada we love can all be proud of.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have thoughts to share how to best represent Kelowna-Lake Country in 2025.

My office has Canada flags and pins and offer parliamentary certificates for special occasions or to recognize contributions of residents in the community.

Please call 250-470-5075 or email [email protected] if you need assistance with any federal programs.

Tracy Gray is the Conservative MP for Kelowna-Lake Country.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.