Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, Trump's tariffs are just the latest blow for B.C.'s forestry sector. The industry needs a lifeline so it can provide good jobs in rural communities. Retrofitting mills to generate electricity from biomass could protect jobs and power grids with sustainable energy. The Domtar paper mill in Port Alberni made the switch, and now 88% of its emissions come from biomass. In 2023, the Libe…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, this petition was signed by members of the Tseshaht First Nation. They highlight that an essential part of reconciliation is addressing the harms first nations have experienced, including the devastating loss of language and culture. They also highlight that there is a growing number of indigenous language learners, but the number of remaining fluent speakers is falling. The petitio…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague on his election and on his speech. Right now we know that a big chunk of our country is on fire. We are over 2,000 kilometres away from the fires that are happening in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta, and here in Ottawa, the health index says the air quality is at nine. There is nothing in the budget to fund greener homes, to re-establish that …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as my colleague knows, the federal Liberals pulled out of the national housing strategy in 1992. We know that Canada and Quebec only have 3.4% non-market housing. We also know that non-market housing has to be a critical piece for tackling affordability when it comes to housing. At 3.4%, we have one of the lowest rates in the OECD, and there is nothing in the bill for co-op housing,…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent speech. She highlighted that there are many concerns in this bill and that it will trample on people's civil liberties, privacy, due process and procedural fairness. The powers that are granted in this bill to different authorities include cabinet. They are sweeping, and few details are provided. In addition, it is effectively an omnibus bill. Do…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we have heard that the government has announced a fentanyl czar, and it has had an auto theft summit. I am not saying those are not important, but the Liberals still have not named a czar to help support people living with addiction. They still have not announced a plan on how they are going to create treatment-on-demand. They still have not had a summit on the toxic drug crisis, desp…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Port Alberni is short 1,200 homes. It is nearly impossible to find an affordable place to live. Rents doubled under the Conservatives and then again under the Liberals. Liberal disappointment and Conservative cuts mean that non-market housing in Canada has dropped to 3.5% of our housing stock. Other countries are doing much better, like France at 17%, the Netherlands at 34% and Denmar…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, my frustration is when I hear Conservatives talk about their great reputation when it comes to fisheries and oceans. I will tell members what it is like in my riding. Gail Shea, the former Conservative minister, was given a recommendation by DFO to not open the commercial herring harvest in my riding. The Nuu-chah-nulth were opposed to that. They actually had to go to court, because t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, for 70 years, friendship centres have served as vital community hubs for urban indigenous people. Now they are on the front line of Canada's mental health crisis, the toxic drug crisis and catastrophic climate events like floods and forest fires, but federal funding has not kept up. The National Association of Friendship Centres is clear in that it needs $62 million of federal funding…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my colleague highlighted some really important things, including that the Liberal government continues to put forward targets and miss its targets. It is like a constant public relations campaign. I want to thank my colleague for supporting my motion, M-151, to tackle plastic pollution and the House also did, unanimously, in 2018. It led to the first-ever ghost and derelict fishing …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the member used the term “gimmicks”. Let me remind my colleague that in 2021, the Conservatives brought forward the idea of having a GST holiday, just like what has been passed in the House and implemented. They also brought forward the concept of removing the GST on home heating. What did they do, though, when the NDP brought forward a motion to do that? They voted against it. The …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate the collaboration in the House right now, especially when it comes to e-petition 5166, which is a privilege for me to table today. The petition has been signed by over 500 people from across Canada and was initiated by Jade Dulle, a mental health advocate who biked across Canada this summer to hear from people who have lived experiences with mental health challeng…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to federal funding for environmental projects within the federal electoral district of Courtenay—Alberni, since the 2005-06 fiscal year: broken down by fiscal year, recipient, project, total contribution, funding program, and type of funding, what have been the federal investments in (i) terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, (ii) ecosystem and habitat protection, conservation, and rest…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, forest biomass energy production has the potential to provide Canadian electrical grids with a sustainable source of energy. This will also create high-paying jobs for rural communities, like the paper mill in Port Alberni. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act includes tax incentives for biomass, putting Canada's forest sector at a competitive disadvantage. The Liberals promised a clean t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I would like to ask the House if I could have unanimous consent to table this important petition on mental health.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the communities which comprise the federal electoral district of Courtenay—Alberni, since the 2005-06 fiscal year: (a) what have been the federal investments and funding contributions for housing projects, including loans and direct transfers provided by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), invested in or transferred to the municipalities of (i) Tofino, (ii) Ucluelet,…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to national parks, national urban parks, and national marine conservation areas in Canada, broken down by fiscal year and park or area since 2005-06: (a) how many visitors accessed each national park, national urban park, and national marine conservation area; and (b) how much funding did each national park, national urban park, and national marine conservation area receive for (i) ope…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to federal funding and reserves and treaty settlement lands within the federal electoral district of Courtenay—Alberni, between the 2005-06 fiscal year and the current fiscal year: what are the federal capital investments and funding contributions for infrastructure projects, including, but not limited to, projects related to water and wastewater facilities, solid waste management, roa…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, in 1992, the Liberals pulled out of the national housing strategy at a time when we were building 25,000 non-market housing units a year.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I grew up in co-op housing, to answer my colleague who just heckled me. Thirty-two years without building those 25,000 units has obviously left us in a huge deficit. In fact, right now we are the lowest in the OECD in non-market housing, at 3.5%. We can look to the Netherlands, where it is at 34%; Denmark, where it is at 21%; or France, where it is at 17% and its goal is 20%. Does m…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, that is not all Canadians. Seniors and students in Courtenay—Alberni are being left high and dry with the high cost of living. They are living on tight budgets and deserve a helping hand. Instead of helping, the Liberals decided to exclude seniors and students from their $250 rebate. They are letting people down again. Conservatives want tax breaks only for their rich CEO donors and b…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I enjoyed working with my colleague on the government operations committee. We saw so much, along with so much dysfunction. However, we also know that the outsourcing to external consultants at highly paid consulting firms, which doubled under the Conservatives, has quadrupled. It has run away out of control under the Liberals. We also know up here that there has been a culture inst…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague outlining, through this motion, that the government “prohibit any government employee from simultaneously working as an external contractor.” That completely makes sense. It is logical. This should have been happening years ago. It should have been happening under the Harper government. My concerns around outsourcing are serious, and I have raised them many t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the whole thing has been a gravy train for Liberal and Conservatives insiders, and not just insiders. I highlighted earlier that Peter MacKay, a former Conservative cabinet minister, and Pierre Pettigrew, a former Liberal cabinet minister, are sitting as managing directors at Deloitte, which has gotten over $1.2 billion from the government. The issue skyrocketed under the Conservative…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, my colleague talked about how this is normal procurement and every government does it. Under the Conservatives, we saw procurement to highly paid external consulting companies double. We have now seen it quadruple under the Liberals. This is the new normal: the rush to the trough by Liberal and Conservative insiders. In this case, for ArriveCAN, we saw current public servants gettin…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, November 20, is Universal Children's Day. This is a day we recognize annually to promote and celebrate children's rights in Canada and worldwide. On this day, we recognize the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. These rights include the right to be protected from violence and discrimination and the right to life, health and e…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, while we are talking about forced labour in Canada's supply chains, I want to talk about what is happening here at home. We had the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery comment. She highlighted that the temporary foreign worker program in Canada is being used as modern-day slavery by some bad players. Now, in my hometown of Port Alberni, 15 temporary foreign worker…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, mental health care is health care, but the Canadian Mental Health Association tells us that over 2.5 million Canadians cannot get the help they need while others are forced to use their credit card to get it. The Liberals have let people and families struggling with mental health down, and the Conservatives will cut health care and mental health supports. Canadians will have to pay mo…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, here we are talking about forced labour and our supply chains. When we look at what is happening here in Canada, we had the report of the special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery. She cited that modern-day slavery is happening today in our temporary foreign worker program. In my riding, there were some workers who were working for a local mill, and they were living in dep…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I think that this is an important issue to all of us. This is something that was unanimously supported at committee and in the House. As well, we have not seen the government take action when it comes to modern-day slavery in Canadian supply chains. Will my colleague stand today to make a commitment that Conservatives will hold big corporations to account to ensure that those companie…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that we have this time today to remind the government of the promise it made in the budget this year to table legislation to eliminate forced labour from Canadian supply chains. However, when I asked the member for Bay of Quinte about whether his party would prioritize taking action on this, he said that we needed more competition. More competition is not going to solve g…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to table e-petition 5126, which has over a thousand signatures. It is particularly timely given that the Peace Train is arriving in Ottawa tomorrow, and many of its riders are signatories to this petition. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to establish and fund a centre of excellence for peace and justice focused on research, education and tra…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I am really grateful to my colleague for his speech, but also for talking about the importance of supporting veterans. Here we are, all of us MPs, coming back from our ridings where we went and paid respect to those who served in the military and RCMP, put their lives on the line to protect us and served our country. I am glad he talked about the amnesia down the bench on the Conserva…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, INEO Employment Services in Port Alberni provides vital support to help people trying to find jobs. It offers necessary training and capacity building for employment readiness. It can do this because of B.C.'s community and employer partnerships program. However, it recently lost support due to federal funding cuts. The funding cuts are happening because the Liberals slashed B.C.'s fu…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, we know that with fraud, many people have not come forward because they felt the stigma, the shame and the embarrassment of dealing with fraud. It is like dealing with mental health. We need to do a better job to change the public's outlook when it comes to sharing about fraud because fraud is happening, and it is sophisticated. It is happening because of organized crime, which is usi…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I am really glad my colleague talked about outsourcing and highly paid consultants, something the NDP has been deeply concerned about dating back to the Harper government. Outsourcing doubled under the Harper government. It has actually quadrupled under the Liberal government. One thing we have been trying to do as New Democrats is take a real look at companies like Deloitte, for exam…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I again rise on behalf of frustrated constituents of mine from Union Bay on Vancouver Island, who are trying to draw the House's attention and the government's attention to the fact that Canada does not have strong laws when it comes to shipbreaking and ship recycling. In fact, we have extremely weak ones, if anything. Petitioners are calling on the government to develop enforceable f…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I want to give my colleague credit. His speech actually stayed on the motion today, unlike many of his colleagues who use this as a platform to clip and raise money. The Conservatives under the Harper government were embroiled in scandal after scandal: the ETS scandal of $400 million; $1 billion in the G8 scandal, including the gazebos we all know about; $2.2 billion for the Phoenix p…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council has declared a state of emergency in every single one of its 14 nations' territories. The lack of mental health support, treatment, recovery and harm reduction services is causing irreparable harm. The Liberal government has failed to deliver the urgently needed supports, and young and older people are paying the price. Indigenous people continue to d…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, young Canadians are in survival mode and rates of anxiety and depression have gone through the roof with the high cost of living and youth unemployment. Many are struggling just to meet their basic needs, like food and shelter, making paying for therapy out of pocket seem like a luxury. The Liberals promised to ensure that mental health is treated as a full and equal part of Canada's …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, actually, the minister has a point. My colleague simply asked the member a question in relation to what he said on the floor of the House of Commons, and he took the time to insult her. That is totally unacceptable. He should be apologizing to the House.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, just so the folks at home completely understand, we are doing this concurrence debate on a finance committee report, a pre-budget report, for a budget that has already been passed. If people at home are wondering what is going on, we are spending approximately $70,000 an hour because the Conservatives have decided to block debating legislation that would help people and block debate…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, first, I want to thank my colleague from Shefford for putting forward this bill. It is such a great bill dealing with inequity. We know that when Conservatives were in government, they raised the age of retirement from 65 to 67. They went after seniors. When the current government came forward with an increase, it wanted to create a two-tiered system, ignoring those between 65 and 7…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I have worked with my colleague for many years. I really appreciate him. He always comes to the House trying to bring forward ideas on tax fairness. He is doing that again today. We know seniors are feeling the pinch when it comes to the housing crisis and inflation. What is being proposed, and what he is talking about in his speech, is about making sure that those who are 65 to 74 …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise to speak to Bill C-319, an act to amend the Old Age Security Act. I want to thank the sponsor, my colleague from Shefford for moving this bill. The bill before us today is about increasing old age security by 10% for those who are between the ages of 65 and 74. These people were initially excluded by the Liberal government when the government decided to incre…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am urgently calling on the government to treat this as a wartime-like effort and to come up with a plan with resources and a timeline. The Liberals have spent less than 1% of what they did during COVID in responding to the crisis. They keep saying jurisdiction is a barrier, but they found a way through it during COVID. They need to listen to local communities and indigenous people…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, my colleague talked about the by-election in Elmwood—Transcona. He talked about small business people. For seven years, the NDP led the charge to cap credit card merchant fees and forced the government to do something. The Conservatives sat silent for seven years while small business people paid some of the highest credit card fees in the world. Leila Dance, who won in Elmwood—Trans…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, we have now lost 47,162 people to a poisoned drug supply. That is between January 2016 and May 2024. That is more people than we lost in World War II, yet we are not seeing a war-type effort to save lives in this country and to fight this crisis. We have heard from the experts: the First Nations Health Authority; the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police; the chief medical health…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have enjoyed working with my colleague on so many different issues over the years. She talked about the protection of children. The U.S. Senate recently passed the kids online safety act with bipartisan support, and it would be great to be able to do something like that here on parts of the bill. However, the U.S. bill contained provisions to restrict design features that contribute…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the U.S. surgeon general recently called for a warning on social media platforms because they contribute to the youth mental health crisis. The Minister of Health dismissed that idea and suggested that parents just need to talk to their kids about social media. That is clearly not working, and it ignores the fact that platforms have been intentionally designed to be addictive. Does my…
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