Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, this is the fourth time that this issue has been brought before Parliament. The situation is urgent, especially for those who are being preyed upon. Clearly it should not be a partisan issue. I know it is June and I know it is a difficult time, but, sadly, here today partisanship is now playing in on this bill that could be saving the lives of those who are being preyed upon in deve…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for raising concerns related to the gaps in the programs for small business. I would like to ask him about something in respect to seniors. We have seen that many seniors were outraged that the government left out seniors aged 65 to 74 in its plan for a long overdue increase to old age security payments. We have seen seniors struggle through COVID-19. As…
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Madam Speaker, the member heard my colleague for Windsor West speak earlier today about a proposal for an inclusive, safe border task force to find solutions and to give stakeholders and the public confidence to open up the border, but we heard the government today extend that closure until July 21. Now, many businesses that cater to international tourism, especially indigenous businesses in the n…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition from small business owners from Vancouver Island. They say that during the pandemic their revenues were catastrophically impacted as a result of closures, capacity limits and social restrictions. They cite the importance of the wage subsidy, the rent assistance program, the Canadian emergency business account and the highly affected sectors credit ava…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have spent over $20 million fighting the Nuu-chah-nulth people in court, denying their fishing rights. Last month, the courts reaffirmed the rights of these nations for the third time. The government has until Friday to appeal the court's decision. The last time I asked if the government would respect indigenous fishers' rights and let them get back on the water to suppor…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, if members are looking for a gift idea for a 2021 grad in their life, consider buying them shades, because there is no question that Canada's future is very bright with the class of 2021 stepping up. Have they let the pandemic stand in their way? No way. Now we need to do our part. We need to make post-secondary education free in Canada, just like it is in over 25 countries around the…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for talking about small businesses, because we know they have struggled throughout the pandemic and have had difficult times getting the support they need. One thing we have heard the government make promises for is capping merchant fees. We pay five times the merchant fees that Europe does and have some of the highest interchange fees in the world. We h…
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Madam Speaker, it is a privilege and honour today to rise and speak to the bill. As we know, we are dealing with four crises right now. We have a climate crisis, an opioid crisis, a homeless crisis and of course the COVID pandemic, which we have all been battling together for over a year. Many people have been living daily with the anxiety of losing their jobs. They are worried about their health …
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Mr. Speaker, this budget does not address the housing crisis we are in. Young people have lost hope. We are hearing that people have to work 12 years to have a down payment to buy a house in many cities across the country. In Europe, 30% of housing is non-market housing. In the seventies and eighties, the housing stock in Canada was over 10%. We know it is much less than that. The private sector h…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, today is World Oceans Day in celebration of our oceans, in solidarity with those who commit to rescuing them from the threats of climate change, plastics pollution, habitat destruction and a failure to consider the whole ecosystem in our resource management practices. Current policies and practices of the government undervalue the importance of stewardship and restoration of our marin…
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Madam Speaker, we will be supporting the motion, but we know that tax incentives alone have never addressed homelessness or housing affordability anywhere in the world. This is a crisis. This is a situation where Canadians have seen the average price of a home go up 30%. We have over 250,000 people who are homeless every year on the streets in Canada. The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness is s…
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Madam Speaker, today's Conservative motion would do absolutely nothing to address homelessness for people who have served our country, for veterans. We have heard the previous Liberal colleague talk about veterans, yet there has been no action. Retired sergeant Bill Webb in my riding has been working with me; my good friend and colleague, the member for North Island—Powell River; the local Legions…
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Mr. Speaker, the NDP, for a long time, has been calling for taxing the web giants, but muzzling a committee is not the way to go. The minister keeps citing the sense of urgency, but his government has had six years to get a bill tabled and before committee and get the work done. What is so urgent right now, and not getting this right and not letting the committee do its work, when the government h…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the federal investments and the communities that comprise the federal electoral district of Courtenay—Alberni, between the 2018-19 and current fiscal year: (a) what are the federal infrastructure investments, including direct transfers to the municipalities and First Nations, for the communities of (i) Tofino, (ii) Ucluelet, (iii) Port Alberni, (iv) Parksville, (v) Qualicum Beach, (…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, one year ago today, a New Brunswick police officer shot and killed Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation member Chantel Moore, during a wellness check. The first nation and family requested a meeting with the public safety minister and meaningful police reforms to address violence against indigenous people. Since Chantel was killed, two more police shootings, one fatal, have occurred to Tla-o-…
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Mr. Speaker, as we know, volunteer firefighters account for 83% of Canada's total firefighting essential first responders. I am honoured to table this petition on behalf of petitioners from Parksville, Qualicum and Coombs in my riding. Petitioners cite that 8,000 essential search and rescue volunteers respond to thousands of incidents every year. The tax code of Canada currently allows volunteer f…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her passion and determination in getting action for indigenous peoples and for true reconciliation. We have heard some political parties talk about framing Canada's actions as a “cultural” genocide, but the UN convention on genocide is crystal clear: It meets all of the article II conditions for genocide. Can my colleague speak about why it is importan…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Nunavut. I am speaking today from my home in the territory of the Nuu-chah-nulth people, just 25 kilometres from the territory of the Coast Salish people and the Qualicum First Nation. There are 10 first nations communities in the riding of Courtenay—Alberni. Like most members, I have spent the last week listening to the elected and here…
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Mr. Speaker, it is deeply personal. I just talked to my father. His two older brothers went to residential school and they never came back the same. My late grandmother cried every day. She felt guilty and responsible, when it was the government that was responsible for inflicting the pain.
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is simple: support the motion and vote in solidarity for the motion. All parliamentarians need to get behind this motion. It directly gives an action to the government to stop litigating against indigenous people. In my own riding, the government is not just fighting the children, but also the Nuu-chah-nulth. There have been three upper court decisions, and the government h…
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate my friend and colleague for showing unified support and solidarity behind this motion, which needs to be passed and enacted by government. This is very difficult for a lot of people. They need to see action, but they need Parliament to be united in solidarity. They need to know it is going to support this motion, stop the litigation and help those families heal. I …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege to rise today to comment on Bill C-204, an act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act in the final disposal of plastic waste. Coming from a coastal community in a country that has the largest coastline in the world, and understanding that a garbage truck of plastic is going into our waterways every minute around the world, one can imagine th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Mi'kmaq fishers from the Sipekne'katik First Nation have been abandoned by the government. DFO has decided that they cannot fish now even though this is a clear violation of their treaty rights to earn a moderate livelihood, which is what indigenous fishers are trying to do: earn a living, feed their families and, in some cases, work their way out of poverty. They are also afraid of v…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague. I would rather be spending today talking about indigenous issues and the government's failure to take action on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action or supports for small businesses in the pandemic. Instead, we are talking about this motion because the government failed to be transparent on public health issues by not releasing documen…
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Madam Speaker, I am extremely disappointed that we are spending a whole day debating this in one of the darkest moments of our history. We have a climate crisis, we have an opioid crisis, we have small businesses needing help. Does my colleague not agree that this could have all been avoided if there was greater transparency on public health issues? What has the minister done to try to resolve the…
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Mr. Speaker, last night I joined Tseshaht and community members to share grief and to honour the lost souls that were stolen at the Indian residential school in Tk’emlúps, and to stand with the Tk’emlúps people. We were next to the Alberni Residential School and the people requested I deliver their message that they had heard false promises a lot and that they needed action now. If the government …
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Mr. Speaker, Tseshaht Chief waamiiš Ken Watts reminded me that first nations and indigenous leaders believed that the Prime Minister and the Liberal government would implement all 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. So far, they have only implemented five. We heard from my colleague from Nunavut, the youngest member in this House, that she will be 69 years old at the …
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Madam Speaker, I really want to thank my colleague for the important, thoughtful and compassionate speech she has delivered today addressing the news of the finding of the young children who were lost at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. The losses that took place there are horrific. We know this is not the only residential school. My heart aches for those children who were never given the o…
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Madam Speaker, the NDP wants legislation that is going to make Canadians safe. We have also been hearing from groups saying there has been very little consultation. In fact, there has been no consultation when it comes to airsoft and replica guns. We have received letters and calls from hundreds of concerned airsoft owners and businesses who do not understand why airsoft guns are going to become i…
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Madam Speaker, we keep hearing from the Conservatives that we need to tighten our borders to stop the flow of illegal guns, but, when the Conservative Party had a majority in the House of Commons, it cut 7% of the Canada Border Services Agency positions, more than 1,000 jobs. It got rid of the very people who stop the flow of illegal guns into Canada. Does the member agree that was a mistake? Does…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, with limited international and domestic travellers, summer 2021 is going to be another devastating loss for tourism and hospitality businesses right across the country. The Liberals are cutting the wage subsidy and rent supports for these businesses just when they need them the most. Once again, the government is leaving workers in the tourism and hospitality sector behind. Will the…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for clearly articulating the horrific and shameful history of the Indian residential schools. Clearly, today is a really difficult day for all the survivors and their families who attended Indian residential school. That is no different for Nuu-chah-nulth people. I am going to share a tweet from Mariah Charleson, vice-president of the tribal council of the…
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It's 1:30 p.m. You have about one minute, literally.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition of Vancouver Islanders. They cite that COVID-19 has resulted in a crisis for small business owners and that during the pandemic, revenues have been catastrophically impacted as a result of closures, capacity limits and social restrictions, and operating costs have spiked. They also cite that the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the emergency rent su…
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Mr. Chair, could you clarify how much time we will have?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for Vancouver East. We know that the tourism sector is struggling. It is going to be the last sector to recover. The hospitality industry is the hardest-hit sector. The sector needs the government to commit to extending the wage subsidy and the rent assistance program into next spring. They are not going to see international travel this summer…
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Mr. Chair, the sector needs a commitment to an extension. A constituent of mine, Christina Brach, is a shiatsu therapist. She was collecting the Canada emergency recovery benefit, and she was part of the clawback. The government informed her that it wanted its money back. She had to go and remortgage her house. The government then said she would be able to get her money. In fact, the website state…
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Mr. Chair, independent travel advisers are concerned. They know that the Canada recovery benefit is going to be cut at the end of September. They are not going to see money for months. Of the people working in this sector, 85% are women. They need help into next spring. Will the minister extend that program for the hardest-hit sectors, such as tourism, festivals and events, and for the people work…
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured today to stand virtually in the House of Commons to table petition e-3303. The petitioners cite that Canadians care deeply about the health of the ocean and depend on a thriving ocean ecosystem. In 2019, over one million cruise ship passengers travelled along coastal British Columbia on their way to Alaska. These ships generate significant amounts of pollutants that are …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have spent well over $19 million fighting the Nuu-chah-nulth people in court, denying their fishing rights. Last month, the courts reaffirmed the rights of these nations to viable commercial fisheries for the third time. The government needs to allow these nations to implement their rights so that indigenous fishers can get back on the water and contribute to their coasta…
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Mr. Speaker, all I heard in that speech were partisan shots. New Democrats are here right now to help people who are struggling right now, because there are a lot of businesses, like the ones he talked about, that are struggling to get through this third wave of the pandemic, including start-ups that have not been able to get any help so far. The government has an opportunity to look at new baseli…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I think we can all agree that every community across the country wants to have state-of-the-art waste-water treatment systems. However, they desperately need a federal partner to help them get there. The bill has a lot of implications for municipalities, commercial fishers and boaters. What would the member say to the small, rural and remote communities, from Vancouver Island to New…
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Madam Speaker, I wish you and all the mothers right across Canada a belated happy Mother's Day. It is an honour today to rise on Bill C-269, tabled by the hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle and I am joining you today from the home of the Nuu-chah-nulth people on the unceded traditional territory of the Hupacasath and Tseshaht people, who have a long history as protectors of coastal communities in m…
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Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities face historical and structural barriers to voting. The pandemic has aggravated these challenges and obviously poses new ones. Does my colleague believe that Elections Canada should conduct special consultations with indigenous communities to ensure that voting is safe and accessible for them?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada has played a pivotal role in helping indigenous businesses survive the pandemic, yet budget 2021 fails to recognize its important contributions. The government is spending more money to promote the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Montreal than it is to support struggling indigenous businesses across the country. Without sector-specific support, ind…
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad my hon. colleague, the Minister of Northern Affairs, talked about the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry. The government has not taken action when it comes to the calls for justice. It does not have a plan. It does not have a framework. We have lost three people from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in my riding who are currently under independent investig…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is a huge honour to rise today to speak to Bill C-210. I want to start by sharing a story with my colleagues in the House of a fellow Vancouver Islander, Paul Underhill. Paul lives with cystic fibrosis. This past April he completed a five kilometre run and a five kilometre walk to commemorate the double lung transplant he received 10 years ago. Paul was raising awareness for BC Tra…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege today to table a petition on behalf of petitioners from Port Alberni. They are concerned about a Health Canada file that is open right now for a medical marijuana facility at 7827 Beaver Creek Road in Port Alberni. It is a Walmart-size cannabis facility that would be located right across the street from Kackaamin, a first nations family trauma and addictions healing …
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Mr. Speaker, the government is constantly doing the right thing in listening to medical health officials. We would like it to do everything they recommend with respect to protocols around COVID-19. However, when it comes to the opioid crisis, the government fails to do the same thing. Medical health officers across the country have said that the government needs to decriminalize the use of opioids…
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Madam Speaker, members are well aware that over 16,000 Canadians have died as a result of the opioid crisis. In fact, in British Columbia more people have died from overdoses due to fentanyl-poisoned drugs than from COVID-19. We have heard from Moms Stop the Harm, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Dr. Bonnie Henry in British Columbia and many medical health officers right across the co…
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