Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, obviously, our government has been honest about being ethical in the way that we do procurement, and this matter was actually dealt with last year. It sounds like the member opposite, who came to this House in 2023, wants to stay there, but Canadians have sent us back here to talk about the things that are really important, such as one Canadian economy because we are faced with unjust…
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Mr. Chair, as the minister knows, we are here tonight to talk about the main estimates, but we are also here to discuss the supplementary estimates, which include landmark investments that will help our government achieve NATO's 2% target this year, something we heard a lot about when we were campaigning. Maybe the minister can talk about Canada's role on the world stage and here at home and how w…
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Mr. Chair, I feel kind of rude. I did not get an opportunity to congratulate the minister in his new role and for his return to Parliament. Since the minister assumed his role and responsibility as the President of the Treasury Board, I am sure he has had ample opportunity to work with the public service and a lot of the public servants who keep the work that we do in Parliament going. I just want…
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Mr. Chair, I just want to thank the minister for being here tonight to answer questions. If there is anything else he wants to put on the record, I welcome him to do that.
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Mr. Chair, on a point of order, I am sitting right next to the minister and I am not able to hear him.
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Mr. Chair, we obviously see that there are multiple impacts of climate change across our country and around the world. In order to be an energy superpower, we need to be able to fight climate change and build more renewable energy projects. What role will the minister's department play in supporting renewable energy?
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Mr. Chair, one of the things that make Canada a really great country is the opportunity that we have taken in our path to reconciliation. Many people have bragged about Canada being a leader in our process of working with the indigenous communities across Canada. Obviously, indigenous communities are leaders in natural resources and their upkeep. We are all very thankful for the land they have kep…
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Mr. Chair, I appreciate the minister's really great speech around the things that Canadians sent us to do in this House. Obviously, we all just came off the campaign trail and we ended up on this side of the House, so I congratulate the minister. The Americans are threatening Canada's sovereignty and our economy. We all heard collectively at the doors that Canadians want us to deliver on this. Wha…
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Madam Chair, can the minister tell the House how building one Canadian economy, versus 13 Canadian economies, will benefit productivity across our country?
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Madam Chair, does the minister recall Conservative MPs expressing similar amounts of false outrage about fiscal discipline when the Harper government routinely ran up deficits that ran for nearly a decade?
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is trying to give a speech. We cannot hear him because there is—
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Madam Chair, part of the minister's mandate is also to find new partners amidst these unjustified and illegal U.S. tariffs that we have experienced as a country. I saw that the minister was recently in Ecuador to participate in the inauguration of the president. Maybe the minister can expand on why that was important and how creating that corridor of conversations and discussion could actually lea…
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Madam Chair, I would like to take the time to congratulate the minister for his new role. As someone who has worked with him on the Canada-Africa file, it is very nice to see the role that he is taking in advancing trade for Canada. I have some questions for the minister. As the Prime Minister received a mandate to make sure that we can establish new trading partners around the world and build new…
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Madam Chair, could the minister talk just briefly about the benefit of the middle-class tax cut that is in Bill C-4?
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Madam Chair, I appreciate the minister's answer. As I said earlier, I have had the opportunity to work with him on different files, including the Canada-Africa file. I know that the minister has extensive experience as a parliamentarian as the parliamentary secretary for trade in the past. I just want him to talk about what is the importance of the role of engaging all parliamentarians in advancin…
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Madam Chair, the election was about who can fight for Canadians against the unjustified tariffs. How have the unjustified and illegal U.S. tariffs impacted Canada's economy forecasts, and what measures is the government taking to counter American tariffs to support Canadian industries and workers in our regions across Canada, especially in southwestern Ontario?
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Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. I have been listening to the discussion all day, and one thing that keeps coming up is the fact that Quebec did not pay this tax, so Quebec did not receive any payment. I hear my colleagues saying that their constituents need government support to buy homes and to do many of the things that are covered by bills we have introduced in the H…
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Madam Chair, examining estimates provides members of the House the opportunity to examine the government's finances in granular detail, but if we take a step back, I would also like to ask the minister some macro-level questions. Just as he was also sent here, London West residents sent me to the House to make sure that our government takes concrete measures to make life more affordable. Can the f…
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Madam Chair, the minister mentioned earlier that he has four years' experience with Global Affairs Canada. He was a parliamentarian before he became a minister, and he knows, through his mandate, how important it is to work with all members of this House. The minister was elected under the same mandate that we were all elected under, and the Prime Minister gave him the mandate of creating new trad…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague and I agree on one thing: that Canadians want a detailed plan. Canadians want us to really take our time to come up with a budget that is thoughtful and that responds to exactly what they sent us to the House to do, which was to make sure we can deliver on things like affordability. We have the plans to do that, and that is why we came back into government. Can the member…
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome my colleague to the House of Commons. The member just spoke about the fact that Canadians decided to elect a government that will work for them and that will ensure that families and young people can buy homes. We have just introduced legislation in the House of Commons that responds to what Canadians have been calling for, an economy that works for all Canadians. I would li…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the member opposite for her election and for taking her seat in the House of Commons. I heard her talk about the hardship a lot of Canadians are experiencing across the country. In the past, her colleagues have voted against the benefits that help children across the country like the child tax benefit and bringing food programs into…
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Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate my hon. colleague for taking her seat in this House. We are very excited. As a woman who has been a champion for other women, she spoke highly of the child care benefit that we offer to many women across the country, the dental care plan and many other measures that are in our budget, things that we have tabled here in this House to make sure that wom…
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Madam Speaker, since I have not yet had the opportunity to do so, I would like to congratulate my colleague on his re-election. I heard my colleague's speech. We also know that an election just happened and that Canadians decided to elect a government that told them it would lower taxes for families. Can my hon. colleague tell us, here in the House, that he and his party will support the measures …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, we know the Conservative leader had a rough week. While he is busy defending his plan to cut housing funds, Conservative members got an earful from their mayors and their constituents about their leader's reckless plan. We know this because we spent the whole week reading about it in the media. It is no wonder that Conservative MPs are going behind their leader's back to plead for fun…
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Mr. Speaker, the government has clearly indicated that a woman's right to choose is a fundamental right. Eight out of 10 Canadians say that they support access to abortion, and many of them are rightfully concerned that the Conservative leader and his party will not protect this fundamental right. Does the Prime Minister agree that a party that does not vigorously and tirelessly defend a woman's r…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege to be here today to speak on behalf of the people who sent me to represent them in the House of Commons, the people of London West. This morning, the leader of the official opposition said that if the Conservatives formed government, they would run things the way they did before, specifically referring to when Harper's Conservatives were in power. That …
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Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to hear my hon. colleague on the other side talk about London. It is very important to talk about London. My mother, who is a voter, is going to be a new voter in my colleague's riding and I have not heard her mention the member's name once. It is important to talk about the things that Canadians care about. The questions that we are—
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Mr. Speaker, before our government passed the Canadian dental care plan, one out of four Canadians could not afford to go to a dental office. Since we passed the Canadian dental care plan, more than 700,000 Ontarians can now visit a dental care provider. This has allowed dentists to serve over 10,000 people in London West. We clearly know that this is working because 750,000 Canadians have already…
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship introduced Bill C-71. As Canadians, we can never take our rights for granted. We must remain vigilant, especially when the Leader of the Opposition suggests he would use the notwithstanding clause if given the chance. Like the first generation limit introduced by the Conservatives, it is a concrete example of them taking away the r…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so excited and happy to be back in the House of Commons to represent the good people of London West, and to also see my colleagues, who are energized and ready to serve Canadians. I will be sharing my time with my amazing colleague, the member for Markham—Unionville. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the second reading debate on Bill C‑71, a bill that wo…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question from my colleague opposite, who also sits on the same committee as me and has had the opportunity to meet with the families and to hear from them. We have done this study. Maybe he should not have filibustered yesterday when we were trying to pass the motion on lost Canadians. I mentioned earlier that there are still a small number of Canadians who are stil…
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Madam Speaker, I deeply appreciate the opportunity that my Bloc Québécois colleague has given me to continue and to finish expressing my thoughts on this bill, which I consider very important for all Canadians everywhere in Canada. Don Chapman is one of those Canadians who was adversely affected by what the Harper government did and what the Leader of the Opposition continues to support. Even now,…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague on the other side said very well how terrible it has been. It has been really hard to do the work that Canadians sent us to do on our immigration committee, and sometimes it has been in the front of those families that have been harmed by those actions of the Conservatives. Watching them filibuster the work that we want to do has been very difficult. I appreciate the su…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to say how happy I am to see my colleague come back; he sits on the immigration committee with me. I find it really interesting that he is complaining about the Liberals taking too much time to fix something that the Conservatives broke. This is something that his Harper government, the same government that the current Leader of the Opposition sa…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to present petition E-4748, which was initiated by a very passionate advocate in my community, Brendon Samuels. The petition calls on the government to urgently take action on the need for native tree stock to fulfill Canada's tree-planting pledge by 2030 to combat climate change. The petition highlights the shortages, rising costs and challenges in tree supply chains t…
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Mr. Speaker, I also enjoy working with my NDP colleague on many subjects that connect us. On the subject of disability, it is important to note that, number one, we are investing in housing for all Canadians. Earlier last year, I put forward a motion that was passed and that I think my colleague voted for, which was to support the national housing strategy having a council that would include peopl…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I appreciate the questions from my Bloc Québécois colleague. I want to respond to her comment about the federal government interfering in provincial jurisdictions. I was a municipal councillor well before I came here. The reason why we announced housing measures for the entire country is that the cities and provinces were unable to meet the needs of their own populations. …
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Mr. Speaker, maybe my colleague was not in the House of Commons today when the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance announced that inflation has been reduced to 2.7%, which is the lowest in three years. There was also some good news last Thursday, that our AAA credit rating was again affirmed by Moody's, with a stable outlook, which keeps Canadians' debt payments low. Maybe he can vote fo…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to join and participate in today's debate in support of Bill C-69. This legislation would advance many of the government's key priorities in budget 2024, “Fairness for Every Generation”. Budget 2024 is our government's plan to build a Canada that works for every generation, where younger generations can get ahead, where their hard work completely pays off, and where t…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the rich heritage, diversity and resilience of the African continent, ahead of Africa Day on May 25. As a member of this vibrant community, I understand the importance of fostering strong ties between Canada and Africa. Africa Day serves as a reminder of our shared history and the ongoing journey towards unity, progress and prosperity for all African nations,…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would like to seek unanimous consent to have my vote counted. I heard that it was not counted. It was not the previous vote, but the one before.
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Mr. Speaker, my vote was nay.
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Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate the 30th year since the genocide against the Tutsis in 1994, I reflect on the journey of reconciliation, which is a never-ending road. I cannot help but notice that those who have reconciled and live side by side did it because justice prevailed. Today, on behalf of my constituents and survivors who are still grappling with what happened in April 1994, I ask for two …
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Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day of La Francophonie, and I hope that all francophones and francophiles in Canada and around the world have a wonderful day of celebrations. There is plenty to celebrate. If we look at the numbers, La Francophonie comprises 29 countries where French is the official language, including Canada. That means that there are more than 450 million francophones aro…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to say in this House that immigrants are not to be blamed for any challenges our country faces. The challenges are already embedded here, and when immigrants come they also face challenges similar to those Canadians are facing, so they are not to be blamed for health care issues or housing issues. I appreciate my colleague's question, but I think she knows that he…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said in my speech, we are working with partners, territories, provinces and municipalities to make sure that we are targeting key sectors when we are receiving newcomers, especially through the different measures we have. I think the minister said he is trying to figure out a way to proportionately move newcomers across the country, not have them in areas where there is already a…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. In my speech, I talked about plans that we are implementing to continue to offer support. We are working in partnership with every sector, including those that provide services to determine how we can increase our services and make them better. That is what I just said in my speech. We have brought in systems to address this. The government launc…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be able to provide my colleagues with information on how the federal government works with its provincial, territorial and municipal partners to welcome and integrate newcomers. We all know that immigration is one of the defining characteristics of Canada. We are a very welcoming country, where newcomers can feel like they are an integral part of a community. We l…
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Mr. Speaker, happy Black History Month. Storytelling is one of the tools used by Black communities to pass down our ancestors' experiences, struggles and successes, and the values that are important and worth keeping. Allow me, then, to share the story of 800 Black families who lived in Strathcona, B.C., in the 1900s, the centre of Black families that was later displaced by the City of Vancouver t…
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