Government Orders
Madam Speaker, one aspect of this motion is that the government can extend the sittings with the agreement of one other party, and we have heard from multiple speakers on the government side that the justification for that is, of course, that it would represent a majority of Parliament. However, as I understand the motion, should a situation arise where all three opposition parties, including the …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Vaughan—Woodbridge for his thoughts. I would just counter by saying that I believe there is a bit more to this motion than the government is letting on. Obviously, it has been making the argument that having longer sittings, more sittings and more time to debate legislation is good. I would certainly agree with that, but this motion allows for the House to not…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for federal public servants: (a) how many employees of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) have been placed on administrative leave without pay as a result of not meeting the requirement; and (b) how many FedNor employees have had their employment terminated as a result of not meeting the requirement?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, today the carbon tax increases to 11¢ per litre on fuel. Prices in northwestern Ontario and across the country are skyrocketing. Housing prices have doubled, groceries are up across the board and six in 10 Canadian families with kids are now worried they will no longer be able to put food on the table. Inflation is at record highs and families cannot afford to wait for a rebate. The…
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Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition today regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The petitioners note that Canada is home to 1.4 million citizens of Ukrainian descent and that Canada was the first country to recognize Ukrainian independence in 1991. The petitioners are calling on the government to provide further lethal defence weapons and supplies to the Ukrainian people. They are also ca…
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Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I came in at the back half of the member's speech and I did not hear her full remarks. I am sure it was a great speech, and I apologize if my question was covered in her earlier remarks. Given that we know Canadians are facing a cost-of-living crisis, this motion is quite simple in asking for the government not to increase taxes at a time when Canadians can least aff…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from the Liberal Party brings a lot of solution-oriented remarks to this chamber. I always appreciate his interventions. He noted that the carbon tax impacts agriculture disproportionately. I would argue that extends to rural and northern communities of the country more broadly. I am wondering if the member can articulate further some ways he thinks we can support agricul…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to join this important debate and discussion today. Before I get into my formal remarks, I want to tell members that I am wearing a very special tie today. In the spirit of non-partisanship, I want to make note of this because this tie was gifted to me yesterday by a good friend, Anthony, who, as members know, works in the lobby for the NDP. He is a great man. …
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Mr. Speaker, I take the member for Kingston and the Islands' point. I have heard that point raised by a few members here today. I think it goes back to my comments around the carbon tax rebate and the simple fact that Canadians need the dollars right now. They are struggling to get by right now. It is hard for them to make it to the end of the week and they are not sure if they are going to be abl…
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Mr. Speaker, I should have mentioned this in my previous comments, but it is great to see you in the chair again. I appreciate the question from my Bloc colleague, who made a good point around health care specifically and the need for increased health transfers. I stand by that. I frankly do not believe that there is a contradiction there, because I think it comes down to priorities. Obviously nob…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member from my neighbouring riding, just across the border. Obviously, everyone needs to pay their fair share. To the member's point when she said to tax the rich, I do not know specifically what she means when she says that, so I am not going to elaborate on that. We need to ensure everyone is paying their taxes, but what we are saying in our motion…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, I had the opportunity to ask the health minister a very simple question. I asked when the government would put an end to the arbitrary and unscientific PCR testing requirements at our land border. In response, the minister said: Mr. Speaker, I am obviously very pleased to hear one more colleague who cares about the industry of tourism. I do as well, as I just said.…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the parliamentary secretary unfortunately again was not able to answer my question. She did mention that the government is looking at the evidence and basing its decisions on science, but what we see across the country is that provinces are moving forward from their COVID-19 restrictions. The federal government, although it has lifted one restriction, is keeping many in …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, this month marks one year since all long-term boil water advisories on reserves were supposed to have ended. Unfortunately, as we know, despite some positive steps taken by the government, it has failed to meet this promise. Of the 20 communities in Ontario currently affected, over half are in the Kenora riding. The residents of Northwest Angle 33, Bearskin Lake, Deer Lake, Fort Hop…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, for Dr. Kosta Bulavintsev, who is from Ukraine, seeing Russia’s illegal invasion has hit especially close to his heart. In an incredible community initiative through his dental clinic, he has been accepting donations to support the Ukrainian military. So far, they have raised $20,000 and counting. Dr. Kosta has personally committed to matching every single dollar that is contributed…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today marks the end of mask mandates in Ontario and Nova Scotia. Quebec has already ended their vaccine passport requirements. As of March, P.E.I. no longer requires proof of vaccination. Saskatchewan has not had vaccine mandates since February 14, the same day that New Brunswick ended all COVID-19 restrictions, and Alberta ended its mandates back on February 8. Across the country, pr…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, tourism is vital to the economy in northwestern Ontario, with the vast majority of visitors being Americans who cross at the land border. Unfortunately, the government's current COVID testing requirements mean that many of the regular visitors are once again going to choose to stay home this season. When is this government going to do the right thing and put an end to the arbitrary an…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, it is unfortunate that I have to follow my friend, colleague and seatmate from Parry Sound—Muskoka because it is a tough act to follow. I appreciate that I can follow him because I do share a lot of the same concerns as he does. I truly am concerned with the state of affairs in this country, in this place, in this chamber, and I am worried about the direction that our political disc…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for buying breakfast at the last opportunity we had. As a true fiscal Conservative, I thought it was great for him to offer that. Again, I have to go back to my comment at the front end of my speech, I do believe that law enforcement had the tools to deal with this situation outside of the Emergencies Act. We have seen many protests throughout our country'…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, I agree with the premise of the member's question. It is obviously an argument I do not agree with, but to the argument on the government side that the Emergencies Act was necessary to remove the protest. What we can see now though is that it has gone. I think the emergency has been dealt with. I would ask all members to consider whether or not the Emergencies Act is still needed at…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, that is a difficult question to answer in 20 seconds. I would probably need another 10-minute speech to do so. As I mentioned, it starts with us in this chamber. Though we will disagree on many things, and I know many members across the way will disagree with me on almost everything, we must do so respectfully, and within a responsible and reasonable scope that most Canadians can be…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the illegal blockades must come to an end, and law enforcement has the resources it needs to do that without the government's invoking the Emergencies Act. The Prime Minister has said that this should not be the first, second or third response, but he has been unable to tell us what his first, second and third responses were. After taking no action, the Prime Minister is now moving to…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the IISD Experimental Lakes Area in my riding is a state-of-the-art and world-renowned freshwater laboratory. In their latest election platform, the Liberals promised a $37.5-million investment to support its work. Is the government still committed to keeping this promise? Will we see the funding in the next budget?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from the government side for her comments today and for contributing to the debate. When it comes Bill C-8, one of the topics that I do not think was addressed well enough is housing. We know that it is an important issue that is impacting people from many regions of the country at different income levels and from different walks of life. It seems that the gover…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for New Westminster—Burnaby for his comments today. I always appreciate the thoughtfulness he brings to the discussion in this chamber. He rightfully pointed out how expensive life is getting for Canadians and how inflation is continuing to rise at record rates. It is concerning for us on this side of the House and I think for everyone in this chambe…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise today and present a petition that originated in my riding, from the town of Dryden. The petition looks to bring to the attention of the House the lack of midwifery care and services available in the Dryden area and across northwestern Ontario. Petitioners are hoping to see the federal government take a leadership role in providing stronger support for mi…
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise today in the chamber. I would like to thank my esteemed colleague from Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock for being so generous in sharing his time with me today. It gives me the opportunity to share some of the economic concerns we are seeing in the Kenora riding and across northwestern Ontario, and how I believe Bill C-8 does not adequately address some of tho…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for those comments. I do not believe there was a question there, necessarily, but obviously everyone in this chamber supports the right to peaceful protest in Canada. To the extent that a protest moves beyond that, obviously again, we all support the proper measures being taken. I do not live in the member's riding, of course, so I cannot comment on the s…
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Madam Speaker, it sounds like my hon. colleague and I have likely heard many similar things in our own ridings. Throughout the course of the pandemic, I heard from many business owners in my riding that the programs brought forward had rigid criteria. Many of them were falling through the cracks and were not able to access some of the support services. Specifically, tourist camps and seasonal busi…
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Madam Speaker, this is the first opportunity I have had to engage with the member for Nunavut in the chamber. I would like to congratulate her on her election and welcome her to this place. She made a very important point of not spending more or less, but spending more efficiently and spending smarter. Over the past few years we have seen each year that the government has increased funding for Nut…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Rapid Housing Initiative: (a) which organizations and communities in Northern Ontario applied for funding through the Initiative; (b) which organizations and communities in (a) received funding; (c) how much funding did each organization and community in (b) receive; and (d) what was the specific criteria or formula used to determine which applications were accepted and how much…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would like to succinctly present a petition in support of Bill S-223, which seeks to combat forced organ harvesting. This is something that has been worked on in Parliament for well over 13 years, and petitioners hope the current Parliament is the one that finally gets it done.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to present a petition today from citizens across Canada, looking to raise the issue of international human organ trafficking to the House of Commons. The petitioners are calling on Parliament to work quickly to support Bill S-223.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, one of the frustrations I hear from people in my riding, especially firearms owners in my riding, is that the government always seems to be making more hoops to jump through for law-abiding Canadians. It seems to be making things more difficult for hunters and sport shooters, but when it comes to fighting criminals and standing up against organized crime specifically, the government…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, over the past two years, every core program delivered by FedNor has failed to meet its service standards for the timelines of funding applications. FedNor is relied upon by municipalities, small businesses and first nations across northern Ontario, and they need clarity on the status of their application timelines. Can the minister responsible please inform the House of what specific …
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Mr. Speaker, of course my colleague would understand the situation in Quebec far better than I would. This is definitely the kind of thing we need to be talking about. These are the discussions we need to have. Unfortunately, I do not have enough time to go into the detail I need to with the member, but those innovative ideas are all the things we need to be talking about to help find some unique …
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to join the debate today on our Conservative opposition day motion addressing the topic of housing, which is so important to people in the Kenora riding and across northern Ontario. I am pleased to join my Conservative colleagues, who have done a great job speaking about this issue in their own ridings. I am looking forward to hearing more about what they have to say …
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Mr. Speaker, I know the member really enjoys the theatrics of this place and likes to contribute to that quite a bit. To reiterate, we need to be looking at ways we can work together, as I said, to ensure we are increasing the housing supply in this country. I encourage the member to come and join me on a trip to the northern part of my riding to see how the housing crisis is manifesting itself an…
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Mr. Speaker, it is important we look at all solutions. We need to ensure we have affordable housing and that we have public units, no question about it, but we also have to work with the private sector. We have to encourage development in all areas. What I am seeing in the Kenora riding is that this is something happening right across the board. There is a shortage of housing when it comes to affo…
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Mr. Speaker, I believe the short answer is yes, this is definitely a very positive idea. Of course there are a number of things we can talk about at great length. Unfortunately, I do not have the time, as I see the Speaker is about to get up, but I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
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Madam Speaker, I want to ask a simple question of the member. This legislation deals with changes to the Canada Labour Code and changes to the Criminal Code, two very separate pieces of legislation. I believe, as many members would agree, the bill should go through different committees. Would the member agree that both aspects of the legislation should be examined separately rather than lumped tog…
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Mr. Speaker, absolutely, we called for and continue to call for increased health transfers to the provinces. Again, as I mentioned, in northern Ontario, and I am sure in northern and rural Quebec it is a similar situation, there is underfunding. There are not the appropriate resources considering the distances that people have to travel and considering the unique situations that northern and rural…
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Mr. Speaker, we all appreciate the thoughtfulness and willingness of the member for Winnipeg North to engage so often in this chamber and share his thoughts on a number of topics. He definitely has a great respect for this institution. That is a good question, but it is a bit hypothetical. I suppose the quick answer would be yes. It definitely could be something that the provinces could look to an…
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Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to join the debate on Bill C-3. Although this is not my first opportunity to rise in the 44th Parliament to give a speech, this is my first opportunity, not just in this Parliament, but since I was elected in 2019, to deliver a speech with my fiancée, Danaka, watching live. I wanted to acknowledge that and acknowledge Danaka for her continued love and support, espec…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, less than a week after the Prime Minister went to Washington to meet with President Biden, the U.S. announced that it would be doubling tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber. The Prime Minister was also unable to win concessions on agriculture, pipelines, threats to our auto industry and, really broadly, the U.S. administration's damaging buy American policies. This has raised serious…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the fact of the matter is that the status quo is simply not working. The government members continue to say that they have raised this issue. They continue to say that they are disappointed with the decision by the United States. What is very unclear at this point is what the government is actively doing to address the situation, and when Canadians can expect to see results. The wor…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in Canada 50% of women have been victims of sexual or physical violence. Last year, on average, a woman or girl was killed every two and a half days, with indigenous women being disproportionately targeted. The vast majority of identified perpetrators are men, and in many cases are current or former intimate partners. As we mourn the losses, we must direct our efforts into preventing …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, one issue that is very important to the people of the riding of Kenora and right across northern Ontario, and that I do not believe was mentioned once in the throne speech, is access to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet. We know that this is no longer a luxury. It is essential, especially as more Canadians attend school or work or even access government services from home. In …
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Mr. Chair, my colleague from Kelowna—Lake Country mentioned how important the industry is to British Columbia, and the local impact. An aspect we cannot stress enough is that these are jobs, these are livelihoods. It is more than just the overall economy that is at stake here. I am wondering if she can expand more on the local concerns, some of the things she has either heard from those in B.C. or…
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Mr. Chair, I appreciate that the member mentioned the environmental benefits of forestry, especially Canadian forestry. We have one of the greenest, most environmentally friendly industry in the world. I wonder if he would comment further on the benefit of supporting Canadian forestry from the perspective of fighting climate change.
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