Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my friend from Regina—Qu'Appelle went wrong in his commentary. I hate the misuse of the English language by saying “the exact same”; it is redundant, but the the tanker ban, which I fear may be overturned as of today by the MOU, applies to areas of the northwest coast of British Columbia, and the hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle said it did not apply to U.S. tankers that were using “…
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Mr. Speaker, this is tough. It is true that it is practically impossible to honour both the commitment to the Paris Agreement and the agreement with Alberta at the same time. I will always do my best. I will hold the Prime Minister accountable. He made a promise on the floor of the House of Commons. He does not get to duck it a week later.
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Mr. Speaker, I would love to say it is a pleasure for me to take the floor today to speak to Bill C-15, but it is the opposite of a pleasure. It is reliving a nightmare. I am going to start by pointing out a few things that have been missed in the discussion of the budget and the budget implementation act. First, I want to share with colleagues something I do not think anyone has mentioned, and I …
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Mr. Speaker, of course the Prime Minister told me what I wanted to hear. What I wanted to know from the Prime Minister is that the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to about 2°C, which we committed to through the Paris Agreement, will be honoured and that this is possible. Today, in light of the agreement with Ms. Smith from Alberta, I think it is almost impossi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I wonder if Canadians realize how much many of us as MPs want to be team Canada. We want to be united. We know we need to put Canada first, but the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act requires that we ignore whether Canada is put first when it decides where billions of dollars of our pensions are invested. Will the government update the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually today to present a petition of deep concern to constituents who are looking at the health of Canada's watersheds, waterways and wetlands. They are asking that the House examine our antiquated laws relating to protecting our waters and watersheds to ensure that they meet the challenges of the 21st century. They ask that the government review, update,…
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Madam Speaker, I have long been troubled by the fact that sureties, and the member raised this issue, do not have to put forward the money themselves, and people do not go after them. It happens that my stepson is a criminal prosecutor for the Province of British Columbia. One thing that is maddening is that, if someone got their mother to put up the bail money, she could lose her house because, a…
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Mr. Speaker, I am saying this from the bottom of my non-partisan heart: The last exchange was unfortunate. I have been in Bill C-14 debates; the hon. Minister of Justice spoke yesterday, and there have been some really respectful exchanges. I want to mention something said yesterday by the hon. member for Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, himself a criminal prosecutor with lots of experience. He …
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Madam Speaker, I note that at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the director of the criminal justice program has pointed out that three successive ministers of justice have noted that we do not have any standardized approach to collecting data about how many people who apply for bail get it. The vast majority do not, and without standardized data, we are making reforms without necessarily …
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Madam Speaker, the member's take on the legislation is fascinating. I know how hard he has worked in this area. I would be very grateful to share ideas for reasonable amendments. My sense from the minister is that he and the government are open to amendments. My question to my hon. colleague is this: Has he also been asking to see how open the Liberals are to improve the bill through amendments?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to present petition e-6563, which more than 1,160 Canadians have signed. It speaks to the issue of private sponsorship refugee applications, which were paused until December 31 of this year, but many approved privately sponsored refugee applicants are experiencing significant delays, some waiting for over a year for interviews at the Canadian embassy in A…
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member asked me to repeat the last line, which was to ask my colleague if he had indications, as I feel I have, that the government will consider helpful amendments that would allow us to support the bill. I know that he has criticisms, and I have criticisms. Maybe we can compromise and get a better bill.
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to share with Canadians how much respect and affection I have for the hon. parliamentary secretary, who, as a medical doctor, was the public health officer for Yukon during COVID. That is no small thing, and now he serves as a member of Parliament. The fact that I think he may have picked the wrong party does not really make any difference at this point. We are in a common disc…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise this evening in Adjournment Proceedings to pursue a matter I raised on October 8. It is an unusual question I want to pursue tonight because it is not a “gotcha” moment. It is not about how I wish the government had done this but failed to. I was very impressed and, I must say, inspired by a piece written in The Globe and Mail on October 3 by a Canadian profess…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Green Party also agrees to apply the vote and will be voting yes.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, this is really a question of privilege, because what the hon. member just said leaves on the record something that could affect my ability to do my job. I do not give anyone here direction, not even Green Party members when I have some with me. Because I respect enormously the hon. member for Lanark—Frontenac, I just wanted him to be properly acknowledged in this place as the member…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this place, as always, representing the people of Saanich—Gulf Islands from the traditional territory of the W_SÁNEC nation. Hych’ka Siam. The petitioners are concerned about the export of thermal coal from Canadian ports. This coal generally comes up from the United States, is shipped to the port of Vancouver and leaves from our port. Colleagues might ask w…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is the 80th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations. Canada has an enviable reputation, but it is from long ago, when we were leaders in fighting for human rights and leaders in peacekeeping. I would like to ask the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs if Canada is rethinking our current position. Will we continue to ignore the work of the Treaty on the Prohibition of N…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is a small matter, but just so the technical people know and the Speaker's office knows, an erroneous message was sent to all members that we were going to have a vote and that the bells were ringing. I know that the IT people do a spectacular job for us in this place, but I wanted to make sure that it was noted, so that the problem could be corrected.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition that is timely as we approach Remembrance Day, on behalf of constituents in Saanich—Gulf Islands, Canadian Forces members and veterans who are looking at the compensation act and some implicit unfairness in the compensation act that requires veterans who have suffered injuries to remain inadequately compensated. They point out that Veterans Affairs Canada …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if my hon. colleague for Hamilton Centre could provide any insight. I have asked previous Liberals speaking to Bill C-12 whether Bill C-2 is going to be withdrawn. On the Order Paper, we now have two bills that are nearly identical. Both are unacceptable. Are there plans to withdraw Bill C-2?
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome my hon. colleague to the House. This is the first chance I have had to address the new member for Bow River. I will miss his predecessor. We always had a good time in this place. I just want to correct one aspect of my hon. colleague's speech. This is certainly not a point of order; it is debate, but he did say that only the Conservative Party will stand up. I just want to m…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-12, which is what is listed today under Government Orders. We have a very strange situation at the moment in that the bill is substantially similar, with the same title and almost all the same sections, to Bill C-2, which remains on the Order Paper. I draw attention to that as I go over the rules only because this is, to me, an unprec…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of concerns for the residents of northern Manitoba. They face many issues, and we should certainly pay attention to the Port of Churchill. There are many things that need to be done, but no one needs to open our mail to protect us from fentanyl. I have talked to the Minister of Justice about this. Many accommodations could be made. Mail, unlike many other objects that may…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Kamloops, who practises law there. Parenthetically, I think we could use more lawyers in this place. We could use people who understand how to read legislation and can say, “Ah, this seems to have something funny about it. We don't want warrantless access to our private information.” I agree with my friend from Kamloops that it is concerning that the gov…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, we certainly support the CBSA. We have felt for some time that to the extent that our border was in any way porous, it was not because of the risk of fentanyl coming from Canada into the U.S., as Mr. Trump seems to believe, but rather the opposite. In particular, it is because of other drugs, precursors of other drugs and illegal weapons coming from the U.S. into Canada. CBSA off…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, petitioners have asked me to speak on their behalf as constituents of Saanich—Gulf Islands concerned about a new and emerging industry, believe it or not, of cephalopod farming. That is, in fact, octopus and squid farming. The animals are bred in captivity, slaughtered for human consumption. Canada currently has no legislation to regulate or govern this emerging potential industry, an…
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Mr. Speaker, I would love to dive into some of the refugee questions, but I know the member's knowledge of this place, and I wonder whether she would agree with me that the change from Bill C-2 to Bill C-12 still leaves us with an omnibus bill. The member has chosen to focus on the refugee portions, which I appreciate. I am very concerned about the refugee portions of Bill C-2 and now Bill C-12. T…
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Mr. Speaker, probing the problem that this is an omnibus bill, most of the debate this afternoon on Bill C-12 was related to its immigration and refugee parts, but there are multiple parts on different acts. I am hoping my hon. colleague from Saskatoon West would agree with me that it would be far preferable, given the complexity of immigration and refugee issues, if the bill were to be split apar…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in Adjournment Proceedings this evening. I am pursuing a question that I initially asked on September 26, not that long ago. I raised in the House in question period a really extraordinary experience I had earlier in the week while meeting with very brave Guatemalan indigenous women who had come to Canada to ask for our help in dealing with a Canadian mining co…
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Mr. Speaker, I am hoping no one in the government benches is surprised that I am very disappointed by this. To point to modern legislation and to say we are against slavery, forced labour and child labour is hardly to say that Canada is in the lead. Yes, the same member of Parliament I mentioned before, John McKay, was very involved in bringing forward the legislation against forced labour. So was…
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Madam Speaker, I echo some of the questions the minister has heard from members on the opposite benches about similarities with Bill C-2 and whether Bill C-2 remains as it does on the order of precedence. My question is about RCMP training. It is really critical. I want to know if the Minister of Public Safety has read the report of the Mass Casualty Commission that was compelled after the deaths …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is a honour to rise to raise an issue of deep concern to constituents. Petitioners are writing about the threat to our pollinators. It is a global threat that is here in Canada. The petitioners note that our government is not taking the steps that have been taken in the European Union, which is following the precautionary principle. Those governments and the European Commission hav…
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Mr. Speaker, I apologize to the hon. member that I am going to ask a question that was not raised in her speech, but earlier by members of her party who put things before the House that I would like to challenge a bit. The Darlington project is being touted as proof that the government is bringing economic benefit to Canada, but that project, to build an SMR, a so-called small modular reactor, if …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the proof will be in the pudding on November 4. Will the budget include serious increases to our overseas development assistance? It is not going to be enough to say we are holding steady, because we have been laggards for too long. It is not enough to say we will hold steady on what we do on peacekeeping, because we have not done enough for a very long time, even though peacekeeping …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to pursue a question that I first asked on June 17 of this year. Looking at the reality that we have not had a budget yet, but will see soon, we have been told that we are going to see massive increases in military spending. The point of my question was to ask if we were not aware that geopolitical security does not necessarily come from arming ourselves to the teeth but to pre…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, eminent Arctic expert Professor Franklyn Griffiths wrote that Canada needs to consider the possibility that the U.S. President will without our permission send American warships through the Northwest Passage as a show of force. He asked a very pertinent question: What will Canada do? He asked whether the Prime Minister would be prepared to start by thanking the Inuit peo…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today with a petition from the residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands who express concern about the electoral system. They cite a number of statistics on the level of public support across Canada in response to the distorted electoral results that have occurred due to the first-past-the-post voting system. The petitioners favour a form of national citizens' assembly…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today is Bike Day on the Hill. In a non-partisan spirit, I will give a shout-out to the former MP in this place who always led bike day, John Weston, who used to represent West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. I want to pay tribute to the wonderful volunteers in Saanich—Gulf Islands who have worked so hard to make sure we have paths for safe cycling. To Island Pathways on …
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Mr. Speaker, I am not commenting on the presence or absence of anyone, but, given the numbers of us here, it seems we could listen to a speech without the heckling.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for sharing his time. I am honoured to rise today to present a petition. Many parliamentarians here will know that Coalition Canada Basic Income is meeting with many of us today. It is my honour to present on behalf of my constituents a petition that points out the need for a guaranteed livable monthly income so…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for a very fair question. What I put my belief in is what the people who asked for this think, those who have co-created this proposal, this creation of a commissioner with audit and reporting powers and the ability to push and report to Parliament. It might not be what I would come up with, but who cares? I am a settler member of Parliament, and I wo…
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Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that it is not for me to imagine the attributes. I asked the leaders of the Land Claims Agreements Coalition whether they had been thinking about what attributes the commissioner would have, what kind of person it would be. Yes, they are confident they will be consulted. Yes, they are confident this person will have the kind of wisdom and the attributes that come from…
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Mr. Speaker, I would, again, ask colleagues to consider what we have before us as an opportunity in this country to reimagine ourselves. Canada is the best country in the world, there is no question, but could we not, as the Order of Canada's slogan says, desire a better country? This does not mean somewhere else; this means here. Becoming a better country means facing a legacy of abuse and recogn…
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Mr. Speaker, again, this is a very fair question. No one in the opposition parties is going to say it is a good idea because it belongs to one party or another. If the Conservatives had formed government, I would say the same thing: It could just be something they say they are going to do. With the Liberals there is also a track record. I do not want to make this partisan. All I know is this: I am…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour for me to rise this afternoon to speak to Bill C‑10. It is also an honour to stop, especially given the content of the legislation, to recognize that we are all on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation. To them, we say meegwetch. We recognize in this country, and it is quite a stunning thing when one starts diving into it, how many nations and l…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Mirabel, a member of the Bloc Québécois, is right. There are other problems in his riding, like environmental justice or environmental and toxic threats. I know them well. Bill C‑10 is not the answer to every problem facing indigenous peoples, but it is certainly a vital step in that direction and I would ask all of my colleagues to vote for it.
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Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, we have some bad habits here. No particular party is to blame. There are five parties here. We are at our best when we work together. What we all need to do right now is ignore campaign sign colours. We just need to consider what is best for everyone. Members should forget their party colours and do what is right.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think my friend from Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes and I have had an across-the-aisle exchange yet. I congratulate him on his re-election. I would ask the member to please reconsider. There are a lot of reasons that those nations in this country, the indigenous nations that form the 26 modern treaties that have been signed and negotiated, have waited too long. The bill before us …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to present a petition on something of concern to many of my constituents, which is the rather stale issue, still not solved, of equal pay for work of equal value, and gender parity as required under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Women in Canada are still not paid equal pay for work of equal value. Women receive 21¢ less than men for every dollar earne…
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