Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have a couple of comments rather than a question, and some corrections to make to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. First off, the mission did not end a decade ago. The combat mission ended a decade ago, but we did not leave Afghanistan until 2014. I would like to correct a few members who keep referring to “Afghanis”. That is the currency in Afghanis…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The short answer is yes. It was already brought up by previous speakers. Our Globemasters have the capacity to bring out hundreds of people per flight. I think the record was almost 800 on one flight alone, so the capacity exists to get these Afghans to Canada in a much more expedited fashion. This is all about risk assessment. We are not getti…
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Madam Speaker, I cannot help myself, based on the comments by the member, to interject and give a little of a different perspective. I agree the mission unfortunately failed. We are seeing the repercussions. However, I am still optimistic about those girls and women who had an opportunity for the better part of two decades to get educated and to live in some semblance of peace and prosperity, whic…
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Madam Speaker, that is a great question, but unfortunately I do not have the right answer. However, it is definitely something we should be looking at and comparing ourselves to. It is truly important and the member asks a valid question that we should be focused on. It is another issue that this committee could focus on. Ultimately, as some of the previous speakers have stated, the U.S. has some …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it was 100 years ago today that the first woman, Agnes Macphail, was elected here to the House of Commons. Born in Grey County, Agnes was first elected to represent the riding of Grey South East and later represented the riding of Grey—Bruce. She worked hard to represent farmers and rural interests here in Ottawa. She knew what mattered to rural communities and was instrumental in the…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I am interested to know if the leader of the NDP shares my disappointment that the speech fails to mention agriculture at all, considering the important role farmers and the agricultural industry play in this pandemic and our recovery. It also fails to mention our military, and to recognize the incredible work our Canadian Armed Forces have been doing in support of Canadians in need…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition on behalf of my constituents, who are calling on the Government of Canada to recognize that the country of Barbados has suffered from COVID-19 like the rest of the world, but unlike most developed countries has limited access to vaccines and has a shortfall. At the time of the signing of this petition, less than 50% of the country of Barbados had been vaccin…
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Madam Speaker, as this is the first time I am speaking in the House, I want to thank my constituents for putting me back here for the second time. I have a couple of really quick yes-or-no questions for the member opposite that I am confident he will actually answer, unlike maybe his colleague from Winnipeg North. First, would he say that it would be preferable for the rhetoric in the House to be …
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Mr. Speaker, I present a petition today on behalf of Canadians who are concerned about the past and present atrocities suffered by the Hazara community within Afghanistan. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to recognize the genocide of the Hazara people, to designate September 25 as a Hazara genocide memorial day, to ensure that all Canadian aid to Afghanistan continues to contribute…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the life of Robert Alexander, a Canadian hero and a lifelong Owen Sound resident who recently passed away at 91 years of age. Bob loved his community and country. In 1949, he joined the Canadian Army. In 1950, he deployed for a year-long deployment to Korea with the 25th Infantry Brigade, where he served with the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineer…
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