Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, my thanks to the hon. member for Edmonton Griesbach for an extremely helpful view of the procurement processes and the need to go through those to remove the exploitation once again of indigenous peoples through fakery. I want to put a question forward really clearly. Reconciliation has to be more than land and territorial acknowledgement. This is the land we are standing on today t…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague, the parliamentary secretary. I would like to add a few words about the environmental impact of this project. The planned project site is located on wetlands that are really important for biodiversity. What is more, the region's forests have already been subject to clear-cut logging. Environmentalists in this region of Quebec are strongly opposed to thi…
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise this afternoon. The petitioners have asked that the House assembled take action on the situation for the homeless in Canada. They note in this petition that the homeless are mistreated and discriminated against in a routine fashion. Many NGOs and governments are approaching the issue with what they term are best described as band-aid methods. The petitioners …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, it is always good to see you in the chair. My comment to the parliamentary secretary is to stay within the focus of today's debate, even though I certainly sympathize with the unusual aspect of overruling the cautions of the Auditor General and the RCMP. I am still very troubled. It is just not the government's position to do the easiest thing and, however many boxes of documents ther…
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Madam Speaker, I want to start by thanking a member of the member's caucus, who was speaking moments ago, the hon. member for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, for his service on behalf of this country in Afghanistan and for his work to help rescue women from Afghanistan. We can work together across party lines in this place. My question for the parliamentary secretary might be taken from a Conservative poin…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, at the time that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed, there was no left-right, Republican-Democrat or Liberal-Conservative divide on doing what science required. Maggie Thatcher and Brian Mulroney were front of the pack to get the treaty, but now Donald Trump is re-entering the White House, and we know that one of his first acts was to withdraw from th…
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Mr. Speaker, on behalf of many constituents in Saanich—Gulf Islands, it is an honour to rise to present a petition dealing with the intersecting issues of the importance of old-growth forests for biodiversity, for climate action and indeed for their integral role in the traditional, cultural and spiritual wisdom of the indigenous peoples of this area, as well as looking at the threat to old-growth…
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Madam Speaker, I have to tell the hon. parliamentary secretary that I think his commitment and his government's commitment to nuclear energy is entirely misplaced and lacking any evidence making any kind of reasonable case that nuclear energy contributes to addressing the climate crisis. I note the parliamentary secretary's point to the hon. member for Repentigny about radioisotopes. I recommend t…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for Repentigny and the Bloc Québécois as a whole for their work. I read this supplementary report to the report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. I agree entirely with all of the Bloc Québécois's recommendations for better protecting our environment and human health from the dangers of nuclear waste. My only question for …
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that we have a rare opportunity to talk about nuclear energy, although it is far too brief and without enough time for me to have a speaking slot. The government over the years, starting with the government of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, began shovelling billions toward the nuclear industry and set up Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Then the government of Steph…
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Mr. Speaker, to be brief, the petitioners in my constituency are very concerned about the inequality in pay for work of equal value, which has been ongoing for decades. In this country, women still receive 21¢ less than men for every dollar, on average, for doing basically the same work. In order to ensure that women and children are not living in poverty, we must have pay equity. The petitioners …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I am puzzled by the last comment from the member of Parliament for Waterloo. Deepak Obhrai, who was a wonderful Conservative member of Parliament, whom we miss, used to host Diwali on the Hill. What happened—
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am picking up on a question that I asked on World Environment Day, June 5 every year. On June 5, 2024, I asked the government and the Prime Minister how they could reconcile claiming to want to protect the endangered southern resident killer whale while also expanding the activities that we know put the survival of that species at risk. The activities I specifically mentioned were t…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the hon. parliamentary secretary for the reference to the late and extraordinary Judge Murray Sinclair, who was the sponsor in the Senate of the bill I took through the House of Commons to ban the keeping of whales in captivity. He will be deeply missed. In the 45 seconds I have left, let me just say to the parliamentary secretary that the Southern Gulf Islands Whale Sightin…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually today because I am hovering near where my new granddaughter was just born. That is not part of the petition. I am very pleased to present a petition that does relate to motherhood. It is from an unusual group of petitioners; they are all physicians who are also mothers. The petitioners, as physicians and as mothers, ask the House to pay attention to t…
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Madam Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to add my statement on behalf of the Green Party of Canada. I think we are united in this place, and I echo the words of all my colleagues. I agree with what members of all parties have said this morning. We are all on the same page. We will remember. We will never forget—
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am grateful to my colleagues for granting unanimous consent for me to speak on the subject of Remembrance Day and Veterans' Week. I want to speak briefly. I certainly echo the words of all my colleagues, particularly the very detailed enumeration of the number of wrongs done to our veterans. I offer a huge thanks to all past members of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as those c…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today under Standing Order 31 to praise and thank the extraordinary volunteer efforts of conservation organizations within Saanich—Gulf Islands, and in particular, the Peninsula Streams Society and the Saanich Inlet Protection Society. I want to speak particularly to the testimony given on behalf of Friends of Shoal Harbour by Bob Peart just this last Monday, October 28, to our…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we have an unspeakable tragedy of a Canadian mother of six, known only as F.J., whose six children were repatriated to Canada, but the government refused to allow their mother to travel with them. She is now dead in a Turkish prison. I ask the hon. government members here, the Minister of Public Safety and the minister for international affairs, if will they follow the requirements of…
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Madam Speaker, I am interested in raising a point because there is a certain irony here. I should put it on the record that the Green Party supports the CBC and wants to see commercial-free news and a public affairs function for CBC Television. We would like to see that for Radio-Canada as well, for programs broadcast on radio and television. I am puzzled by the Conservative stance, which appears …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, if I could have, I would have supported the hon. member's subamendment if it had been in the proper form. Restoring what we used to call “the suppertime news” to local communities is an essential part of a healthy democracy, as is a news service that can be provided in a way that gives Canadians a shared context. That helps us minimize the impact of disinformation from social media.…
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Mr. Speaker, I am sharing without indicating my own views. It is an experience I share with many constituents, and it comes up in every single town hall meeting. The petitioners are pointing to the family doctor shortage, pointing to the fact that nearly five million Canadians do not have access to their own health care provider. They are asking that the government and the House assembled work wit…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I want to pick up on something my colleague from Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke said. It was not quite phrased this way, but she said that the Liberal backbenchers had failed to take the actions that could replace the Prime Minister. I want to draw the House's attention to the admirable private member's bill from the member for Wellington—Halton Hills, generally known as the Reform Act. I…
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Madam Speaker, as we approach Remembrance Day, I wanted to present a petition on behalf of my constituents who want to extend tangible support for so many veterans who suffer with PTSD and who recognize that a service dog can provide better therapy than pharmaceutical drugs and is one of the best ways to provide continuing daily supports to countless veterans. It is expensive to get an OSI-PTSD se…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I was surprised to hear my hon. friend, the member for Saskatoon—University's, vigorous defence of SNC-Lavalin and the call for the government to give it more money. The fact that it changed its name to AtkinsRéalis does not change anything; it is the same corrupt corporation it was before. I certainly favour, and I wonder whether the hon. member for Saskatoon—University also favour…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I thought the hon. member for Hamilton Centre made a very good point. I know that a number of members have worked on exposing what went on at Sustainable Development Technology Canada, and it is not really a partisan issue. There was a breakdown of basic functionality in a committee that had worked well before. In addition to the work of Conservative members, would the member for Ca…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, a recent article and detailed study in Canada's National Observer pointed out that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency worked hand in glove with the pesticide manufacturer Bayer to stop the impending ban of dangerous neonicotinoid insecticides posing threats to human health and the environment. My question is simple: Will the government ban these insecticides and do an investigation…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to present a petition on behalf of my constituents. This is the first time I have presented this petition. It deals with a practice of online gaming companies to implement planned obsolescence. If a consumer buys a product, they want to be able to continue to use it. The online gaming companies will withdraw the service if the consumer does not continue t…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise virtually this evening to pursue a question that I asked in the House some months ago. It was on the occasion of a wonderful conference that took place in Ottawa, called Vote16. There are movements across this country of people who want to see the voting age lowered to 16 years old. I am going to canvass very quickly why that is because the response I received that day from t…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I really appreciate that the hon. parliamentary secretary made those points. Clearly, I appreciate the changes to the Elections Act to allow 16-year-olds to pre-register. However, nothing is going to have an impact on youth voting like moving the voting age to 16. I hear from 16-year-olds sometimes who say, “Maybe we don't know enough yet.” However, I would remind all colleagues her…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually today in the House to present a petition on behalf of residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands. It is petition 130-25233. The petitioners wish to draw the awareness of the House to the public health emergency that is the opioid crisis, and otherwise referred to as an “overdose crisis.” The British Columbia public health officer has already recognized that th…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually in the House this morning to present a petition from constituents. Because I am presenting the petition electronically, it is petition 441-02719. The petition relates to the construction by the Department of National Defence of a training facility at Hartlen Point, Nova Scotia. Petitioners are concerned that there will be significant damage to importa…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I agree with most of what my friend from King—Vaughan said. The facts of the SDTC case, the fact that a previously well run institution providing funding for emerging technologies went so far off the rails is deeply concerning, so I do not want my question to seem to be trivializing it. We have an Auditor General report and, at the request of the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Is…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, as I am observing, and I do apologize, as I am participating virtually, but it did appear to me that the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay was accused of posting something anti-Semitic specific to his name and the name of his riding, saying he had done it by tweet. It does strike me that this is unparliamentary. Again, I am not attempting to call any of your rulings into question. I j…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues for their own memories. That was 10 years ago, but, as my colleagues have already said, the tragedy had begun on October 20 with the murder of Patrice Vincent. A lot of us were here that day. I really resonated with the words of our colleagues who remember that day. I remember, as the leader of the official opposition was saying, what it was like inside th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise to present a petition from my constituents. I identify it as petition number 12404906. Petitioners express concern, as do British Columbians in general, about the plight of our west coast wild Pacific salmon. A deep concern about the Fraser River sockeye run led to the commission of inquiry referenced in the petition, chaired by Mr. Justice Cohen and put in pla…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I think we have a bigger problem than one of a partisan label. I appreciate my hon. colleague raising the issue of using outside contractors as opposed to people within our civil service; so, McKinsey, Deloitte, all of them. We saw a real increase in contracting out that started around 2005 with the idea of getting rid of individual service providers within each department and just ha…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague from Calgary Skyview put his finger on a really significant problem. I very much welcome the study undertaken by the public safety and national security standing committee, but the Hogue inquiry, by its terms of reference, is solely focused on foreign interference in our democratic processes within, for instance, elections. We know, as the member for Calgary Skyview …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I want to ask a difficult question. I will try to put it concisely. The worst act of terrorism on Canadian soil ever was, of course, June 23, 1985, with the bombing of Air India by a very far different diaspora group, the Khalistan Sikh extremists, who, of course, are at the opposite end of the political spectrum from Prime Minister Modi and his Hindu nationalist, very right-wing part…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with the comment my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean made when he asked a Conservative member a question. He asked why the hon. leader of the official opposition refused to get his security clearance. I agree with him. As the member for Edmonton Mill Woods said, the leader of the Conservative Party received a briefing. That is true. I got the briefing and I asked if th…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, the hon. member in her speech noted how the Indian government has refused to cooperate. In the security briefing I received, I was very struck by what were described as plan A, plan B and plan C, as senior RCMP officers and senior Canadian diplomats attempted to show the Indian government the evidence. I wonder whether all members of this place have already heard about plan A in Del…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, to my hon. friend from Calgary Forest Lawn, it is very important to not only get a security briefing but to understand the nature of the obligations of Canada, our intelligence gathering and security experts and the relationship they must have with our Five Eyes partners. As much I believe he sincerely thinks releasing names would be an easy thing to do, to do so might jeopardize wh…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I certainly resonate with the comments made by the member for Edmonton Strathcona that the Modi government displays a hard-right approach of polarization and of fomenting hate against minority groups within India. Our focus tonight is the horror of the RCMP's allegations that the Indian government is actually interfering with and, in fact, responsible for the deaths of Canadians on ou…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague from Thornhill has posited to the House that, if someone does not want to release the names, they are hiding from accountability. As somebody who has a chief top secret security clearance and never hides from anything, I want to assure her that the main concern I have is to abide by the law. I was trained in law; the law matters, and our security laws and the protect…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I want to underscore once again my admiration for the member for Edmonton Strathcona's consistent work in human rights and peace. I benefit from working with her. I support the bullet points she has put forward for what we must do to take on the right-wing populist, Hindu nationalist approach fomenting violence against minority groups within India, and regarding the Modi government an…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, to my friend for Kildonan—St. Paul, the first time that Canadians experienced a government refusing to send documents and creating a crisis was on the issue of the Afghan detainee documents and the refusal to provide documents, which then, of course, led to an election because the prime minister of the day did not send documents. Instead, he organized the fall of his own government, a…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I do thank my hon. colleague from Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound for the banana republic without benefit of fruit; it is a good one. The hon. member and I do not usually get a chance to exchange with each other in Hansard, and I want to thank him from the bottom of my heart for the work that we and a number of other MPs have been doing together to try to do the right thing by former members of…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, since 2016, the City of Burnaby has opposed the Trans Mountain pipeline because of what it sees as an unacceptable risk of fire in populated areas from the expanded tank farm. Last week, the TMX corporation bribed and gagged the City of Burnaby, paying them $21 million over 20 years to say, “Do not criticize us anymore. It is now a rule. You are not allowed to say anything about the T…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is hard to have a brief question because the hon. member and friend from Sarnia made so many telling points, particularly remembering Bill Casey, the former member in this place for Cumberland—Colchester. Right after hurricane Katrina in 2005, I remember him speaking to me about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change having identified the two most vulnerable places in Nort…
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Madam Speaker, constituents of Saanich—Gulf Islands are very concerned and have asked that this petition be presented, and I imagine that members from all sides of the House hear from their constituents to the same degree. The undersigned citizens of Canada bringing forward this petition ask that the federal government and the House of Commons work with all orders of government, particularly the p…
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