On Parliament Hill

When I visit schools and talk to young Canadians about Canada’s system of government, I am often asked, “what is the difference between Liberals and Conservatives?”

The answer is simple: Liberals put their faith in Government. Conservatives put their faith in people.

Liberals believe in spending your tax dollars to make government bigger and more intrusive, to the point where they get to tell you what to think and feel and believe.

Conservatives believe in free markets and free people: harnessing and investing in the efforts and ingenuity of individual Canadians to grow Canada, not from the top down but from the ground up.

We believe that government should be smaller and less intrusive, and that it should work for the good of all the people.

Andrew Scheer and Canada’s Conservatives have a positive vision of Canada that benefits all Canadians.

We believe in lower taxes, for everyone – because it’s your money. You worked hard, you earned it, you should get to decide how to spend it.

Conservatives believe in protecting our environment, but we recognize that taking more money from Canadians is not the way to do that. That’s why Andrew Scheer has promised that his first act as Prime Minister will be to repeal Justin Trudeau’s Carbon Tax.

Conservatives believe in our natural resource sector. We want to see pipeline projects built, build an energy corridor, and work to ensure that by 2030 Canada is fueled exclusively by Canadian oil.

Conservatives believe that a justice system should be just, and that the rights of law-abiding citizens and victims must always come before those of criminals.

We believe that gun laws should target criminals, not law-abiding farmers and hunters.

Conservatives believe in having a compassionate legal immigration system. A system that is fair, where everybody plays by the same rules. A system that is worthy of the promise that is Canada.

We believe that governments of all levels and all forms should be held accountable for their actions and how they spend your money.

We believe in freedom of speech, whether you agree with us or not.

We recognize that our history is our history, and instead of changing names and tearing down statues in the name of “political correctness,” we should be honoring the people who founded this country, while at the same time being unafraid to recognize and learn from their mistakes.

It’s our history that informs us of the ideas and events, the decisions and values that have shaped our nation. It’s our history that helps us to understand what it means to be a Canadian.

Justin Trudeau claims there is no Canadian identity and that our strength is found in our diversity. But that’s not the case.

Our diversity is a result of our strength, and our strength as Canadians is found in our values, unity and freedom.

It was former Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker who best captured the vision of what it means to be a Canadian:

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, and free to choose those who shall govern my country.”