Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are being told they no longer qualify for the Canadian dental care plan because they supposedly have access to private insurance, even when that so-called access is only theoretical, unaffordable or based on plans they opted out of decades ago. Some have already had treatment approved and completed and are now being told they may have to pay the money back. Why is…
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Mr. Speaker, the illegal war waged by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu in the Middle East is inflicting devastating consequences on civilians, especially children. The humanitarian and environmental tolls are immense, and the economic fallout is global. It is driving up gas and fertilizer prices, disrupting critical supplies, like helium used in MRIs, and threatening pharmaceutical supply chain…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to table a petition on behalf of Vancouver Islanders who are deeply upset and concerned about the cutting of the world-class ghost gear fund. They cite that ghost gear is abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear that is among the deadliest sources of plastic pollution. The petitioners note that ghost gear kills fish, marine mammals, seabirds and turtles; damages…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, public health experts across Canada are clear that supervised consumption sites save lives and connect people to treatment, recovery and support, and yet, in Ontario, the Conservative government is cutting supervised consumption sites. In Alberta, the Conservative government is closing Calgary's only such service, despite the fact that thousands of overdoses have been reversed there w…
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Mr. Speaker, our health care system is already stretched, yet the Liberal government piles on needless paperwork. The College of Family Physicians warns that the disability tax credit form is worsening the strain on family doctors and limiting access to the Canada disability benefit. Instead of fixing the problem, budget 2025 sets aside $10 million to help people navigate a broken system. Province…
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Mr. Speaker, here we are today, on the fourth anniversary of the war that Russia implemented on Ukraine, and what did we hear from a Conservative? A Conservative got up and stated that “the program for bogus refugee claimants” costs the same as the transfer to the whole province of Saskatchewan at $1.6 billion a year. Basically, the member is insinuating that every single immigrant and every singl…
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Mr. Speaker, nowhere in the world has the free market solved an affordable housing crisis. Let us look at the Netherlands, with 34% non-market housing; Denmark, 21%; Britain, 16%; and France, 17%. Here in Canada, we are now at 3.4% non-market housing. Nothing in this bill sets targets on non-market housing. My colleague had a good idea around removing the GST on housing. Instead, why do we not tak…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table a petition on behalf of residents from Tofino, Ucluelet, Port Alberni and the Oceanside region in my riding of Courtenay—Alberni who are deeply concerned about the shortage of community recreation facilities in our region and across Canada. Petitioners stress that recreation centres are vital spaces for people of all ages to gather, stay healthy and build stro…
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Mr. Speaker, we keep asking the Liberal government when pharmacare will expand, and we cannot get a straight answer from the Minister of Health. British Columbia's pharmacare agreement starts next week, because New Democrats pushed for it and because the B.C. NDP moved quickly. Families in other provinces are still waiting because the Liberal government is not negotiating. This means access to lif…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says he is committed to pharmacare, but today only three provinces and one territory are covered. That is about 17% of all Canadians. A commitment to pharmacare should mean access for Canadians no matter where they live. Right now, access to medicine depends on one's postal code. It is not nation building when we give only certain provinces and territories access to…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a certified petition on behalf of residents from Port Alberni on Vancouver Island who are calling on the federal government to fund more shore power at the Port Alberni loading docks. The petitioners describe living with the relentless noise and air pollution caused by ships running diesel generators while they are berthed, sometimes continuously day and night fo…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to speak to Bill C-244. It is a bill that delivers real accountability and takes a proactive approach to preventing marine pollution and abandoned vessels. I would first like to thank my colleague, the member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, for bringing this bill forward, which shows great leadership. The first thing the bill does is…
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Madam Speaker, we have seen the impact that Donald Trump's tariffs have had on auto and forestry. We are seeing layoffs at CAMI. We have seen jobs lost in communities on Vancouver Island, whether it be in Crofton or Chemainus, temporary or permanent. The government has been slow in getting income supports and relief out to workers. When will the government scale up income supports for those worker…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition today from Canadians and Vancouver Islanders who are deeply concerned about ghost gear, which is abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear. It is among the deadliest sources of plastic pollution. These petitioners note that ghost gear kills fish; impacts wild Pacific salmon, marine mammals, seabirds and turtles; damages habitats; creates microplastics; and…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is in a mental health crisis and young people are being hit hardest, yet counselling, therapy and treatment still depend on workplace benefits or the ability to pay in a two-tier system. The PBO confirmed that bringing mental health care under the Canada Health Act and achieving parity with physical health care through Bill C-201 would cost just 1.5% of total public health spen…
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Madam Speaker, we hear Conservatives talk about how Canada is too big and the transition is too bold, but we can look to Norway, where it is cold, where they travel long distances, and they have had huge success, so geography should not be an excuse. What we need is the Conservatives to support a Canadian auto strategy that protects workers, supports tackling climate change and builds vehicles her…
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Mr. Speaker, Alberta's Bill 11 is American-style two-tier medicine. It allows doctors to bill privately while also billing the public system, and it allows private insurance for medically necessary care. This breaks the promise of Canadian medicare, creating one system for the wealthy and one where the rest of us are left waiting even longer. The minister said she would look into it, but it has be…
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Mr. Speaker, this is a highly partisan motion, and the response was highly partisan as well. As New Democrats, we recognize, and I think everybody in the House recognizes, that there is a rise in extortion, that there is a rise in organized crime, that everybody has a right to feel safe in this country and that we need to do more. The Conservatives continue to make assertions that mandatory minimu…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague talking about the record amount of funding invested in wild salmon and its success. I have a lot of respect for him, but now is not the time to take our foot off the gas. The answer tonight does not give coastal communities what they need, which is certainty. The Pacific salmon strategy initiative is set to expire in just over a month, and we still do not h…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, tonight I am here on behalf of Pacific salmon. The Pacific salmon strategy initiative, the main federal program supporting wild salmon restoration, habitat protection, science and rebuilding on the west coast, sunsets at the end of March. It was not renewed in the budget, and there is still no confirmation of renewal. This puts the single-largest federal investment in wild salmon re…
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Mr. Speaker, we heard again this morning about the uneven, inconsistent and sometimes ignored implementation of the treaty process. We have heard from the nations wanting this treaty commissioner to absolutely ensure that treaty implementation happens. Now, we hear Conservatives say, “Well, that is a waste of money.” However, what is costly is not implementing a treaty because, when treaties are i…
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Mr. Speaker, I have to disagree about the importance of the implementation of this commissioner to hold government to account. Often, treaties have been signed and those agreements have not been implemented. It has been uneven, inconsistent and ignored. We heard that this morning from Chief John Jack from Huu-ay-aht First Nations and Chief Wilfred Cootes from Uchucklesaht. They are calling for the…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to table a petition on behalf of Vancouver Islanders and British Columbians. They highlight that wealth inequality in Canada is rising, with more Canadians struggling to afford the basics of life while corporate profits continue to break records. They highlight that austerity measures very often exasperate inequality. The federal government is planning austerity …
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This is not to discredit my esteemed colleague on her petition, but she did mention a member of the House. Maybe it is best if she highlights the member's riding instead.
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, 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…
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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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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 →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…
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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 →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…
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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 …
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 …
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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…
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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 →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 …
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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…
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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 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 …
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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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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…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. The government spent $34.5 billion to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline. What has happened? There have been record profits: $6 billion in profit for Canadian natural gas, $5 billion in profit for Enbridge, $5 billion in profit for Suncor and $4 billion in profit for Imperial Oil, which laid off 900 staff and made $4 billion in profit last year. AltaGas mad…
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Mr. Speaker, actually the provincial NDP took the Liberal government to court. It tried to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline, for good reason: It did not make any sense. It still does not make sense. The federal taxpayer is on the hook for $34.5 billion to build that pipeline, and the government cannot find a buyer. What does the government want to do? It wants to build another one. We all know whe…
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Mr. Speaker, it puts economic opportunities on the north coast and projects at risk. That is exactly what the MOU does. The Liberals keep saying that there is no pipeline without support from indigenous nations and British Columbia, but the Building Canada Act, the one they keep citing and rely on, requires consultation only if nations say no. There is nowhere in the act that gives first nations t…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are being bled dry at the pump and the grocery till, on their phone and Internet bills, and by mortgage and credit card payments that keep climbing. People are doing everything they can just to get by, but every month it gets harder, not easier. While families struggle to keep their heads above water, the biggest corporations in this country are posting record profits. RBC m…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, that would almost be funny if the Liberals were not blaming the avian flu for driving up grocery store prices, which is harming people. This is the kind of answer that I expected today. We will never hear the Liberals or the Conservatives willing to take on corporate greed. They will place blame everywhere else. Meanwhile, companies such as Loblaws have had record profits, a couple of…
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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…
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Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank my colleague from Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake for sharing her time today. I rise today, as members know, as a member of Parliament for a coastal riding in British Columbia, as the NDP critic for Fisheries and Oceans, and also as a parliamentarian with a responsibility to uphold indigenous rights. Each of these roles carries a duty to speak plainly about …
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