Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Newmarket—Aurora.

It is with deep humility and great pride that I rise in this chamber for the first time as the newly elected member of Parliament for Windsor West, a place I have lived in, served and raised my family in and now have the honour to represent right here in Ottawa. Windsor West is a riding with powerful identity shaped by immigration, industry, grit and community pride. We are a city of makers and movers. We do not just punch above our weight; we carry the ring.

Before I go further, I want to begin with a few thank yous. I thank all of the volunteers who walked endless streets, made thousands of calls, hammered signs in the ground and occasionally fed the whole campaign team like it was a Punjabi wedding. I thank my beautiful wife, Michelle, who is the calm behind this storm. Her strength and endless belief in me kept me grounded. I thank my children, Aviana and Rohan, for their love, their patience and especially their hard work during the campaign.

My campaign was powered by the people of Windsor-Essex, neighbours, friends and even strangers, who believed it was time for change. I thank those who stood with me through the campaign, people like Mahadev Puri, Jagjit Varraich, Harinder and Gurmehar Randhawa, Navdeep Bhogal, Tony Bajwa, Bina Taylor, John Elliott, Sam Nizzer and Tony Francis, and their loving families. I thank campaign managers Maurizio and Sukhdeep, our CFO Gurpreet, comms lead Al Teshuba, and our sign warriors Adrien Bezaire, Rob and Mary Soucie, Rob Cheshire, Pierre Lacasse, who likes to call himself Pierre for Pierre, Dino and Linda for showing up, rain or shine.

Thanks also to to our office team, Patsy Copus, Guneet Baath and Elton Robinson, and to our community supporters: Manvinder Deol, Don Miller, Surjeet Gill, Sukhjot Singh, Harvinder Sran, Anil Sharma, Harmail Gill, Harry Sidhu, Mr. Chandi, Mr. Chohan, Mukhtiar Singh, Asim, Rafat, Arvind and Raminder, Dr. Aleem of the Ahmadiyya community, Rahul from the BAPS community, Panditji of the Windsor Hindu temple, Rohitbhai, Dhavalbhai, Mr. Grewal, Mr. Virk and the many members of the Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh diaspora communities of Windsor. With their amazing energy, belief and action, they showed me what community in motion really looks like.

Like many Canadians, my journey began far from here. I was born in Gujarat, India, and raised by my late parents, Didar Singh Gill and Surinder Kaur Gill, who instilled in me the values of hard work, service and sacrifice. Those values were further shaped by my teachers at Rosary High School and MS University in Baroda. My uncles Hargurdev and Kultar Singh Randhawa and my aunt Satwant Kaur Randhawa, who immigrated to Canada in the late 1960s and 1970s, sponsored me. Their families did not just open their hearts and their doors; they opened my future.

When I landed in Canada in 1988 and came to Windsor, it felt like home. The people, the grit and the values all clicked. I am especially grateful to friends like Shawn Hand, Peter Ste. Marie, Viktor Burany and many others who welcomed me and helped me adapt. I went to study at St. Clair College and the University of Windsor and then served 29 years as a police officer in Toronto and LaSalle. Frontline service teaches two things: how to solve problems and how to spot people who are just pretending to. On the front lines of public safety, I witnessed this country's challenges but also its best traits: resilience, compassion and, yes, even some dark humour during tough moments.

Windsor has always punched above its weight. It has been a transportation and manufacturing powerhouse central to Canada's auto sector. When Windsor succeeds, so does Canada. Over 9,000 trucks cross the Windsor-Detroit border daily, carrying more than $600 million in goods. A full third of our trade with the U.S. flows through Windsor. We are the beating heart of North America's just-in-time supply chain.

For us, infrastructure is not an abstract; it is essential. That is why the Gordie Howe international bridge matters. Initiated under Prime Minister Harper and the previous Conservative government, it was a vision of nation building, yet the Liberals took three extra years to break ground. Had they acted with urgency, the bridge would likely be up and running today, cutting congestion, boosting trade and fuelling economic growth.

We are also home to a major piece of Canada's EV future. A critical piece of the national EV supply chain is being built in our region, a project whose full potential will depend on delivery, not just announcements. Let us be clear: This battery plant is not a political trophy; it is a strategic necessity for Canada's future and competitiveness. Our auto workers, engineers and suppliers will make it succeed, but they need infrastructure, skilled labour and long-term planning to match that ambition. That starts with Ottawa finally treating Windsor not like an afterthought, but like the economic linchpin it is.

The people of Windsor are hard-working and hopeful, but they are feeling the squeeze. Food bank usage is at record highs. Shoplifting is up not just due to gangs, but because people are trying to get basic items like food, diapers and toothpaste. Rents are out of reach. Grocery bills are growing. I had to respond to calls at grocery stores where loss prevention officers had seniors in custody for shoplifting food. Those seniors told me they were stretching one meal into three and did not have the money to buy food. Small business owners are wondering if next month will be their last month in business.

This is not just a cost of living crisis; this is a crisis of dignity. Let me be clear. It is not the people who have failed. It is policies brought forth by the Liberal government that have failed.

This week, the Prime Minister introduced his first major spending bill, the 2025-26 main estimates. After taking over a bloated government, Prime Minister Carney promised to spend less. Instead, he has increased spending by 8%, nearly three times the combined rate of inflation and population growth. Worse still, there is no budget. The government is asking Parliament to approve over half a trillion dollars in spending without a budget. It is the first time in over 60 years outside of COVID. If single moms, seniors and small businesses have to budget before they spend, a banker must do the same. The Prime Minister said he had a plan, but this is not planning; it is reckless spending. We have a phrase in policing: fail to plan, plan to fail.

Let us not forget that Parliament voted just a week ago to demand a full budget this spring. The Liberal government has ignored the will of the House. This bill defies not just math; it defies democracy.

To my colleagues in the Liberal government, I say this respectfully. Get to work for regular Canadians. Be bold. Do not just talk about a hinge moment. Turn the handle. Open the door. If plans are not working, take ours. Canadians do not care who gets the credit. They want results.

We believe in policies that reflect lived experiences, whether it is fixing gaps in public safety or reforming taxes that will hit working families the hardest. If members want to know what matters to Windsorites most, all they have to do is tune into AM 800 for Mike and Meg, catch Ms. Maluske on the evening news or listen to Mayor Dilkens or any of the many independent journalists on social media. Windsorites want affordability, they want accountability, they want results and, more than anything else, they want to be heard.

Windsor is a tough city. We have weathered border uncertainty, plant closures and more than a few broken promises from politicians, yet we always rise. We have union workers and entrepreneurs, new Canadians and fourth-generation families, and skilled tradespeople and students all trying to make it and make it matter, because they give a damn about their city and their country.

To me, being Canadian means working hard, believing in fairness, helping a neighbour, saying sorry when someone else bumps into us and standing up for what is right, even when it is difficult. This House, as we know, is the beating heart of our democracy. I am here to serve with respect, humility and dignity.

I thank the people of Windsor West for sending me up here. They welcomed a young man from distant shores, gave him the opportunity to serve and protect, and now have given him a seat in Parliament. I will honour their trust. I look forward to working with every member in this Parliament.

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