Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, what is really mind-boggling to me is that this could have all been done right away. Give over the documents. The Prime Minister was told by the Speaker himself to hand them over unredacted. If the hon. member is that excited about the thousands of pages, some of which were redacted, what is being hidden? Let us move on with this. Let us get the documents and look over the 400 milli…
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Madam Speaker, that is probably the greatest news I have heard all week. That was very well done by my colleague from Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound; I thank him so much. It puts a big smile on my face. I also want to acknowledge my colleague, the member for Barrie—Innisfil, who just gave a very compassionate and passionate speech and did an excellent job. He stole a bunch of my thunder, so I guess I will …
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Madam Speaker, I do not know that I can answer the question of why we are here. Obviously, if there are redactions in the documents that have been sent forward, there is something to hide. If I go to the bank, ask for a mortgage and redact my pay stub when asked to show it, I am probably not going to get a mortgage. Why are the documents redacted? What is the reason behind it? The most honest answ…
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Mr. Speaker, I have been watching this debate keenly for the last three and a half to four weeks, and this question continues to come up. I guess the real question is, if the member really wants to continue on with the government business, why does he not stand in caucus this Wednesday and ask his Prime Minister, his leader, to just release the documents? Then we could get on with another order of…
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Mr. Speaker, is an honour to rise in the House once again. Before I speak to the motion of privilege, if the House will indulge me, I will say that tomorrow will be one year since the of passing of mom and missing of her cookies. However, we smile and we celebrate her life today. I know that she watched me speak many times in the House. As we have all lost loved ones, it kind of hits home today. F…
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Mr. Speaker, I suppose the answer is simple, although I was a little confused with my colleague's opening statement with regard to how a Conservative Party would govern, which we are looking forward to. I do not agree with that. To answer her question, if somebody makes a mistake, they need to be held accountable. We do not just cut into that and say that, while they have made a mistake, we should…
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Mr. Speaker, House resources are not only for the House of Commons proper but also for committees, so let us speed this process up so we do not drag our feet in committee. If the unredacted documents are released, that is a whole bunch more hours we will not have to spend in committee. The answer is right there. Let us get behind and vote for this motion, release the documents and get on with Hous…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a dynamite question. My hon. colleague is absolutely correct, and I will tell members why. We often hear that politics is a game. Politics is not a game. Politics is people's lives. What I am hearing from the great folks and small businesses of Windsor-Essex is to please leave them alone, let them go and stop taxing the world from them. They understand that we cannot move on u…
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Mr. Speaker, the real, short answer, and I am pretty sure I speak on behalf of the majority of Canadians, is yes, we would love to move on with the carbon tax election. Absolutely. That being said is, what do I want to move on to? I go back to my original statement. I want to go back to common sense for Canadian people. I want to move on to opportunities for Canadians. I want to go back to getting…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency's hiring of 200 border officers for the Gordie Howe International Bridge location: (a) of the 200 positions, how many and what percentage were required to be filled by applicants who are members of a designated employment equity group; (b) of the 200 positions, how many were filled by members of designated employment equity groups, in total, and bro…
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Mr. Speaker, as families across Canada anxiously anticipate Christmas Day, opening presents and having turkey, many families will not all be together. Doctors, nurses and caregivers in our hospitals, long-term care homes and hospices will be taking care of our loved ones. Firefighters, police officers and first responders will be keeping our streets safe. Hydro workers will be working to keep the …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, as always, it is an honour to stand in this House to represent the amazing folks of Essex. I always give, and will always continue to give, all honour to my lord and saviour, to God, for the opportunity to do this. Without him, nothing is possible. I want to say to the folks of Essex, if it is the last time I get a chance to speak in the House before Christmas, merry Christmas to th…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think I said I was against anything in my speech. I did not say I was for, I did not say I was against, so that is an interesting comment. I realize that Quebec actually has its own legislation. That is great but I have to look outside of just Quebec. I have to look at this whole country. Conservatives will continue to look at this entire country, to move our commerce forward…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister gave billions of tax dollars to subsidize a single battery plant. Now we learn that hundreds of the jobs linked to the plant will not be filled by qualified, local, unionized Canadian workers but by taxpayer-funded foreign replacement workers. If that is not bad enough, now the Liberals are desperately fighting to keep the details of the contract hidden. Why are the…
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Mr. Speaker, every time we turn around it almost looks like the legislation that comes from the Prime Minister and the Liberals is made from band-aids pieced together. I think there is a much larger solution available to us, which is that all parties get together to come up with a solution. I would suggest that, whether it is with respect to AI, mines to the north or the busiest international bord…
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Mr. Speaker, this was one of the examples where somebody would not get a chocolate chip cookie from mom. I am just teasing. I guess I will answer the question, and the question is really an easy one to answer. If the Liberal Party and the Prime Minister are so friendly with labour, why did only one Liberal in the entire caucus vote for Bill C-241? That is a really easy question, so I will answer a…
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Mr. Speaker, as always, it is an honour to rise in the House to represent the amazing folks of Essex. I give all my thanks to God for giving me the opportunity. Just a couple of weeks ago, I lost my momma. If the House would allow it, I would like to share a few words before I dive into Bill C-58. Mom would text me during question period to say, “Christopher, you are not wearing a tie today, so yo…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member so much and really appreciate his compassionate and very thoughtful comments about momma. At the end of the day we have to ask why the federally regulated public service is not part of this legislation. Why is it that the government, which with all due respect is supported by the NDP, does not have its own employees as part of this legislation? We really have t…
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With regard to all memorandums, briefing notes, and other documents sent from or received by Global Affairs Canada related to, or which mention in any way, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Parliament on September 22, 2023: what are the details of each, including the (i) date, (ii) sender, (iii) recipient, (iv) type of document, (v) title, (vi) summary of the contents, (vii) file …
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Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of discussion this morning about heat pumps. I have not yet heard anybody bring up the installation of heat pumps. There is a portion that goes outside the house and a portion that goes inside the house, and then there are pipes underground. Not that long ago, I introduced a private member's bill, Bill C-241, regarding a deduction of travel expenses for skilled tr…
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise this morning to present, on behalf of petitioners, petition e-4414. The petitioners state that one in 10 Canadians has a rare disease and faces immense challenges in getting the appropriate care to survive and get better, that one in 15 babies in Canada is born with a rare disease and that the Government of Canada announced an investment of up to $1.5 billion…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling with the cost of food, gas and housing expenses, but the Liberal government continues to tax Canadians, not once but twice, with a carbon tax. The Liberal government has racked up a record amount of national debt, doubling it in recent years. We all know about carbon tax 1, which puts 41¢ a litre on gas. It is evident carbon tax 1 will cost $1,500 per family a…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member just spoke about where Conservatives were for a vote. I thought we were not allowed to say where people are or are not when they do a vote. Could you please clarify that for the hon. member?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am proud and honoured to present petition 441-01522. This petition has been signed by 238 signatories from the County of Essex and city of Windsor area. The petitioners are calling on the government to rewrite the tax laws of Canada and renegotiate any tax treaties with the United States to recognize 401(k) contributions and social security and medicare payroll taxes as foreign tax …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, if the Liberal-NDP coalition does not care about the future generations, what does it say to the homeowner who cannot pay their mortgage because the Liberal government overspent and caused inflation that caused mortgage rate hikes? The Prime Minister is stripping the hopes, dreams and house keys from the hands of Canadians. When will he realize the pain and suffering he is causing?
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister, along with the costly NDP coalition, have made the dream of home ownership and starting a family far out of reach for working young adults in my riding. They have done everything they were asked to do and left with only fear and tears. Will the Prime Minister end his inflationary deficit spending and let young adults begin their lives and start a family?
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Madam Speaker, as someone who was a firefighter for seven and a half years, I know a thing or two about firefighting. I also know we cannot always have all the resources at our fingertips, but we have other folks around us, from other municipalities, provinces and, quite frankly, across the country, who come to the firefighters' rescue. As we are now seeing U.S. cities filling up with smoke, would…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his macroeconomic policy speech. I suppose that is what it was. I listened to him speak with regard to EVs, electric vehicles, and ZEVs. I am quite sure the member will not know these staggering numbers, but, if he does, that is wonderful. Today, the government that he boasts about so well has invested in 20,000 chargers across this country. What is being…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, half of me wants to stand on a point of order and speak about this great colleague of mine for suggesting that perhaps he is better looking than I am, but we will let the public be both the judge and the jury on that. Ironically, although I do not smell like smoked meat, I did appreciate the fact that he spoke about the firefighters in the field, because the truth of the matter is tha…
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Madam Speaker, the Liberals already have one carbon tax in place, which will add 41¢ to a litre of gas. Carbon tax 2 would add another 17¢ to a litre of gas. If we add the GST on top, that is an extra 61¢ added to a litre of gas. When will the NDP-Liberal costly coalition realize that it is out of touch and that Canadians are out of patience and out of money?
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Madam Speaker, with regard to question period and regarding committees, on May 18, at the transport committee, Bill Morneau, a key witness in the committee's study examining the role of McKinsey & Company, attended the meeting, but his earpiece did not work, ironically. Therefore, all six opposition committee members wrote to the chair, calling on Bill Morneau to come to committee to testify, and …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, hockey is Canada's game. Men's and women's hockey bring families together at rinks and around televisions across the country to cheer on our favourite teams. These athletes have dedicated parents and team owners, great coaches, fantastic teammates, dedicated fans and fabulous volunteers to support them on their journey. The Provincial Junior Hockey League of Ontario provides an opport…
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Madam Speaker, what we would never have done is introduce Bill C-21 to begin with, because we know it is going to do absolutely nothing to curb violence. What Conservatives would have done is invest in protecting our borders and invest in our police forces to ensure that we never got to this point to begin with.
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Madam Speaker, I think that was the second or third time the member has asked that question in the House. Here is the problem: The answer is that we do not know. I will tell why we do not know. It is because of the Canadian firearms advisory committee. Here we go again, one more time. “It is not as bad as people think it is. It is going to be okay. People should not worry about their firearms that…
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Madam Speaker, if there is no question, I will make a comment with no answer. My comment is that I worked hard on this speech. I have been working on this speech for over a year and a half, so I find it incredibly shameful for that member to suggest that this speech was written for me. There are very few folks in this House who will know more about firearms than me, especially about hunting. I wou…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today on an issue that is, quite frankly, very near and dear to my heart. It is near and dear because before Grandpa Jack passed away, I got to hunt with him for many years for deer on, ironically, Manitoulin Island. I am very blessed to still have the opportunity to meet my father at 4:30 in the morning at his house to go chase wild turkeys with my uncle Tom. I guess it is r…
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Mr. Speaker, the government continues to disrupt people's lives and cripple companies like WestJet. The labour and transportation ministers have once again failed to bring union and management to the table. Now Canadian travellers may be stranded over the long weekend. The Prime Minister's high taxes and high inflation continue to destroy this country while our air pilots are leaving to work abroa…
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With regard to asylum claims received by the government since 2013, broken down by year: (a) how many asylum claims were received; (b) how many of the claimants arrived via (i) air, (ii) land, (iii) sea, (iv) other or unknown; and (c) of the claimants who arrived via land, how many entered Canada at an official port of entry versus an irregular border crossing?
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With regard to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, broken down by year for each of the last five years: (a) what was the total amount spent on airport screening; and (b) what was the total amount collected by the government from air travellers security charges?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, in 1984, April 28 was established as the National Day of Mourning in Canada to remember and honour those who have died, been injured or suffered illness in the workplace. The Day of Mourning, also known as Workers' Memorial Day, is officially recognized in about 100 countries worldwide. Today, on the National Day of Mourning, we remember and honour those who have lost their lives or…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague, and I am sure mom is watching tonight. She makes excellent chocolate chip cookies. This is all about, and can only be about, a vision for the future. Everything we do today in the House has to ensure that life is more affordable and that spending is reined in. However, that same spending that we are doing is enabling and allowing our young men and women in t…
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Mr. Speaker, it has honestly been really good to work with the New Democratic Party on trades. Of course, NDP members did support Bill C-241, so they understand it, unlike all but one member of the Liberal Party. I have been across Canada, from the east coast to the west coast and everywhere in between, and do I ever know that there is a major deficit of labour. I do not think that there is any on…
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Mr. Speaker, I will answer a question with a question: Is that question good enough for the senior standing in a Zehrs grocery store crying because she cannot figure out what healthy food she can eat? If the member thinks that a one-time payment of $284 is sustainable, then that is pretty darn disgusting. Our seniors deserve more than this.
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Mr. Speaker, as always, it is an honour to stand in this place to represent the great folks of Essex. We are here this evening to speak to Bill C-47, the budget implementation act. We have heard a lot of discussion, and I have been listening keenly to both sides of the aisle, as to what truly is the direction for Canada and the path forward to sustainability and success. While I was drafting out m…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, I certainly have seen it, and I am very much aware of the $5,000 tool tax credit. It is a great start, but it does not go far enough.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is certainly an honour to participate virtually in the House this afternoon. The first thing I would like to do, with your indulgence, is to wish my lovely wife Allison happy birthday. She is incredibly sweet and young. I love her dearly and I want to celebrate that. Second, I want to congratulate the member for Windsor West for getting the bill this far. The member and I have work…
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Mr. Speaker, we would request a recorded division, please.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, they say it is a marathon, not a race. Tonight, I think we got halfway through the marathon. Tomorrow could be a really monumental day for skilled trades across Canada. If the bill is passed in the House, it will go to the Senate. People will be one step closer to building Canada, the economy, and quite frankly, their own careers. First and foremost, Bill C-241 is a common bill for th…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, in all sincerity, every day when I step into the House, it is like stepping onto the ice in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup series. I just want to thank the folks of Essex. I want to, once again, thank Tomi Hulkkonnen from the Carpenters Union and Karl Lovett from IBEW for helping me script the bill and for giving me guidance and understanding of what it really means in support fo…
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Mr. Speaker, it differs in a couple of ways. If we look at the kilometres and the distance some have to travel, I believe that in the budget implementation act it is 150 kilometres, but in this bill it would be 120 kilometres. More than that, what I ended my speech with was quite simply that $4,000 puts a price on the heads of those in the skilled trades. This bill has no limit, so the more they w…
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