Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, last night Danielle Smith and the UCP fired their pension management team, another step to pulling Alberta out of the Canada pension plan. This attack on the CPP will not just hurt Albertans; it will hurt all Canadians, and we are running out of time. We know that the Conservatives will cut Canadians' pensions. I sent the finance minister my private member's bill that would stop Dan…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for the words he shared today in honour of Remembrance Day, which is coming up next week. I am a proud granddaughter of a veteran who fought in the Second World War. My grandfather Daniel Albert McCoy was a gunner, shot down over Belgium, and he actually lived in the underground for two years before he was able to get back to my mother and my grand…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, my colleague, the member for Windsor West, is very knowledgeable about this. He has done so much work to make life more affordable for Canadians. One of the things he talked about was trickle-down economics. Obviously, we have seen that this is a failed economic strategy. The Liberals' strategy of asking nicely has also failed Canadians. However, what I would like the member to talk…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, this is the first opportunity I have had to wish the Lebanese Canadian community a happy Lebanese Heritage Month. I wanted to make sure I took the opportunity. We have seen massive fees put on remittances that are sent around the world by Canadians who have family in other countries. I am wondering if the member has any comments on that and how those fees need to be regulated and co…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats agree to apply the vote, and we will be voting yea.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats agree to apply the vote, and we will be voting yes.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this week, the Israeli Parliament banned UNRWA from operating in Israel-occupied East Jerusalem and designated this life-saving organization—
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this week, the Israeli Parliament banned UNRWA from operating in Israel-occupied East Jerusalem and designated this life-saving organization as a terrorist organization. Millions of Palestinians are living through hell and need aid, and there is no aid organization that can do what UNRWA can do on the ground. Canada must act now. We cannot tolerate these outrageous attacks on the Unit…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech today. It was very touching to hear the words he had to say about his former colleague. While I did not have the pleasure of working with the late Mr. Sopuck, I have heard many things from my colleagues in the lobby. Many have very funny stories about their time working with him. I have to acknowledge that there were very few times the late Mr. Sopu…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, at this very moment, there are thousands of workers rallying for respect and for their collective bargaining rights at the legislature in Alberta. Members of CUPE local 3550 were stripped of their rights to strike by the Alberta government after they voted 97% in favour of job action. Education assistance, administrative staff, librarians and student support staff are the backbone of …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, abortion is health care, but under the Liberal government, so many Canadians still do not have access to reproductive health care. For those who live outside of larger urban centres, it is almost impossible. The anti-choice Conservatives would only make this worse. The Trump-lite leader and his extremist caucus have voted five times to restrict abortions, and while the Prime Minister …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, that was an appalling answer. The Prime Minister needs to sanction Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu. There are 650,000 Albertans who do not have a family doctor. In Edmonton, hospital wards are 155% overshot, but instead of addressing this crisis, Danielle Smith and the Alberta Conservatives are going to uberize the problem. Enough is enough. Can the Prime Minister tell us when Albertans will d…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for some of the things that he outlined in that discourse. One of the ways that we would be able to hold hearings and get more information for Canadians about foreign interference would be if we did have a Canada-India committee struck, similar to the Canada-China committee on which I sit at the moment. Why has the Liberal Party chosen not to suppo…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the member for raising so many of these important issues. In Edmonton, we have seen examples of extortion being used as well, which is something many Edmontonians and many Canadians across the country are very worried about. One of the issues that I have focused on as the foreign affairs critic for the NDP has been the way that the Arms Trade Treaty is …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his heartfelt speech this evening. I have heard from members, from individuals across Canada, who have expressed the fear that they feel. They are worried about how to talk to their children and spouses about the violence they are threatened with. They feel that their community has been targeted and that they are at risk every single day. We have seen extort…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I have to be honest; Canadians across the country are seeing that the leader of the official opposition has had the opportunity for 140 days to get his security clearance so he can get to the bottom of some of the information, and he refuses to do that. However, that is not the subject of the question I actually have for the member right now. New Democrats for a long time have called …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I asked a question of the member earlier tonight and did not get a response, so I will keep it very simple for him. Will the member commit to banning entry to BJP officials who have called for racist and genocidal violence against Muslims and other minorities in India, yes or no?
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech this evening was very well done. It brought up a lot of interesting and important points. Obviously, like him, I am utterly disgusted that the Leader of the Opposition will not get his security clearance. That is obviously a challenge for us. He outlined so many risks that we see right now that are happening, and to me there seems to be a very urgent need for a c…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I was reflecting on what the member said in his speech, and I really appreciated one of the comments he made, which was that this is not an issue of Hindu versus Sikh or Hindu versus Muslim. This is a Canadian issue, and we are looking at protecting Canadians of all backgrounds and recognizing that Canadian law is so vital and so important. I wanted to ask him about how he feels about…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, before I start on a question for my colleague, I have a question for the Speaker with regard to how he will be allocating questions, considering that there are only two parties represented, that there are no Conservatives in the House right now—
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, on a point of clarity, I am just wondering how you will be allocating the questions this evening, considering the number of members who are in the House at the moment.
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, all night tonight, we have been talking about very serious issues and why this is impactful for so many Canadians. I guess my question for the member has to come down to this: We brought forward a motion today. The leader of the NDP brought forward a motion asking for us to have a committee so that we can actually look at this in depth, these issues that we are facing. It would be an …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, one of the things that I am quite worried about when we hear about the foreign interference is the implications of what Canadians will feel about our democracy. I am also very worried about what Canada's role should be in protecting human rights around the world. We have called on the government to ban entry to BJP officials from India who have called for racist and genocidal violence…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to stand tonight to speak to this very serious topic. Last year, we learned that a Canadian citizen was killed on Canadian soil by a foreign government. Very few things are more serious for the House of Commons to deal with. Then, of course, last week, we learned from the RCMP that the Government of India is allegedly intimidating members of the South Asian community, …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I think many members have spoken about how disappointing and shocking it is that the Leader of the Opposition refuses to get the security clearance that would give him access to the information he would require to be able to do his job. However, I also want to say that it was disappointing for me to be in the debate all night tonight and to listen to members of the Conservative Party …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that Edmonton is well represented today in the chamber. A number of us from Edmonton are here. I agree with my colleague. I find it very disappointing that the Liberals shut down unanimous consent to put in place a committee to look at the Canada-India relationship. Knowing how difficult it is, knowing how dangerous this is and knowing that the Indian government ha…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to thank my colleague for the incredible work she has done in combatting foreign interference in this country. She has been a tireless voice and has actively pushed the government to make fundamental changes to ensure that our democracy is protected. I am very grateful that I get to work with her. Of course, it does not make any sense at all. Is this how we are…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, this intervention by the Conservative member is interesting, because it gives me, obviously, an opportunity to point out that the leader of the official opposition has not said a single thing on social media. He has not said a single thing in the House. He has not commented at all about this. The fact is that a Canadian citizen was murdered by a foreign government on Canadian soil, an…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, yes.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I would like to request that you look through the chamber. It appears we do not have quorum to continue this debate.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, one thing my colleague started with in his speech was the NDP working with the Liberals, so I want to take a moment today to acknowledge the important work that happened, which was finished in the Senate yesterday. Pharmacare was passed through the Senate and was brought back to the House, and millions of Canadians will now have access to a pharmacare program. It is very exciting, and…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, today I rise to table a petition on behalf of firefighters across Canada to address an urgent issue impacting the health and safety of firefighters. This petition was sponsored by the member for Edmonton Strathcona. It calls for immediate action to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFASs, in firefighter gear and firefighting foam. PFASs are man-made chemicals resistant to hea…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I want to give some compliments to my colleague. It was probably the least self-aware speech I have ever heard in the House of Commons. He talked a lot about lies the Liberals have made, and I agree that the Liberals are not honest and have not shown that they have a lot of moral fortitude. However, I want to quote from a Twitter account that many of us follow. It is called, “Pierre I…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, just to be clear, I was not quoting anyone in particular; it is the name of an account. The particular account says that the leader of the official opposition lied 215 times in the House of Commons over three days. I did not say that; the—
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, the member spoke about lying, about embarrassment and about all of these things. Of course, I think, “a pox on both their houses”, to be perfectly honest, because this is a debate in this place on which is worse, and that is not very helpful for Canadians who are struggling right now. One of the things the member's leader said just recently in the media is that he thought it would be …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I always find my colleague's interventions both informative and entertaining, but I want to ask a serious question. My colleague spoke about the Leader of the Opposition, who said that it would be a gift if innocent people lost their lives and a nuclear facility was bombed. This is as we are seeing an escalation of war in the Middle East and seeing tens of thousands of innocent people…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, here are today's headlines: “Israeli forces fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon”; hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in northern Gaza, ordered to flee with nowhere to go; “Israel seeking to close down Unrwa”; and “Canada's Conservative Leader: Israel Taking Out Iran’s Nuclear Sites Would Be ‘Gift by the Jewish State to Humanity'”. This is crazy. This is enough. Canada needs to…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I do not want the member to mislead the House. In fact, it was today that I said those things and today that I actually asked for the hostages to be released. Today that I asked—
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, there is an urgent need for an emergency debate to allow parliamentarians to address the crisis in Lebanon. Many of us represent constituents who are terrified and whose families are trapped in this conflict, and we must discuss what Canada can do to promote a ceasefire in the region. On Monday evening, Israeli forces began a ground incursion into Lebanon. This follows a week of heavy…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I would like to follow up on one of the points of orders that was brought up already, in which a member had asked that the Prime Minister retract a statement. If I understand correctly, the Leader of the Opposition was asked to retract a statement and has also not done that yet. I could be mistaken, but if that is the case, I would urge you, Mr. Speaker, to ensure…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
moved: That this House do now adjourn. Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the incredible member for London—Fanshawe. Today, I rise with a heavy heart to amplify the voices of Edmonton Strathcona constituents, the Lebanese-Canadian community and Canadians from across the country who are devastated by the escalating violence in the Middle East. Canadians believe in justice and fairness in a…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I want everyone in this House to think about if it were their children or their families. If they were in Ottawa and a foreign state bombed Ottawa, what would that feel like? I want everyone here to recognize that when we say it is okay to kill innocent civilians, we are dehumanizing those people, and that is appalling. No one is ever, under international law, allowed to have collecti…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, that is what we are debating today. There are some very important steps the government could take. Canada has a long history of being not just peacekeepers but peacebuilders, and has played that role with diplomacy. We are a G7 country. We have the ability to use the diplomatic tools at our disposal to work with our allies and bring things forward. One key piece that needs to be done …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, that is, frankly, not true. The New Democrats have been very clear on our stance. Since the very beginning, we have been clear that Hamas is a terrorist organization. We condemn what it did in Israel on October 7. That has been extraordinarily clear, and I have mentioned it multiple times in multiple different forums.
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I find it shocking that my colleague was not able to find even one example of how Netanyahu's administration could be criticized. I am interested. He talked about international law. He talked about rules-based international systems. Clearly, the member would know that almost every single international expert has said the actions of the Netanyahu government have reduced the rules-based…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague to be a strong defender of human rights and a very serious member of Parliament. His constituents are lucky to have him. I spent today speaking to Edmontonians and Lebanese Canadians who are very desperate to get more information on how to get their loved ones out of Lebanon. Unfortunately, right now, a lot of the application process happens online. Their loved one…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I want to express my sadness and sympathy to the member. I know that she has family in Israel and that what she has suffered over the last number of months has been horrific. I also want to acknowledge that Jewish people, Palestinian people, Muslims and Arabs across this country have faced incredible racism and discrimination. Even within the House, the member has been a victim of dis…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, the member's speech referenced that there is an awful lot of anti-Semitism across this country. That is undoubtedly true and something that every member of the House is appalled by. We should be doing everything we can to limit all anti-Semitism, anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia and all the sorts of discrimination we are seeing increase exponentially right now. However, I have to…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, that speech was incorrect and false on many fronts. I could go through some of it, but in the speech I gave earlier today and in the speech that my colleague from London—Fanshawe gave, we were very clear that we are able to hold within ourselves the ability to be very critical and horrified by the actions of Hamas and Hezbollah, while also recognizing that Israel is not adhering to …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I am sorry that I am going to ask this question in English, because I do not have enough control of my French to be able to speak to the complexity of this issue. The member spoke about the horror. He painted a picture of the horror that Israelis felt on October 7, and I think everyone in this House felt that horror. I am a mother. My children are the same age as those children woul…
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