Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize an important development: the decision by the European Union to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. This decision reflects the courage and determination of the Iranian people, who have endured the IRGC's repression for decades, including the tragic loss of life during the January 2026 uprising. For more than 20 years, democratic opposition leaders…
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Mr. Speaker, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin is home to 98% of Ontarians and more than 90% of Québécois. It is a critical part of a highly integrated economy, valued at over $10 trillion and is extremely important to all of us. Yesterday evening, a coalition of groups dedicated to fostering a prosperous and resilient Great Lakes and St. Lawrence ecosystem welcomed parliamentarians, staff …
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Mr. Speaker, I think there is a lot of enthusiasm in the House for things to be done right. I want to ask the member if she is going to support the government's MOU.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to denounce the heartbreaking case of Ms. Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 67-year-old Iranian electrical engineer and human rights advocate who has been sentenced to death by the Iranian regime. Her so-called trial lasted 10 minutes and was conducted via video conference. She was prohibited from retaining a lawyer and sentenced to death based on ridiculous evidence: a piece of cl…
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Mr. Speaker, I was thrilled to hear the Government of Canada's announcement on the Build Canada Homes initiative. This transformative program is a bold and critical step toward making housing more affordable for Canadians by accelerating the development of affordable homes all across the country. I had the honour of attending one of the many announcements in Toronto and saw first-hand the exciteme…
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Mr. Speaker, just weeks ago, thousands gathered outside the United Nations in New York to demand a free and democratic Iran. Led by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the rally united international dignitaries, politicians and supporters of the Iranian resistance in rejecting dictatorship and calling for a future rooted in liberty, justice and democratic values. A deeply troubling UN repo…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Liaison Committee, entitled “Committee Activities and Expenditures: April 1, 2024 - March 23, 2025”.
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Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question. The bill has been reviewed and will continue to be reviewed. We all know that if it does not meet the calls in the Constitution, then those changes would have to be made. However, the folks who wrote up Bill C-2 clearly believe that it is within the framework that needs to be there to protect all Canadians and to respect our Constitution.
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Mr. Speaker, it is great to see my hon. colleague, whom I have worked with for several years, on the floor of the House. Of course, CBSA is a big part of all of this. Securing the border, we all know, no matter where we live, is something that is extremely important. I continue to be very concerned about the number of guns that flow across the borders, by way of our lakes, our rivers and so on. I …
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to join the debate today. I listened with great sympathy to every word said by my new colleague across the way. I understand the issue very well and sympathize with the challenge that is facing him, and many of us, which is exactly why Bill C-2 is so important in enabling us to make the kinds of changes necessary to give the tools that are required and necessar…
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Mr. Speaker, I know how concerned my colleague is, as all of us are. Bill C-2 is necessary today to deal with 2025 and the future years. The current legislation that our police officers and other officials have to deal with is outdated and needed corrections much earlier, had I had my way about it. I look forward to Bill C-2's protecting my constituents and all Canadians as we move forward, and ho…
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Mr. Speaker, today I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the three following reports from the Standing Committee on International Trade: the first report, in relation to the motion adopted on Monday, June 16, entitled “Measures Relating to the Canadian Border Services Agency's Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) System”; the second report, entitled “Selected United States …
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Mr. Speaker, on September 23, the 42nd International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly will convene in Montreal, yet Taiwan, which manages the busy and strategically vital Taipei Flight Information Region, remains excluded. Taiwan's absence undermines global aviation safety and contradicts the spirit of the Chicago Convention. As tensions rise over the Taiwan Strait and concerns grow around Chi…
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Mr. Speaker, our government is taking strong, targeted action to support the people of Ukraine and to hold Russia accountable for its ongoing war of aggression. In one of our most significant sanctions packages since the invasion began in 2022, we are imposing new sanctions on 77 individuals and 39 entities, and restricting trade on nearly 1,000 items, including those linked to chemical weapons, a…
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Madam Speaker, I want to assure my colleague that all members of the House, I believe, have the right intentions to make sure we are protecting our environment and moving forward in a positive, safe way. This is a great opportunity for Canada for jobs, for production and for us to move forward, but as we move forward, we need to do so while being sensitive to the environment we deal with every day…
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Madam Speaker, it is nice to see my colleague back. I find the whole industry very exciting. Within our own family, we have a brand new, great big van that seats seven people, so when we take long trips, we have a great vehicle to do that. However, the vehicle used most in our family is a small electric vehicle. We have had it about seven years, and it has been maintenance-free for seven years. Th…
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Madam Speaker, yes, I have been here quite a few years, and at many different times I have seen new ideas and things try to move forward that do not necessarily succeed without political leadership. I continue to call upon all of us as parliamentarians at a very challenging time in front of us. We can either crumple up and say that we cannot do anything about this and that we are just going to giv…
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Madam Speaker, it is great to see you looking so fabulous today, and in the chair and back to work the way I know you want to be. I will be sharing my time with the great member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. I am really pleased to speak to the issue of EV cars, why they are so important and why we as a government continue to encourage that kind of investment. We are gathere…
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Mr. Speaker, fentanyl has torn through communities and ripped families apart throughout various areas of Canada. Our government was given a strong mandate to keep all Canadians safe. Can the Minister of Public Safety update the House on the recent law enforcement seizures, which are keeping drugs off the streets of Canada?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am sorry. I will make sure I do not have that in my notes in the future. I was also going to mention the former finance minister and the wonderful job she did on the negotiations at that time. I am sure she will be involved in the future as we renegotiate these agreements. We knew our ability to secure a new agreement, one that would not only preserve but enhance our trading relat…
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Mr. Speaker, we are here to discuss international trade. I recognize the importance of different things that went on yesterday, but if we are going to have a fruitful debate, I would ask that we focus on the issue at hand. I know my vice-chair and the other members are anxious to add their comments.
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Madam Speaker, I want to acknowledge that my hon. colleague has contributed tremendously to the House. He has made the debates in this House very interesting and quite comical at times. Certainly, we have put together the Canada-U.S. team of negotiators who are working already, 18 hours a day, on a variety of areas of strength and opportunities that we have to negotiate further with. We have a lot…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join this debate today, as chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade. I have to say we have a wonderful group of people on all sides on the committee who really work very well together. It is a privilege to have an opportunity to speak today, this being our last session before the House will rise, and to have a chance to wish everybody a very merry Chris…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I know I am new here and you do not always get my title quickly, but I want to suggest that we are here to talk about a very important thing, which is a concurrence motion on international trade. If you are trying to keep people on the point, I would suggest that the comments have already made by my hon. colleague, and we should move on to international tra…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his best wishes. Certainly, we recognize the value of our lumber, our minerals and all of the very sacred items we have in Canada that help to keep our country strong and open more opportunities for all of our businesses as we move forward.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague who is the vice-chair of the international trade committee. He is doing a fine job and we work well together. At the end of the day, it is about Canada first all the time, for all of us. All of us in the House have the same destination, to make sure we are doing things. When it comes to the whole issue of climate change, the Liberal Party of Canada has a…
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Mr. Speaker, the holidays are a time for celebration but, more importantly, they are a time to make sure that we connect with each other. As we gather with our loved ones, we are reminded of the importance of community and the bonds that unite all of us. Whether we are sharing meals, exchanging gifts or simply enjoying each other's company, these moments remind us of the power of community and sup…
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Mr. Speaker, I truly have the honour today, as we get to the end of 2024, to present, in both official languages, the 23rd report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, entitled “Canada's Supply Chains and Expanded International Trade: Challenges and Measures”, for 2024 and as we move into the future.
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Mr. Speaker, the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims is a harsh reality in many parts of the world, where they face violence, discrimination, and the denial of their basic rights simply for practising their faith. This injustice highlights the importance of religious freedom. Here in Canada, we are fortunate to live in a society that values and upholds this freedom. Every individual has the right to wor…
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Madam Speaker, the holiday season is fast approaching, which means many Canadians will soon be celebrating with family and friends. We know what Canadians are getting in their Christmas stockings this year from the Leader of the Opposition: broken campaign promises, hypocritical speeches and more and more of that. Could the minister please tell the House what we are going to do to support Canadian…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's security is everyone's concern. This week there have been more alarming reports of foreign interference in the Conservative leadership race, yet the leader of the Conservative Party is the only party leader who still refuses to obtain the necessary security clearance to access classified documents on foreign governments' political interference activities in Canada. Canadians …
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present, in both official languages, the 22nd report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, entitled “Selected United States and European Union Trade-Related Measures: Some Impacts on Canada’s Fishing Sector”. This report is timely, given the very issues that we are contemplating and discussing today, and so I am pleased to be able to present the report.
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Mr. Speaker, our government continues to take decisive and aggressive action to address crime across Canada, having created offences to target organized crime gangs that exploit young people. We have also invested over $600 million into fighting guns and gangs and have passed gun control laws to take violent weapons out of our communities. These efforts and many more have been implemented to tackl…
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Mr. Speaker, I continue to hear a lot of noise from members opposite about affordability but no real solutions. Last week, the government made an exciting announcement to support Canadians over this holiday season. Would the minister share more details about our government's plan to put more money in the pockets of Canadians?
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Mr. Speaker, I need to draw members' attention to the critical situation in Iran, particularly regarding its domestic repression. Maryam Akbari is a woman languishing in jail despite finishing her 15-year prison term for seeking justice for her siblings, which is truly an alarming atrocity. Recently, Varisheh Moradi, a Kurdish woman, was sentenced to death in another sham trial in Tehran's revolut…
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 107(3), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Liaison Committee, entitled “Committee Activities and Expenditures: April 1, 2024 - August 31, 2024”. This report highlights the work and accomplishments of each committee of the House, as well as detailing the budgets that fund the activities approved by the committee.
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Mr. Speaker, media freedom advocate and newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai prepares to turn 77, yet he remains unjustly imprisoned in Hong Kong. By the end of this year, he will have endured four years in solitary confinement; by UN standards, this is a condition deemed torture when prolonged beyond 15 days. Mr. Lai has been an outspoken critic of human rights violations by the Chinese government, givi…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member sits on committee with me and we know each other very well. However, on the bill he is referring to, it is an issue of royal recommendation. There are rules for us as members of Parliament. There are rules as to how the House has to govern. I had a previous bill that was called a money bill and it was rejected. It did not get a royal recommendation because it would aff…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his passion on this, but we all care very much about all Canadians, especially seniors. They always have a special part in the hearts of all of us. The reality is—
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember my dear friend Gayle Christie, former mayor of the borough of York, who passed away on August 14 and was laid to rest on September 8. Gayle's journey began in Toronto, where she first stepped into public service as a trustee on the Board of Education. Her dedication propelled her to become the alderman, and ultimately she became the mayor of York from 1978 to …
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Mr. Speaker, for 15 years, the Canadian Transplant Society has been at the forefront of organ donation advocacy in Canada, working to eliminate cornea blindness through increased awareness and education. Cornea blindness impacts adults and children of all ages. It does not discriminate. Currently, an estimated 15,000 Canadians will need cornea transplants in the near future, a number driven by our…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 20th report of the Standing Committee on International Trade in relation to the motion adopted on Thursday, June 13, regarding the duty-free industry in Canada. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report. I wish everybody a wonderful summer.
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Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I have recognized half a dozen times where my hon. colleague keeps talking about everything else but the amendment and the bill before us. As a reminder, this bill is about electoral reform and not about carbon tax, and not about the umpteen other things that he has mentioned.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to have the opportunity to take part in the debate at third reading of Bill C-323, an act to amend the Excise Tax Act on mental health services. As we all know, this bill would exempt supplies of psychotherapy and mental health counselling services from the goods and services tax and the harmonized sales tax, or the GST/HST, something which we already support. In fact,…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians from across the country are concerned about the rising levels of auto theft. This is an issue that our government takes very seriously, and we have taken meaningful action to combat it. Yesterday, our government announced the deployment of a mobile X-ray scanner in the GTA to combat auto theft. This scanner will enable the CBSA to recover even more stolen vehicles and help o…
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Madam Speaker, I believe all 338 of us in the House want to ensure that all the government's programs and funding efforts are put forward in the very best interest of all of us. I am quite confident that, with the transition to the new leadership under the NRC, there will be opportunities for many more companies to excel, in excess of the 500 that I referred to earlier. There will be lots of oppor…
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Madam Chair, it is great to see you in the chair, as always. For me, seeing a woman in the chair is always very encouraging. It is great, especially when it is a beautiful woman. I think we could all agree on that. As we have the discussion, we need to remember what the role of the Auditor General is, which is being independent and doing the job that we appoint them to do. I wish we were not talki…
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Madam Speaker, if the member is asking how the department is dealing with a lot of the budgetary issues, all areas of government were asked to take a 3% cut, to my knowledge. I believe it was for everybody. I would remind my hon. colleague that, with three fact-finding investigations into this issue, neither the Auditor General nor any others found any evidence of fraudulent or criminal activities…
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Madam Speaker, I would remind the member that, in some of the evidence put forward earlier, over 500 companies were approved and went on to excel in clean technology. I am quite certain that, under the new leadership and after transitioning, the NRC will continue to ensure that some of the best companies receive the opportunity to move forward with more clean technology.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today in support of Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly. Taiwan's exclusion from global health initiatives is a significant gap in global health security that must be addressed. Despite Taiwan's significant contributions to global health worldwide through providing aid and assistance to many countries, it has faced obstacles in fully participating i…
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