Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise to present a petition from Canadians who are calling for urgent federal leadership on brain injury awareness, prevention and treatment. The petitioners note that brain injuries can occur in many ways, from accidents to illness and strokes, and often result in serious physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural effects. They further point out that brain injur…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, when we are talking about food costs, we have to look at the corporate profits. I know big grocery stores are making big profits. Where I live, in coastal British Columbia, when it comes to fish and independent fish harvesters, a lot of the quota licences are held by a handful of fishers. We call them slipper skippers or armchair fishers because they hold the licences and then lease…
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to table a petition on behalf of Canadians deeply concerned about the worsening mental health and substance use crisis across our country, a crisis that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Petitioners note that too many Canadians are unable to access timely mental health or substance use supports. They point out that when care is not availab…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to join me today in expressing solidarity with the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Tseshaht First Nation after two incidents of racist vandalism at the “Every Child Matters” orange bridge in Port Alberni in just one week. Swastikas and hateful slurs defaced this important site of remembrance. This was not random vandalism. It was an attack on survivors, on indigenous famili…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am glad that this motion has come forward to inspire the conversation around the veterans in our country. First, I will highlight that clearly everyone in the House, and all Canadians, agree that no veteran should be living on the streets of this country. Any man or woman who served this country should be prioritized when it comes to housing. They should not be left out on the stree…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, feelings are not enough. The layoffs are happening today. I am urging the government not to abandon the families and workers at Crofton. Forestry workers do not need more reassurance; they need action. If the government is serious about preventing further job losses and supporting workers who have already lost their jobs, it must deliver real, sector-specific relief now, including sof…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about grocery store prices doubling. Well, guess what else doubled: margins from the big grocery stores. They are posting record profits. My colleague talked about the Liberals' bringing the big grocery stores together to have a conversation, but nothing has happened. This requires government intervention and an excess profit tax. Does my colleague agree that there…
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Madam Speaker, when the previous Liberal government brought together the top executives of the big grocery chains that have been price gouging Canadians since the pandemic, they showed up with no plan. The grocery executives offered nothing but pictures of their weekly sale flyers and were held to no accountable commitments. The meeting was all for show, and while the government pat itself on the …
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Mr. Speaker, we all want small, medium and large businesses to win. We all want that, but when the only winners, when it comes to groceries and food prices, are the big corporations, and the only losers are everyday people across this country, something has to be done. The member highlighted and claimed that Canada has the highest grocery prices in the G7. Guess what else we have? We have the lowe…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak to the closure of the Crofton mill on Vancouver Island and what it exposes about the state of Canada's forest sector and the Liberal government's failure to act when forestry workers need help most. Today, February 3, the first round of layoffs at Crofton takes effect. Workers are emptying lockers and families are losing paycheques. Mortgages, rent and grocery …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to table petition e-6823, which is sponsored by Jim Abram from Quadra Island and is signed by over 699 Canadians. Petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to partner with the private sector in collaboration with potential first nations partners to retrofit a portion of Canada's retired CC-130H Hercules fleet to turn them into large air tankers for wildfire …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats agree with any supports to help people with the cost of living, but one thing we have never heard from the Liberals and will never hear from Conservatives is about the runaway, out-of-control corporate greed. We are seeing big grocery stores post record profits. There is no mechanism so that the big grocery stores do not increase prices the day before this benefit comes …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am raising this issue again because in two months, core federal support for friendship centres will run out. In Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, I saw how the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre delivers life-saving mental health, addictions and on-the-land programs. In my riding, the Port Alberni and Wachiay friendship centres are lifelines, providing food, housing, safety, culture and belongi…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to present petition e-6751, sponsored by John Mayba from Port Alberni and signed by over 1,500 Canadians who are deeply concerned about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and Canada's obligations under international law. The petition highlights that under the Geneva Convention and Canada's own Official Development Assistance Accountability Act, Canada is required to u…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate that I stand alongside these incredible organizations, which I talked about earlier, representing small farmers. They are calling on the government to abandon these proposed regulatory amendments, to protect farmers and to support farmers' rights through real action and not empty words. From what I just heard, I do not feel the government is going to do that, but i…
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Madam Speaker, I am honoured today to present petition e-6795, which is sponsored by Chloe Dubois from Ocean Legacy Foundation. The petition has been signed by 659 Canadians who are deeply concerned about ghost gear: abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear that is among the deadliest sources of plastic pollution. They are concerned that the Liberal government killed this very important program. …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, on October 3, I asked the Minister of Agriculture if he would abandon the government's proposed regulatory changes to the plant breeders' rights in favour of supporting the rights of farmers who save and re-use their seed. The parliamentary secretary rose and responded that consultations have happened, which completely dodged the question. Less than a week later, on October 9, I rose …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise to table two petitions. The first is a petition from Canadians who are calling for urgent federal investment on brain injury awareness, prevention and treatment. Petitioners note that brain injuries can occur in many ways, from accidents to illness and strokes, and often result in serious physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural effects. They further point out that brain …
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from Canadians deeply concerned about the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to restore aid for UN agencies and NGOs such as UNRWA and the World Food Programme, to permit safe entry for Canadian health care and humanitarian workers, and to ensure that all Canadian aid is delivered through internationally rec…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to table petition e-6745, which was signed by 747 Canadians. Petitioners cite that Canada has around 3,200 fire departments, of which approximately 80% rely solely on volunteer firefighters; that the scale and complexity of events Canadian fire services are expected to respond to have increased dramatically in recent years, and that trend is anticipated to contin…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we see how these trade deals have played out, and we want to make sure we have trade deals that support workers. We see right now big oil, big banks and big grocery posting record profits while people get squeezed at the till and at the pump when they try to cover their costs. The Brits charge an excess profit on the runaway greed of oil and gas companies. Will the Liberal governmen…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our health care system is already stretched, yet the federal government piles on needless work. The College of Family Physicians warns that the disability tax credit form is worsening the strain and costing patients access to care. Instead of fixing it, budget 2025 allocates $10 million to help people navigate the same broken system. Provinces already determine disability eligibility.…
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Mr. Speaker, coastal communities are running out of time. Key federal programs that protect wild salmon and restore critical habitat expire in March, and they were not in the budget. The federal government has not confirmed their renewal, and communities cannot wait for a spring economic statement. On the west coast, wild salmon are vital for food security, culture, the ecosystem and the economy. …
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Mr. Speaker, in 2021, the Zim Kingston lost over 100 shipping containers. In 2016, the Hanjin Seattle spilled dozens, and now a barge off Bella Bella has nearly gone down with a full load. Each time, first nations and local communities are left to respond and face lasting impacts. The Transportation Safety Board says that Canada still has no system for cargo unit or marine debris spills. When will…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I apologize. It is an honour to table this petition on behalf of petitioners from my riding of Courtenay—Alberni. They highlight that the Prime Minister made the “elbows up” promise to defend Canadian sovereignty and democracy, and distinguish Canada from the dangerous politics of the United States. They highlight that Bill C-2 appears as a Trojan Horse for sweeping surveillance pol…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise on behalf of petitioners for my riding of Courtenay—Alberni. I am honoured to table this petition today. The petitioners say that Prime Minister Carney made the “elbows up” promise to defend Canadian sovereignty and democracy, and distinguish Canada from the dangerous politics of the United States. Bill C-2, they highlight, appears as a Trojan Horse for sweeping surveillance …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we heard the Prime Minister in the time before the budget. He said it was going to be a transformational and generational budget, but when he tabled the budget, he failed to address the critical issues that Canadians are facing today: the affordability crisis, the cost of living crisis and unemployment. We have seen the highest unemployment in a decade. There is a failure to deal with…
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Mr. Speaker, clearly this was not an NDP budget. I promised I would go home and listen to the constituents. I talked to all nine mayors in my riding, three regional district chairs and 17 elected chief councillors in my riding. All of them were unanimous in that they said not to vote against the budget and not to bring down the government. That was what they said, although almost all of them oppos…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for showing such passion on a critical issue that is costing the lives of Canadians. We have heard from chief medical health officers, chief corners, chiefs of police, the First Nations Health Authority and Moms Stop the Harm. They have all been consistent in saying that we need to get politicians out of the way. We need to support evidence-based and exper…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table what I hope is my final petition calling for a national aerial firefighting task force, which was included in the budget. The petitioners call on the government to work in partnership with the private sector to retrofit a portion of Canada's retired Lockheed CC-130 Hercules fleet; turn them into large air tankers for use in wildfire suppression across Canada; …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is trying to revive a failed bitumen pipeline from Alberta through B.C. that went nowhere under Stephen Harper's Conservatives and still has no first nation consent. Talks about ending the oil tanker ban to enable this scheme in an MOU without B.C. at the table and without coastal first nations involvement is harming a critical relationship in getting things don…
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Mr. Speaker, my concern is not about the influence over the official opposition, but over the government. The government is the one who brought in draconian legislation like Bill C-5, which the Conservatives would never even have dreamt of bringing forward. Of course they support it, because they know that it tramples indigenous rights and it overrides provincial governments and their aspirations.…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's talking about how the health care system is overburdened and there is too much bureaucracy. The College of Family Physicians of Canada has cited that approximately 250,000 disability tax credit forms were processed in 2022. It estimates that this amounts to about 250,000 hours of physician time lost, and a million patient visits as well, just for physicia…
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Madam Speaker, Norway has $1.9 trillion in its sovereign wealth fund. It earned over $200 billion last year in dividends alone. That equates to about $340,000 per citizen. Alberta's heritage fund looks like it is making sure that nurses and teachers are not getting the fair wages they deserve. It attacks their private health care system. Last year, Imperial Oil earned $5 billion, and it laid off 9…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, who has been working closely with me on mental health issues for many years. We both understand that the Canadian government has a document for a Canadian substitute strategy. It says we have a coordinated, integrated, compassionate approach, but guess what. There is no plan with a timeline and no money behind it. It means nothing without that, absolutely…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, coastal communities are running out of time. Key federal fisheries programs that protect Pacific salmon and repair critical habitats are set to expire in March, and the federal government has still not confirmed their renewal. Communities cannot wait until the next budget for answers. Across the coast of British Columbia, remarkable work is happening. First nations are leading salmon …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are being bled dry at the pump, at the grocery till, on their credit cards and mortgages, and by cellphone bills that just keep climbing while corporate giants post record profits. Last year, RBC made $16 billion; Rogers, $1.7 billion; Loblaws, over $2 billion; and Imperial Oil, almost $1 billion in the last quarter alone. How much profit is enough, and will this Liberal gov…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I request unanimous consent to respond to the ministerial statement on remembrance, on behalf of the federal NDP. I am hoping that consent will be granted by this House.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, this week, as Canadians gather in communities across the country to mark Veterans Week and Remembrance Day, it is a great privilege to rise on behalf of the federal NDP and to join all colleagues and Canadians to honour those who have served and sacrificed in the name of peace, freedom and justice. From the battlefields of the First World War and Second World War to Korea, Afghanist…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, as I identified earlier, 900 vessels are set to retire on B.C.'s coast, and 90 of them are over 500 tonnes. BC Ferries has 14 of those vessels. One of those vessels, the Queen of Burnaby, is projected to cost over $10 million to recycle. Half that money is to tow it to a yard in Halifax through the Panama Canal. Nobody thinks that is okay. If the government prioritizes funding for shi…
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Mr. Speaker, I am tabling this petition on behalf of Canadians who are deeply concerned about the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza. The petitioners note that under common article 1 of the Geneva Conventions, Canada must respect international humanitarian law. The petitioners highlight that article 59 of the fourth Geneva Convention requires occupying powers to allow impartial humanitarian reli…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour tonight to rise to highlight the urgent need for the federal government to take action when it comes to ship recycling in Canada and especially on the west coast of British Columbia. In British Columbia, over 900 vessels have been identified that are set to be recycled and retired, and 90 of those vessels are over 500 tonnes. There are no facilities designed to recycle…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to table a petition from Canadians deeply concerned about the lack of international recycling and shipbreaking regulations in Canada, despite the fact that our country has the longest coastline in the world. Petitioners highlight the harmful effects of unsafe ship-dismantling practices, which release dangerous substances into coastal areas, including copp…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is a huge honour and privilege to rise tonight in support of Bill C-241, otherwise known as the national strategy on flood and drought forecasting act. Rapidly shifting weather patterns and the existential threat posed by climate change have made extreme weather events more common and more devastating than ever. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, in 2023 and …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleagues have highlighted that there are outstanding issues right now in terms of our relations with Britain. Colleagues are well aware of the unfair treatment of British pensioners living in our country. Canada is home to 144,000 British retirees, yet their pensions are frozen at the rate first received because Canada does not have a reciprocal indexing agreement with the U.K.…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for raising the issue around British pensions. I think about Anne Puckridge, who moved to Canada in 2001 to be with her daughter. Anne was a veteran who served the U.K., and the U.K. has abandoned her. It has abandoned a veteran who put her life on the line to serve her country and who put herself forward. I point out that British pensioners in countries…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to table a petition on behalf of Canadians who are deeply concerned about the worsening mental health and substance use crisis across our country, a crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Petitioners note that too many Canadians are unable to access timely mental health or substance use supports. They point out that when care is not avai…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, forestry is a cornerstone of Canada's economy, supporting more than 200,000 good jobs and sustaining hundreds of rural, northern and indigenous communities from coast to coast, yet once again forestry workers are being left behind by the government's failure to secure a fair softwood lumber agreement. In August, the Prime Minister promised $1.2 billion in support, to respond to Trump'…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-252, An Act respecting a national day of remembrance to honour Canadian Armed Forces members who have lost their lives in peacetime in Canada. Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to introduce the peacetime service and sacrifice memorial day act. Today marks 11 years since Corporal Nathan Cirillo was shot and killed while standing guard at the National War M…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition that is organized by the peace train movement. The Canadians who have signed this petition are committed to advancing peace and human rights. It is timely, as the peace trainers have travelled across the country. The petitioners note that Canada pledged itself to these principles with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and reaffirmed t…
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