Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last spring, Canadians elected us on the promise to make life more affordable. My constituents in Davenport and Canadians across the country know we have taken action to cut income taxes for 22 million Canadians. We have cut the GST for first-time homebuyers, and we are building homes across the nation at a pace not seen in generations. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister announced …
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the following reports: the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the Parliamentary Transatlantic Forum in Washington, D.C., United States of America, from December 4 to 6, 2023; the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association concerning its participati…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Davenport, I have veterans who served in Afghanistan. When I ask them about their service, the answer is simple. They are proud to have served. They are proud Canadians. Let the record be clear. Canada is a founding member of NATO. We have participated in nearly every mission since 1949. More than 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan, and 158 made the ultimate sacrif…
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Madam Speaker, the protecting victims act, Bill C-16, would be one of the most significant updates to Canada's criminal justice system in generations. I heard there are concerns on the other side about there being a court challenge. As the minister said this morning, he has taken into consideration what has happened in the Supreme Court. This has provided some guidance on how we can avoid these ty…
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Madam Speaker, first I want to say happy new year to everyone. It is a real pleasure to be back in the House with all my colleagues to do the important work for Canadians. I will be sharing my time with the wonderful member for South Shore—St. Margarets. I rise today to speak in strong support of Bill C-16, the protecting victims act, one of the most consequential updates to Canada's criminal code…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for recognizing this extraordinary woman. I am going to repeat something the minister said this morning after he gave his speech. There is work behind Bill C-16, which, as I mentioned before, would be one of the most significant updates to Canada's criminal justice system. It is very aggressive in ensuring that we modernize the Criminal Code to respon…
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Madam Speaker, I think this year is going to be a year of action. I want to say to the hon. member that I was very hopeful when I heard some of the speeches this morning. There is a spirit of co-operation, a spirit of positivity and a spirit that shows we will work together to make sure we are passing legislation that will protect Canadians. I am very proud of the legislation being introduced toda…
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Mr. Speaker, for over three years, Ukrainians have fought valiantly against Russia's illegal and brutal invasion, defending not just their homeland, but also the principles that borders must not be changed by force and that every nation has a right to determine its own future. Canada has stood with Ukraine from day one, and now more than ever, Ukrainians need our support on the battlefield, where …
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Mr. Speaker, yes, I truly believe that the three measures contained in Bill C-4 would be very beneficial for all Canadians because they would provide direct, immediate relief that will reach Canadians where they need it most. It would be an early Christmas gift that we could provide to all Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, it is not just that we are providing this tax cut, which I believe will put more immediate funds into the pockets of 22 million Canadians; over the last 10 years, we have introduced the Canada child benefit, national child care and the dental care plan. We have introduced a whole series of measures that are supporting our families and helping them live affordable lives and—
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Beauport—Limoilou. I rise today to speak to Bill C-4, the making life more affordable for Canadians act. For over a decade, I have had the enormous privilege and honour of representing the amazing people of my constituency of Davenport. It is a riding in the heart of downtown west Toronto, and it is home to 120,000 residents. It is a commu…
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Mr. Speaker, the first-time homebuyers' GST rebate in Bill C-4 would help thousands of people who want to buy their first home, and it would be a very effective tool. I will also say that in budget 2025, we are investing an additional $25 billion. We are determined to increase housing supply in this country, and we are trying to increase housing supply across the whole spectrum of housing. With th…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his great work on the citizenship and immigration committee. He started off by saying that there is minimal savings through our middle-class income tax cut. I completely disagree with this statement. For a two-income family, it is $840 more in their pockets every single year. As someone who grew up in a working-class family, $840 extra a year would …
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Mr. Speaker, I do not agree with the premise of the member's question. We have a bill that is very strong before the House. I think it meets the requirements of the constitutional test that have been raised by the Ontario Superior Court judge. I think we put forward an excellent piece of legislation.
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It is just that I am looking at my time, Mr. Speaker. It is hard for me to know my timing. I will put it on my chair.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree wholeheartedly with my colleague. We have to deal with some of these issues when we find that our laws are not constitutional. I do think it is a priority for us to make sure we handle them as expeditiously as possible. There are a lot of items that are going to be before the House. I know everybody is looking forward to budget 2025 being introduced today. I think that as soon…
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Mr. Speaker, I will start from maintaining integrity and fairness. The integrity of Canadian citizenship depends on applying the right standards in the right context. For people who move to Canada, the naturalization process assesses their readiness to join the Canadian family. It requires establishing a substantial connection to this country through recent residence, knowledge of Canada and knowl…
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Mr. Speaker, introducing additional requirements, such as language proficiency, knowledge testing or security screening, for Canadians who are citizens at birth would blur the line between immigration and citizenship by descent. It would impose a process meant for newcomers on people whose citizenship is already recognized in law. We do not ask Canadians born in this country to pass tests to retai…
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Mr. Speaker, I have tried to spell this out in my 10 minutes of speaking. We treat Canadians differently than we do newcomers to our country. If I am born here as a Canadian, I am not tested as to whether I speak a certain level of French or a certain level of English in order to be Canadian. It is the same requirement that we are applying to Canadians of descent. That is the reason.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a great question. In December 2023, in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, we had a judge who declared section 3(3)(a) and section 3(3)(b) of the Citizenship Act, key provisions limiting the passing of citizenship by descent to the first generation, to be of no force or effect. There were three main constitutional violations that were found, and the courts gave our government…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a real pleasure, as always, to speak on behalf of the residents of my amazing constituency of Davenport on the third reading of Bill C-3, an act to amend the Citizenship Act. Before I go further, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. I will spend the next nine minutes or so reminding members abou…
Read full speech →Statements by members
Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister said last week, “Threats from a more dangerous and divided world are unravelling the rules-based international order”. If we do not act now, the pressures will only grow. Our government's commitment to Canadians is clear: protect our sovereignty, defend our democracy and stand strong with trusted allies. That is exactly what Canadian NATO parliamentarians did recent…
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Mr. Speaker, we were first elected over 10 years ago. My 10-year anniversary was yesterday and it continues to be the honour of my life to represent the amazing Davenport residents. When we were first elected, the Conservatives had decreased the amount of money that was going to our border officers by about $1 billion. Over the course of a number of years, we brought that money back and, on top of…
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Mr. Speaker, as always, it is a true pleasure for me to rise in the House to speak on behalf of the amazing residents and constituents of my constituency of Davenport. I will be speaking today to Bill C-12, an act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and respecting other related security measures. Bill C-12 wo…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that is a very valid question. I will say that, in addition to our wanting to hire 1,000 more RCMP officers and 1,000 more CBSA officers, we have put in an additional $1.3 billion. I do think that if we could provide the right tools and the right package, if we could provide the right opportunities, we would have an easy ability to be able to fill those existing roles. It is a…
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Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to the debate this afternoon. One of the things we have to remind ourselves is that it is like the whole world has completely shifted. There is a new global environment. There are now increasingly sophisticated criminal organizations. There is now a renewed international focus on irregular migration and cross-border crime. There are a lot of new things happening.…
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Mr. Speaker, in my downtown riding of Davenport, in west Toronto, the stealing of cars is a very big issue. Our government has put in quite a bit of investment to tackle it. We have seen great progress. Could the hon. member talk about how the bill would continue to help us have the tools we need to make sure we keep our communities safe and that these cars are not stolen from our homes?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in relation to Bill C-3, an act to amend the Citizenship Act, 2025. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his advocacy. We have already made considerable progress over the last few years to enact meaningful and durable cultural change within the Canadian Armed Forces. I am pleased to let the House know that we have also provided support and resources for any of the survivors or victims. A key resource is the sexual misconduct support and resource centre…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always such a pleasure for me to rise in the House to speak on behalf of the constituents of my amazing downtown west Toronto riding of Davenport. Today I am speaking in favour of Bill C-11, an act to amend the National Defence Act and other acts. The legislation, if passed, would amend the National Defence Act in response to long-standing concerns raised by victims and survivor…
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Armed Forces is always there to keep Canada safe. It is our obligation as a government to ensure that it has the resources, tools and equipment to be able to do so. The legislation that we are discussing today would help our Canadian Armed Forces build a more inclusive, respectful and safe workplace. It is important for everyone to pass it.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate, because I do want to continue to focus on Bill C-11, that members of our Canadian Armed Forces are always going to be there, not only keep to Canada safe but also to make sure that we fulfill our role as a NATO ally. For us to be able to do so, our forces have to be ready, able and agile. I hope the member opposite will support Bill C-11, because it would contribu…
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Mr. Speaker, change does take time. What is most important for me is that we have the bill right now in the House and that there is an opportunity for all the members of the House to ensure that we pass the bill. We have made considerable progress over the past several years to enact meaningful and durable cultural change in the Canadian Armed Forces. If we pass the bill, we will continue to make …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, olé, olé, olé. October is Latin American Heritage Month, and it is so exciting to know that we have a whole month to celebrate the amazing music, literature, food, art and language of 21 diverse and beautiful Latin American and Hispanic nations represented in Canada. This is one of Canada's fastest-growing communities: young, entrepreneurial and innovative. From medicine to business a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am here this morning to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, in relation to the motion adopted on Tuesday, September 16, regarding Canada's immigration system.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the people of Davenport, many of whom trace their Canadian story to Brazil and across South America. This summer, I hosted a round table with Brazilian Canadian business leaders and organizations to discuss the opportunities for growth in these emerging markets. I want to thank the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce and the Minister of International Trade for pa…
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Madam Speaker, it is a real honour for me to rise in the House for the first time after the summer to speak to Bill C-2, the strong borders act. I am speaking on behalf of the residents of my constituency of Davenport, whom I am so honoured to represent for the fourth time. The need for the legislation is as great today as it was when it was introduced in June, and I look forward to helping make t…
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Mr. Speaker, the strong borders act would make critical amendments to legislation that would advance our government's priorities to keep Canadians safe and secure through strengthening our border and making some additional changes, including the changes that she has referenced to the Canada Post Corporation Act. The way crime is conducted these days has absolutely changed, so the government has to…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member and the other members of the Bloc Québécois for being very passionate about this issue. There should be no doubt about it: Bill C-2 is about taking more decisive action to crack down on crime. That absolutely means that we will be cracking down on money laundering and terrorist financing. I want to assure the member that any ideas they have should be br…
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Mr. Speaker, first I will say to the member that I think we have spent quite a bit of time addressing issues of privacy here in the House. If there are any concerns around privacy on his part and, for some reason, we need to make adjustments around the privacy concerns he might have, I would ask him to bring them to committee.
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, I think it is non-partisan. It is absolutely important for us to ensure that we continue to have updated legislation that allows our government to take strong action to prevent crime, to ensure that our law enforcement officers at all levels have the tools they need to disrupt any type of crime and to hold people to account for criminal activity. I will tell everyone that we w…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, September 16, is Mexican Independence Day, and I rise to recognize this momentous occasion. For over 80 years, Canada and Mexico have built a strong partnership rooted in shared values and mutual respect. We collaborate across countless fronts, from cultural exchanges to substantial investments that strengthen both of our economies. The current challenge of U.S. tariffs pres…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a very quick question for my hon. colleague, who gave an excellent speech. What is the importance of introducing this legislation right now?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the true honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the following reports: the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the joint meeting of the Defence and Security Committee, the Economics and Security Committee and the Political Committee in Brussels, Belgium, from February 19 to …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it was a true honour to lead a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians to Dayton, Ohio, for the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, where parliamentarians from all NATO countries assembled for discussions. Dayton was selected to honour the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accord, which marked the end of the Bosnian War. Given the changing geopolitical situation and …
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Madam Speaker, I agree with the hon. member. I think the types of incentives that our federal government has introduced in the past have led to an increase in Canadians buying electric vehicles. We have, for the moment, temporarily halted those incentives, but it is my hope that we will be returning to them in the near future.
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Madam Speaker, I think we have been hearing about this a lot in the news. We are working very hard and very expeditiously to create a resilient, strong Canadian economy. As part of that, we are forming alliances with car companies around the world. One of them is Volkswagen. It will be the largest car company manufacturing EVs and batteries in North America. This is just one of our many investment…
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Madam Speaker, it is a great honour, as always, to stand in this House and speak on behalf of the residents of my riding of Davenport. Before I continue, I want to say that I will be very happily sharing my time with my colleague, the member for Kingston and the Islands. I will be speaking to the opposition day motion today. I am also going to be speaking a lot about innovation and a lot of things…
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Madam Speaker, the single biggest threat to Canada's auto sector, or to Canada in general, is American tariffs, not electric vehicles. We are fighting to protect Canadian jobs and are building an electric vehicle supply chain that is driving record investment into our economy. Transportation emissions have declined to levels that have not been seen in decades, demonstrating that we can grow our ec…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mississauga Centre. On behalf of the residents of my great constituency of Davenport, which is located in downtown Toronto, I am very pleased to join the debate on this opposition day motion about ArriveCAN contractor GC Strategies. It is truly an important matter for us to discuss. Effective management in government procurement is a funda…
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