Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague that people are really struggling right now. In Vancouver Kingsway, people are having trouble paying their skyrocketing rent; they cannot afford a home, and they are living paycheque to paycheque. They are facing food insecurity. People need help. My colleague referred to one of her constituents, Stephanie. One of my constituents, a senior named Mary, …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, young Canadians are facing a serious crisis. Youth unemployment is now double the national average, and job security and workplace benefits are becoming a thing of the past. The cost of food is soaring, rent is skyrocketing and the cost of living is crushing. Young people do not have a fair shot under the Liberals, and the Conservatives' only answer is to cut services. Young Canadians…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to present a petition on behalf of Vancouver firefighters in IAFF Local 18. It addresses an urgent issue that has an impact on the health and safety of firefighters across Canada. This petition, sponsored by my great colleague, the NDP MP for New Westminster—Burnaby, calls for immediate action to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, in firefighter gear and firef…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague continues to speak about calling an election. A million Canadians have now accessed the NDP's Canadian dental care plan. Would the member support the elimination of the Canadian dental care plan were he to form government? Is that the position of the Conservative Party?
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege of serving with my hon. colleague on the health committee for some time, and as he has told the House, he was a family physician for 26 years. He would, then, know of course that unmet oral health needs and poor oral health lead to serious overall health problems like cardiac issues, diabetes complications, low birth rate in women and infections of the upper a…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague spoke quite rightly about the waste of $400 million and said this money would have been much better put into our health care system. I agree with him. He also called on the Liberals to apologize for that waste of money. I was in this House when the Conservatives were last in power. They wasted $2 billion on the Phoenix pay scandal, something we are still paying for…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to budget 2024 and the government’s subsequent amendments to the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act and the Canada Student Loans Act: (a) what criteria did the government use to develop the list of health care professionals and social services professionals included in the amendments; (b) which health care professionals and social services professionals were included in the assess…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague gave a serious speech, so I think it deserves a serious question. I agree fully that this entire spectacle is a disgrace. We had contracts being given and money being misspent. Taxpayers do deserve answers, and I agree that documents do need to be disclosed. From what I understand, the Speaker's ruling says that the documents must be disclosed to PROC. It appears t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the U.S. government has fined TD Bank over $3 billion after it plead guilty to money laundering charges. This case raises serious questions about federal oversight of Canadian banks and undermines our global reputation. Working Canadians have to play by the rules, but when banking executives put profits above the law, the government looks the other way. What have the Liberals done to …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-416, An Act to designate the month of October as Hungarian Heritage Month. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to introduce legislation to designate October as Hungarian heritage month. By introducing this bill on October 23, we honour those Hungarian patriots who fought for freedom, democracy and human rights in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. I am proud tha…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, prior to the current Liberal government, which has been in power for nine years, the Conservatives were in power for nine years. I happened to be in the House for most of that time, and under the Conservative government, the Phoenix pay scandal cost taxpayers $2 billion, a $50-million slush fund was administered by Tony Clement and there were a number of Senate scandals. Also, the Har…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, a new report paints a disturbing picture of economic injustice in Canada. Income inequality has hit the highest level ever recorded, and the bottom 40% of Canadians hold less than 3% of Canada's wealth. The Liberals let this happen, caving to wealthy CEOs jacking up grocery prices and rent, while the Conservatives want to cut programs like the NDP's pharmacare and dental care that wil…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as the NDP finance critic, I know that small and medium-sized businesses are the real engine of our economy. From coast to coast, these enterprises employ millions of Canadians and contribute essential goods, services and benefits to every community in our nation. They are responsible for 50% of Canada's GDP, employ 65% of all workers and create the majority of new jobs every year. Ho…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague said that corruption is not a feature of this place generally but of the Liberal Party. I was in the house when the Harper government, the Conservative government, was found in contempt twice for exactly the type of issue that is before the House being debated, which is refusing to produce documents it had been ordered to produce by the House. It concerned Afghan det…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I note that the motion under debate has to do with the failure of government to produce documents, and I share my colleague's commitment to accountability and the doctrine that Parliament is supreme. I was in the House in 2011 when Speaker Milliken found the Conservative government in contempt of Parliament for refusing to hand over documents, just as this motion is calling for. The d…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, throughout this debate, the Conservatives continually do not want any focus on their last time in government, which just ended in 2015. They were the government before this one. What happened in that government? Twice the Conservatives were found in contempt of Parliament, for the first time in history. They had a multi-billion-dollar loss of taxpayer dollars in the Phoenix pay scan…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the federal government's 2024-25 budget included an important reform to the taxation of capital gains. Changing the way we tax capital gains is something that has been called for by progressive voices in this country for decades. Capital gains occur when an asset is sold for more than it costs to acquire and maintain. However, there are a number of very important exceptions to this …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague spoke about the number one issue for his constituents being affordability. That is the same issue I have heard about from constituents in my riding of Vancouver Kingsway. We come from the same province. The NDP has addressed that in a number of ways. One was by bringing in dental care for nine million people so it would no longer be the case that they spend thousan…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-63 is an act that is basically split into two parts, and the first part of it is aimed at reducing exposure to harmful content. It would put in place special protection provisions for children as well as make online service providers accountable. It is particularly aimed at addressing online child sexual exploitation, which has increased 290% over the last 10 years. The second …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his excellent speech and for all the intelligence, wisdom and experience he brings from the agricultural sector. I want to ask him about the cost of the climate crisis. The Conservatives seem to know the price of everything and the value of nothing. There is an old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What is the cost to Canada's …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is most interesting that it was Conservatives in Canada who brought in the first carbon tax. It was Conservatives in Alberta and then Conservatives in British Columbia who introduced the price on carbon in this country. The Conservatives here campaigned on it federally in 2019, but they have amnesia. My question is about the cost of not dealing with the climate crisis. It is true…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals just appointed Mark Carney, a millionaire investment banker from Goldman Sachs, to dictate their economic agenda. The Conservatives have lobbyists from Loblaws and Walmart sitting on their front bench and setting policy. New Democrats are listening to working Canadians, who are experiencing real economic struggles on the ground. Canadians deserve a government that underst…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the contracts and services provided to the Department of Justice (DOJ) from January 1, 2016, to May 31, 2024, by Canadian Development Consultants International Inc. (CDCI) in connection with legal proceedings brought by survivors of the LGBT Purge from 2016 on, including the 2017 class action lawsuit: (a) what are the details of all agreements entered into between CDCI and the DOJ, …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Historical Section of Global Affairs Canada (GAC): (a) what is the mandate of the section and the job description, background and qualifications of the current head of the section; (b) where are the records of the section currently held; (c) is there an index or listing accessible to the public of the records currently held by the section; (d) what policies and procedures exist …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I yearn for the day when we can bring in an authentic New Democrat federal budget in this country to deliver those values. We do not share the values of the other parties in this House. We believe that no Canadian should live in poverty and that positive measures and policies can realistically achieve that. For instance, my hon. colleague from Winnipeg Centre has a bill in this Hous…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there are a lot of issues in this budget that we do not have time to touch on, but I am very grateful he raised that one because the spirit of volunteerism in this country and the things that bind communities together, particularly in rural Canada, deserve to be recognized. This budget would do that by doubling the search and rescue and volunteer firefighter tax credit from $3,000 t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there is a lot to that question. I would say to Canadians that this is not their fathers' Conservative Party, but a mean-spirited, fact-free, Donald Trump-influenced party that has reduced politics to slogans. I call it “nursery rhyme politics” or “bumper sticker politics”, where Conservatives take complex, serious issues in this country and reduce them to a jingle. That is not goin…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I think it is important for us to remember some basic facts. The first is that the capital gains exemption for principal residences is maintained in the budget, so Canadians can purchase their own principal residence and sell it tax-free. That remains. I know that people are worried about how the change might affect gains on the sale of a property such as a rental property or a seco…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am really privileged to serve on the finance committee with my hon. colleague, and I want to thank him for all of his excellent contributions at committee. My question to him is on the capital gains exclusion issue, which is not covered by this bill, but, as he points out, will be in legislation coming to this House soon. He heard evidence today suggesting that when the Conservati…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to stand and speak to the budget bill, Bill C-69, here in the House today. I think budgets are an opportunity for us to examine the values that we have as a nation. To many people in this House, government can be a force for good, but others, and I am thinking of my Conservative colleagues, view government as something to be feared, something to be shrunk and something …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the NDP has been working for years to make sure that every Canadian has access to the dental care they need. We were driving forth motions in the House over the last decade that the Liberals and Conservatives voted against, and the Bloc seemed not to support them either. One of the things we are most proud of in our confidence and supply agreement is that the NDP compelled the gover…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I had the benefit of being in the same finance committee meeting as my hon. colleague this morning, where I heard the same evidence about the capital gains inclusion rates. Of course, most of what my hon. colleague has just said in here was simply contradicted by the evidence, including that there is zero evidence that the capital gains inclusion would have any negative effect on jo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have always thought that the phrase “Taxes are [the price] we pay for [living in a] civilized society” is quite apt. I would say that for New Democrats, there are a number of really important concepts that underpin our approach to taxes. One is that they should be progressive, which means that if we have to raise money for the government we should do so in a fair way and according t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I share my hon. colleague's position that the federal government should be shouldering its fair share of health care in this country. Successive Conservative and Liberal governments have whittled it down to about 22%. I agree with him that the slide should be reversed and that we should be going back up toward the 50% federal-provincial agreement that underpinned the formation of medi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is always somewhat ironic when a Conservative rises in the House and talks about responsible government spending. In 2008, the Department of Finance analyzed the spending of every government of every hue and at every level in Canada since 1867, and found that it was New Democratic governments that balanced their budget the highest percentage of times. That is not an ideological sta…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to split my time with the wonderful member for New Westminster—Burnaby. Tonight we debate a supply bill, and for those Canadians who may be watching, this is an important parliamentary vehicle that authorizes the spending of money to pay for government programs and services. It has been said that it is the primary duty of parliamentarians to scrutinize and authorize exe…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, people in Vancouver Kingsway are really struggling to find a home they can afford. A two-bedroom apartment costs over $3,600 a month, which is the highest cost in the country. The average renter is now spending 60% of their income on rent, or double the recommended amount. This is the result of decades of underfunding by Liberal and Conservative governments. The Liberals are failing t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The first follows the Gutsy Walk that just happened across this country to bring attention to irritable bowel syndrome and those suffering from Crohn's and colitis. The people who signed the petition point out that safe access to washrooms is a basic physical need and necessary for participation in civic life, the workplace, educational settings …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-393, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (electronic products recycling program). Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the legislation, with thanks to the great member for Victoria for seconding it. The legislation would ensure that all electronic products containing toxic substances sold in Canada would be disposed of and recycled in a r…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with the second petition, petitioners note that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put an unsustainable level of strain on Canada's public health system. They say that provincial health care systems must be brought into compliance with the five criteria of the Canada Health Act. They would like to see facilitation of the development of new post-infection therapeutics, and, more import…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I am sure my hon. colleague did not mean to cast this aspersion, but the phrase she used about selling out for a pension would suggest that one of her colleagues in this place was trading their political beliefs or ideas for money. I am sure she would not want that aspersion to be cast. I think it is unparliamentary, and I would ask her to retract it.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the hon. member said there are some issues at Sustainable Development Technology Canada. Let us go over the basics. Annette Verschuren, the former board chair, as well as being CEO of a Toronto-based energy storage firm called NRStor Inc., participated in approving grants totalling $217,000 to her own company. She refused to recuse herself. SDTC awarded funding to projects that were…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the second petition points out that remote work is a vital accommodation to help disabled individuals, especially those with mobility impairments, to stay in the workforce. The petitioners note that research shows that disabled individuals in the United States were 3.5% more likely to be employed than prepandemic, because of the increased availability of remote work. They point out th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, Canadian history is replete with examples where Canadians of different origin have had their loyalties questioned because of nothing more than their nationality. This includes Italian Canadians, Hungarian Canadians and of course the infamous example of the internment of Japanese Canadians, who had their loyalties questioned simply because of where their heritage came fr…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to introduce today. The first petition notes that Canadians are facing a cost of living crisis, with three in four people reporting that inflation is affecting their ability to meet day-to-day expenses, such as housing, food, transportation and clothing. They note that the workers' share of GDP has been eroding in Canada by falling real wages and the growing gap b…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are hungry and hurting. Liberals have failed to lower food prices while Conservatives promote corporate greed. Over the last three years, grocery prices increased 21% while portions shrank. In 2023 alone, grocery giants made a record $6 billion in profit, all while Canadian families were tightening their belts and missing meals. That is why today New Democrats are forcing Li…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague hit the nail on the head: The Liberals have gone cap in hand to the grocery sector and asked them to act. That is not what is required in these situations. What is required is strong governmental action. They did it with the banks. They brought in a windfall profits tax on the banks. There is no reason they should not do it in the grocery sector. At the end of the da…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I move that the 19th report of the Standing Committee on Finance, presented on Monday, May 6, 2024, be concurred in. I would like to inform the House that I will be splitting my time with the magnificent member for Victoria. Report 19, “Excess Profit Tax on Large Grocery Companies”, was put forward by my predecessor, the former NDP finance critic, Daniel Blaikie, who said the followin…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, there is a huge difference between making a demand of an industry and making a request. The Liberal government has requested that the grocery industry make changes in this country. It has asked that it do that. This industry has proved itself to be gouging Canadians and making record profits. The NDP is talking about compelling it to pay more. I just want to say that the Liberals and …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, no. The only lack here is a lack of listening by my fellow colleague, because I did mention Metro several times in my speech, so I do not know what he is talking about. What is interesting when we talk about greed is that the one difference between New Democrats and Conservatives is this: When we are in power, we are not going to give the corporate sector $60 billion in gifts as the l…
Read full speech →