Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, a community gathered to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Arnold Sylliboy, who passed away a year ago. Arnold enjoyed bringing people together for a good cause and good times. He competed with determination in any sport or contest, and at the same time, had the ability to bring joy and laughter to every situation. Arnold was a caring leader, a natural athlete and a co…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her passion for this issue. It is absolutely clear that we must continue to do everything we can to eliminate discrimination in Canada. That is why our ministers are meeting with stakeholders and with partners. They are ensuring that they get this right. We will continue to be focused on ensuring reconciliation moving forward. I look forwa…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for raising this important topic and giving me the opportunity to speak to the issue. It is an important topic, and it is valuable to be having this discussion today in the House. However, as we have this conversation, it is also important to note that this matter is before the courts, and so it is incumbent upon all members to be judicious and responsible w…
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Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely committed to maintaining the legal clarity and stability of private fee simple landownership. The decision's potentially significant implications, including on private fee simple property rights, require greater legal certainty and clarity, which we are asking the courts to do. In our country, the Supreme Court of Canada makes rulings. As politicians, and as a govern…
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite listed a lot of the things he stood for. I was honoured to sit with that member when we were on the fisheries committee together many years ago. I know him to be a genuine leader and a friend of reconciliation in the House. I am really happy to be here on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries. I would like to talk a bit about how Pacific salmon populations are expe…
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Madam Speaker, I hear the urgency in my colleague's voice. I just want him to know that we are urgently discussing this. We are making sure that our processes with our partners are collaborative, and we are going to ensure that the government continues to move forward with the investment of $686 million over five years to implement decisive actions under the Pacific salmon strategy initiative to m…
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Madam Speaker, I have tremendous respect for the member, not only because he was previously a chief of his nation but also because of his lived experience in the first nations in his community. The member opposite was around the first nations chiefs last week as they gathered at the AFN, and I was there with him. I heard first nations chiefs from all across this country, especially British Columbi…
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Mr. Speaker, our government continues to respect and acknowledge the important work they are doing as first nations leaders across this country. Our ministers have been busy all week listening to rights holders and going to the meetings. I, as a former Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council member and a former regional chief, know the important work that goes into the development of reso…
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Madam Speaker, It's not for me to rock the boat, But what's the deal on last week's vote? We won the thing, so I won't gloat But Robert Fife, I'd like to quote: He spoke about some sneaky deeds Where two were, hiding in the weeds, Which served the Tories voting needs “Embarrassing!”—the headline reads. Their outline makes it all but certain The two that hid behind the curtain, With a snap election…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for her work at the indigenous and northern affairs committee when she was there. She talked a lot about why it is important for us to have oversight when we are looking at modern-day treaties and the things that Canada has agreed to. When I was speaking with some of the stakeholders who have been pushing for this, they said we really needed accou…
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Madam Speaker, we are committed on this side of the House to co-operative federalism with the province of Alberta, but we remain committed and we remain respectful of aboriginal and treaty rights, as well as the free, prior and informed consent of communities that is entrenched in UNDRIP. We are going to continue to respect these rights. It is not only the right thing to do; it is also the law.
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Mr. Speaker, the member was a productive member at the indigenous and northern affairs committee during her time there, and I want to thank her for her efforts at that committee. Next week, we will have the Assembly of First Nations in town for its annual general assembly. We will have hundreds of chiefs and more than 600 first nations community members from all across Canada. They will be asking …
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Mr. Speaker, I know that the Conservatives wish that Canadians had afforded them the ability to create a budget, but they chose the Liberals. They chose us because of the fact that we invest in them, in our youth and in our country. We believe in building a stronger country for all Canadians. When I knock on doors, not one person ever talks to me about the deficit or the debt. They talk about what…
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Mr. Speaker, when I talk to youth in my riding, they are asking us to invest in a better future. They are asking us to help build Canada, and they want to be a part of this. They want to be part of the trades. They want education. They want our economy to thrive. Confident countries invest in their communities and in their youth. Confident countries do the work that needs to be done to give those …
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Mr. Speaker, it was one of the plans of the Conservative Premier of Nova Scotia to ensure that we move forward with wind energy. It is what he asked our government to do, and we delivered on that. Whatever stripes people have or political parties they belong to, they can agree that clean energy is the best energy for Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, budget 2025 meets an important moment in our country's history. It is a budget that bets on Canada, a budget that invests in our future and ensures that we will build a strong and resilient future. The challenge before us is to become less reliant on our trade partners to the south and to build from within. I would like to start off by talking about one of my favourite words in the En…
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Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite were to read the memorandum of understanding, he would see that what the Prime Minister has agreed to are certain conditions that would allow, potentially, in the future, for a pipeline. Those conditions are predicated on the fact that first nations have full, free, prior and informed consent in the project, and that British Columbia is part of the project. I am…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, we have liftoff in Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish. Last week in my riding, Maritime Launch Services conducted a suborbital space launch in Nova Scotia. This gravitational leap for our province and for Spaceport Nova Scotia brings us one step closer to achieving Canadian sovereign launch capability. In our near future, it is expected that we will witness an orbital launch on the soil of …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table two reports in both official languages. The first is copies of the 2022-23 “Annual Report on the State of Inuit Culture and Society: Policing”. The second is copies of the Yukon land claims and self-government agreement implementation report for 2017 to 2022. I request that both reports be referred to the Standin…
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Mr. Speaker, I know that the member is from the Yukon, and I cannot help but notice that there are so many communities from the Yukon that would be helped by the legislation. I am sure the member has heard advocacy from Yukon first nations leaders over his time as a member of Parliament. I wonder if the member would share some of the information and advocacy from the first nations leaders of the Y…
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Mr. Speaker, this evening I would like to share some thoughts on something that has been a lifelong passion for me, and that is ensuring the implementation of treaty rights and inherent rights in Canada. In fact, besides studying treaties in law school and being a professor of aboriginal and treaty rights at Cape Breton University, I was honoured to be given the opportunity to be the first-ever tr…
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Mr. Speaker, I sit with my colleague on the INAN committee and appreciate his views and questions. The member talked a bit about some of the rights that the previous Conservative government promoted, but he did not once mention the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Stephen Harper and Conservatives voted against at the United Nations, whereas we as a federal gove…
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Mr. Speaker, I am a little confused. I have been hearing the Conservatives talk about how many modern-day treaties they signed under Stephen Harper. On the one hand they are bragging about how many treaties they have signed, and on the other hand, they are saying that they are not going to vote for oversight or for someone to ensure that implementation and education around the modern treaties are …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, today, I rise in the House to honour Eleanor Mitchell from the Potlotek Mi'kmaq community, an elder whose life embodies resilience, compassion and enduring strength. Eleanor was taken to the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School at the age of six, separated from her family and subjected to the trauma that so many indigenous children endured. Despite these hardships, Eleanor's life …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I really appreciated hearing from our member from Saskatchewan. It is really good to have a member of the Liberal Party from Saskatchewan. I grew up in Saskatoon, and I have always joked that I have been one of the only Saskatchewan Liberals in our caucus for the last few years. I am really happy that he is here and talking tonight. We have heard, over many years, about some of the cl…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as I rise for the first time as the member of Parliament for Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the constituents of our riding for putting their trust in me as their representative. To my campaign team, I say that this journey would not have been possible without them. June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada. It is a month to celeb…
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Mr. Speaker, we are closer than ever before on ending water advisories on reserve. We have lifted 147 water advisories since 2015. The next step on our reconciliation journey is passing the first nations clean water act, but the Conservatives are blocking the bill from moving forward to the Senate. It is shameful to stand against first nations clean water standards like this, and it is shameful th…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on November 30, I was honoured to attend the signing of the Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty in Treaty 1 territory, the homeland of the Red River Métis, with the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. It was the first of its kind. This co-developed modern treaty will recognize the Manitoba Métis Federation as the government of the Red River Métis …
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Mr. Speaker, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion, that notwithstanding any—
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Mr. Speaker, I think the more we find out about the residential schools, the more Canadians realize the horrific tragedies that occurred there. I can say, as a nephew of multiple aunts who went to residential school, we continue to focus on support and healing. That is why we have the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, to continue to have these discussions and to open the minds of Canadian…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her question. It is an important one. Our government is committed to closing the infrastructure gap by 2030. Since 2016, we have put more than $25 billion into infrastructure, which has meant more than 9,000 infrastructure projects in Canada for indigenous people. We are going to continue to work toward reconciliation. We are going to co…
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Madam Speaker, I think we all agree that we need to do more to address murdered and missing indigenous women in Canada. That is why one of the key budget items in the last budget was a red dress alert. We are listening to stakeholders. We are following the good practices in communities such as Nova Scotia, which is showing how to do this. We know that we can do better on this, and our government c…
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Mr. Speaker, who does not love Christmas music? If We Make It Through December is one of my favourites. It is about the difficult times that families experience during the holiday season. On December 14, our government will help families by pausing the tax on essential items like groceries, toys, children's clothing, holiday goodies and even Christmas trees. However, the Leader of the Opposition, …
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Mr. Speaker, it seems the only time Conservatives want to talk about indigenous issues in the House is when it fits their cut, cut, cut agenda. While they attack the indigenous procurement strategy, the fact is that under the Harper government, under 1% of procurement was going to indigenous business. Our government has raised that to more than 6%. On this side of the House, we are going to stay c…
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Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities have fought for decades to enshrine the ability to determine their own citizenship and membership. UNDRIP's article 33 is entrenched in law, and it confirms the right of indigenous people to determine who is a member of their community. However, the Conservatives have a different idea. They want to tell indigenous people who is eligible and who is not. No first …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, on November 8, Canadians pay tribute to the first nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, all of whom have served Canada in times of war and peace for more than 200 years. Thousands of indigenous people have proudly served in uniform. However, despite their service and their sacrifice on the front lines, indigenous veterans were subjected to repeated injustice and discrimination. Often, t…
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Mr. Speaker, I have good news. Guess what is happening next week in Nova Scotia? The Canada carbon rebate will be distributed to Nova Scotians and deposited into their bank accounts on October 15. A family in Nova Scotia will receive $206 through the Canada carbon rebate, but it does not stop there. For a family living in rural Cape Breton, like in my riding of Sydney—Victoria, its October rebate …
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Mr. Speaker, I have tremendous news for the people of Cape Breton. Bill C-49, our offshore wind bill, is now law. Expanding on the historic Atlantic accords, we have delivered groundbreaking legislation that will enable the construction of offshore renewable energy in Atlantic Canada. While support for the legislation was unanimous in the Nova Scotia provincial legislation, shamefully, the federal…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today in proud recognition of the funding of the Bernie MacNeil field in Sydney, Nova Scotia, a project that was tirelessly advocated for by the Sydney Baseball Park Association and the hundreds of parents who voiced their support and helped fundraise for the field. I would like to thank the Jays Care Foundation for its contribution and all levels of government for making thi…
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Madam Speaker, it is true that elders are an important part of indigenous communities. We know that it is important to continue to support indigenous women, especially on Sisters in Spirit Day. I would also like to congratulate the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association on their brand new indigenous women's Resilience Centre, which opened last month. It is the first ever in provinces across Canada…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the Conservatives are always looking for scapegoats to blame for wildfires or anything else. They are looking at bureaucrats. Shame on them. They know that the climate crisis is real. Scientists, for 20 years, have said that this is the truth. Most Canadians understand this and most Canadians are asking us to do more. If we do not invest in climate solutions now, including carbon pr…
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Madam Speaker, in the spring, we outlined, in budget 2024, our plan to build a Canada that works better for every generation; a Canada where younger generations can get ahead, where their hard work pays off and where they can buy or rent their own home. To support this, we are also making Canada's tax system fairer by asking the very wealthiest to pay a bit more so that we can make investments in …
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Madam Speaker, today, it is possible for a carpenter or a nurse to pay tax at a higher marginal rate than a multi-millionaire, which is not fair. Our government is increasing the inclusion rate for capital gains over $250,000 for individuals with the exemptions I mentioned to make Canada's tax system fairer. In the process, we will also generate new revenue that will help make life cost less for m…
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Madam Speaker, climate change is fundamentally changing the way in which Canadians live their lives. From extreme weather events to the price of food, climate change is making life more expensive. Climate-related impacts are already costing the average Canadian household $720 per year; without government taking action to reduce emissions, this is likely to rise to $2,000 per year by 2050. Our gove…
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives can point their fingers in different places, but they cannot come to the realization that climate change is real. The situation in Jasper was not because of a bureaucrat or failed policies. Climate crisis is upon us and is costing us money today. The effects of climate change are too great to ignore, and that is why our government is committed to delivering on conc…
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Madam Speaker, the Conservative member opposite said one thing that I will totally agree with. He said we do not know the facts. I have never heard anything more true coming from that side of the aisle. As Canadians face ever-increasing droughts, wildfires and extreme weather events, the need to continue taking action on climate change has never been greater. Climate impacts have already reduced C…
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Mr. Speaker, we are seeing that Canada is warming five times faster than other countries. The damage from extreme weather events in Canada is more than $175 million per year, but our environmental plan reduces emissions and puts more money in the hands of eight out of 10 Canadians. Climate change is real, and the Conservatives do not have a plan. It is shameful.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaches, may we all reflect on the 94 calls to action that call for creating awareness of our shared history, addressing past wrongs and, most importantly, supporting healing for indigenous people. Advancing reconciliation is a journey that we must all take together as a country. While more than 85% of the calls to action are in proc…
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Mr. Speaker, when I think about my family members who attended the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, knowing full well that one in 25 children who went to residential schools did not come home, I think it is shameful that anyone would deny that the residential schools happened and the impact of that on Canadians. Our government is going to continue to create awareness. Our government is goin…
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Madam Speaker, our hearts go out to the families and friends who have lost their lives to the toxic drug and overdose crisis. No community has been left untouched by this tragic public health crisis. We all have a responsibility to do everything we can to help Canadians and not look away. As part of an overall comprehensive approach, our government continues to support efforts to divert people who…
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