Parliamentary Speeches

Statements by Members

Madam Speaker, the new Conservative leader will put the people first: their paycheques, their savings, their homes and their country. Today, people feel like they have lost control of their pocketbooks and their lives. The cost of government is driving up the cost of living. It is the most expensive government in history. The more it spends, the more things cost. The result is that seniors delay t…

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, the new Conservative leader will put people first: their retirement, their paycheques, their homes and their country. Inflation is driving up the cost of everything. Last weekend I heard this over and over from people in Binbrook, the kind of place where young families are moving in droves to escape the high cost of housing in the GTA, only to find out that because of the policies of …

Routine Proceedings

With regard to government expenditures on Cisco and Cisco Systems products or services since January 1, 2020, including those obtained or purchased through a third party vendor: what are the details of each expenditure, including the (i) date, (ii) amount or value, (iii) vendor, (iv) description of goods or services, including the volume, (v) file number, (vi) manner in which the contract was awar…

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise today and pay tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the people of Flamborough—Glanbrook and the greater Hamilton area. However, I do so with a heavy heart. First and foremost, we, her loyal subjects, offer our most sincere condolences to the entire royal family. May strength be given to all of them at this time. In the next few minutes, …

Routine Proceedings

With regard to government expenditures on Cisco and Cisco Systems products or services since January 1, 2020, including those obtained or purchased through a third party vendor: what are the details of each expenditure, including the (i) date, (ii) amount or value, (iii) vendor, (iv) description of goods or services, including the volume, (v) file number, (vi) manner in which the contract was awar…

Routine Proceedings

With regard to the recommendation by the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities to abolish the Canada Infrastructure Bank: does the government respect the work of the committee, and, if so, when will it abolish the Canada Infrastructure Bank?

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I did refer to one individual in my riding who is a content creator and who expressed his concerns, but as I noted as well, a number of content creators who spoke at the heritage committee raised similar concerns. My home city of Hamilton, Ontario may be not the same as Burnaby, which is the Hollywood of the north, but I think we are quickly becoming a destination for a lot of movie…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, given the brevity of time for a response, let me just reiterate this. As was pointed out by my colleague for Lethbridge this morning, there were five days of two-hour debate at the committee, which was shut down. There were committee amendments that were voted on by number, without being read into the record, at committee this week, which really is a sham. There were a number of peo…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I want to assure my hon. colleague opposite that I very much respect the francophone culture and franco-Ontarians. If members were to look at my CD collection, and I am dating myself by saying this, I had perhaps an equal number of francophone artists as anglophone artists, so I certainly encourage and respect that. I do not think this bill is necessarily what is necessary to accomp…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I was speaking about Chad, who lives in the Upper Stoney Creek portion of my constituency. Chad is a digital creator who is concerned about the threat Bill C-11 poses to his livelihood. Chad is not alone by any means. We have seen dozens of Canadian content creators testify at the heritage committee to their deep concern with regard to this bill. Chad told me that Canadian content cre…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, if I may, as my hon. friend opposite did, before I begin my remarks on Bill C-11, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize my father, as Father's Day is coming up this weekend. I thank him for all his love, guidance and support over the years. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy and is not feeling 100% himself. However, my three brothers, my mother, all of our extended f…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, as a new member in the House, I am always impressed with the number of interjections by the member for Winnipeg North and the sense of humour that he often adds to his questions. The member cited a number of different metrics. Whether the cost of inflation is a couple of points higher in the United States, I do not think that answers Darlene's question. I do not think that answers S…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I enjoy my work with the hon. member on the transport committee. Conservatives did support a carbon pricing scheme in the last election. I served on the board of directors for the Royal Botanical Gardens, which is responsible for many sensitive and important ecological lands within the greater Hamilton area. The environment is important to me, and I take that question seriously. Our…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, let me say up front that I will be splitting my time with my colleague, the hon. member for Sturgeon River—Parkland. It is always an honour to rise in the House to speak on behalf of the people of Flamborough—Glanbrook, and today it is to speak on the ways the 2022 federal budget is failing Canadian, as we consider Bill C-19, the budget implementation act. The number one issue facin…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, maybe I will be a bit more animated in my response because we should not be calm about this. That is the generation that built our country and made it strong. We are doing a disservice to them when they have to struggle. Some have to sell their houses and move in with their children, and Darlene is not the only example. I have heard this from others. My parents are seniors, and I he…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting this petition from my constituents and Canadians across the country who want to see an end to the federal vaccine mandates, especially for domestic travel. These petitioners note that the vaccine mandates imposed on Canadians taking domestic flights, trains and ferries are an unreasonable infringement of their rights and freedoms. They ask the government to abolish the…

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, today, as has been noted, is Dutch Liberation Day. As a Canadian of Dutch heritage, this day has special meaning to me, my family and many of my constituents. Personal accounts truly underscore the emotion of the day. In 2015, my mother Sara returned to the Dutch village where she was born for celebrations of the 70th anniversary. In Ouderkerk aan den IJssel, there was a parade and mu…

Routine Proceedings

With regard to the official position of the government of Canada, stated in budget 2021 “A Recovery Plan For Jobs, Growth and Resilience”, that since 2015, the federal government and federal agencies have made $6.1 billion available for universal broadband: how much of the $6.1 billion has been allocated to projects that improved broadband for Canadians living in the areas with postal codes beginn…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, inflation is at its highest level in 30 years. The price of literally everything is going up and up. Inflation is squeezing Lucia and her husband, who live just down the road from me. They struggle with everyday essentials while also dealing with debilitating medical conditions. The cost of living is the number one issue facing Canadians, yet yesterday's budget offered no plan. It jus…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I think we are having a discussion about the fiscal update and economic statement. If we are going to talk about the economy, we need to talk about the things that are affecting Canadians very directly, and top of mind is the cost of living, which is exhibiting itself in the cost of groceries and housing in particular. All of the people whom I have cited, plus many other examples th…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, it is certainly the most common question I get as a new member of Parliament from young Canadians who are frustrated that they cannot enter the housing market. When it is $1.1 million to buy a starter home in the Hamilton area and it has gone up $100,000 in the last month, they are further and further away from their dream of home ownership. It is extremely frustrating. At the same …

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, the member for Oshawa knows that the other end of the GTHA is experiencing some of the same market dynamics as we are here in the Hamilton area. Motion No. 54 is the right initiative because it addresses one of the key problems in the housing market, which is supply. I referenced the fact that here in Hamilton, and I have spoken with the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington, …

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak again on Bill C-8, an act to implement certain provisions of the economic and fiscal update, particularly because since I last spoke on Bill C-8 on February 4, the housing crisis, the inflation crisis and the cost of living crisis have only gotten worse for Canadians. When I spoke in early February, the inflation rate was only the worst in 20 years. Now it …

Adjournment Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, earlier this month I rose in this House and cited the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington, which in January confirmed that the average house price in Hamilton was over $1 million. Since then, the numbers for February have come out, and the average home price in the Hamilton—Burlington area is now over $1.1 million. That is a 10% increase in just a month. Imagine a young person…

Adjournment Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the 200 more affordable housing units in Hamilton, although that is against a supply deficit of 110,000 homes, as I mentioned. The government's responses to any question on housing are formulaic, predictable and insufficient. I will ask again. What is the government doing for Roseanne, a young woman in her twenties in my constituency in Upper Stoney Creek? She laments the…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the communities of Flamborough—Glanbrook have grown exponentially as young families flee Toronto in search of a more affordable life, except now they are feeling the crunch here, too. In January, the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington confirmed that the average house price in the Hamilton area was over $1 million. With interest rate hikes on the horizon, when will we see the …

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to rise in the House, especially today to speak on Bill C-8, An Act to implement certain provisions of the economic and fiscal update tabled in Parliament on December 14, 2021 and other measures. Canadians are worried and frustrated. They want a plan for the recovery. They want hope, and that is not what they got from the economic and fiscal update tabled by the…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I lived in Alberta for nine years. In fact, my wife is from southern Alberta, so we certainly share that in common. I gave a couple of examples of farmers and farm groups in my riding that have been impacted by this, so I empathize with them. In terms of some of the acts we have seen from the protests, I personally condemn those. I did that on Facebook over the weekend. My grandfather…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, it is great to address my neighbour, and absolutely we will find a coffee shop. I am not sure there is one along Milburough Town Line, because there are really just fields there, but that is fine. I will make the trek to Milton. It is a great community. I am always interested in working productively and collaboratively with all members of the House. In fact, one of the first meetings …

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry. I should rephrase. She is the hon. member for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas.

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I work collaboratively with all other MPs in the Hamilton area. We do so on a regular basis when we work together. I thank the member for the announcement of rural broadband in Flamborough—Glanbrook. There is a lot more work to do. I made that point yesterday in the House. While 47 is great, there are 8,000 rural homes, my own being one of them, where Internet is insufficient. Let us …

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I have lived in Alberta and Quebec, and I understand that Canada is a complex country. We need to respect our provinces and our federal government. I take that to heart. To her question about housing, I raised in my comments that housing is something we need desperately in my part of the world. We are short 110,000 homes in the Hamilton area simply to catch up, so I certainly encourag…

Statements By Members

Mr. Speaker, families in Flamborough—Glanbrook are desperate for reliable high-speed Internet. On a regular basis, I receive calls and emails from constituents who struggle with overpriced, unreliable Internet. Take Ryan in Flamborough, for example, who lives just 15 minutes from the city but has no reliable broadband. Last month, to ensure his two kids would have access to online schooling, he ha…

Speech from the Throne

Mr. Speaker, let me say up front that I will be splitting my time with my colleague, neighbour and friend, the hon. member for Haldimand—Norfolk. It is an incredible honour to rise today to deliver my first full speech in this House. I would like to congratulate all members on their successful elections. I look forward to working together collaboratively in this Parliament to make the lives of all…

Speech from the Throne

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Ottawa Centre for his question and offer him best wishes for the new year. It is a very serious question with respect to what we have seen this past weekend and what we are seeing very much today outside of this chamber. I stand in support of the farmers and the vegetable producers in Flamborough and Glanbrook I have talked to who need trucks to get their p…

Speech from the Throne

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Nunavut for the question and offer best wishes for the new year. I certainly support the need for housing in all parts of this country. We know there is a housing crisis and that it is unaffordable for the many young and new Canadians who are seeking housing. The hon. member for Nunavut gave many examples in her community as well. It is something that every…

Routine Proceedings

With regard to dealings between the government and foreign law enforcement or security bodies: (a) what agreements are currently in place related to security and intelligence sharing with foreign states which have not ratified the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UN CAT); (b) does the government ever share the personal information of Canadian citizens with security or intelligence units …

Routine Proceedings

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise and present this petition, as some of my colleagues have, in support of Bill S-223. It includes some signatures from Hamilton and Toronto. As we have heard, Bill S-223 seeks to combat the abhorrent practice of forced organ harvesting and trafficking, and make it a criminal offence. We have heard that this has been passed by the Senate three times unanimously an…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, in the province of Ontario, where the hon. member is also from, we had a very unfortunate circumstance a few years ago. An indigenous inmate who was 24 years old was held for four years in solitary confinement in a prison in Thunder Bay, Ontario. My colleague spoke about various mental health conditions, supports and considerations that must be taken into account when we deal with l…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, seniors living on a fixed income are among the hardest hit by the inflation crisis. There are quite a few seniors living in villages in my riding, often retired steelworkers from Hamilton. These are the seniors who built this country and made it strong. Recently I heard from Heinz in Flamborough, who had already been struggling with high heating costs and high grocery costs before thi…

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, I am going to have to disagree with my colleagues from Winnipeg and Manitoba, because, as a proud Hamilton area MP, it is a great pleasure to rise and recognize the champions of the CFL's east division, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have had an incredible season. It has been one of sheer grit and determination, which is much like the story of Hamilton itself. It is …