Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member that we should always be shopping locally. As someone who lived in Quebec for four years, I am very fond of the great businesses there, and I think it is great that she shared with us today that she had bought something local from Quebec. On just procurement and best practices, this is why we have an Auditor General. There are a number of oversight measure…
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Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member has heard numerous speeches today. He might have to hear a few more speeches because we are reiterating, in the absolute strongest terms, that misconduct of any kind in the procurement process is never acceptable. Absolutely, we have taken action. We have taken action directly against GC Strategies. We have revoked the security clearance of GC Strategies. We hav…
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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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Mr. Speaker, I love this time of year. As a child, I have fond memories of tobogganing in my local park in downtown Toronto, eagerly counting down the days to Christmas. It is a magical time of year, with carolling, gift-giving and gatherings where we share food and drink with those we love. It is also time to reflect and be thankful. I want to thank all the organizations that are on the front lin…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians received great news last week about a temporary tax break that we would be implementing for all Canadians. Our government is exempting essentials like groceries, snacks, children's clothing and gifts from the GST, starting December 14. This will deliver tangible and immediate support to Canadians struggling with the cost of living. Could the minister share why all members of…
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Mr. Speaker, recent reporting about India's alleged interference in the Conservative Party leadership race is concerning to Canadians across the country, including my constituents in Davenport. All members of the House have a responsibility to take national security seriously. That is especially true of our party leaders, including the Leader of the Opposition, who refuses to get a security cleara…
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government has introduced a GST tax break that will put money directly into the pockets of Canadians, especially for families who need it the most. In my constituency of Davenport, every penny counts and a temporary GST tax break for the holiday season and early new year is very welcome. My question to the minister is simple. Can she explain why the Conservative leader and…
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Mr. Speaker, cities like Toronto are on the front lines when it comes to responding to the housing crisis. That is why, last year, we announced a half-a-billion dollar federal investment in Toronto through the housing accelerator fund to unlock over 53,000 new homes over the next decade. Last week, the Conservative leader announced a plan that will impact home building in Toronto by making dangero…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. On October 29, 1923, Turkey was formally declared a republic. It was also the day it elected its first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Atatürk is beloved to this day by Turks all around the world and is credited with creating the foundations of modern-day Turkey. Canadians of Turkish or…
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Madam Speaker, to the first hon. member who mentioned me, first of all, I am glad he listened so intently, but he missed the intentional indication that I made at the outset of my speech that I will not be supporting the opposition day motion. I believe we are talking about confidence in this government, and I would say that I have enormous confidence in our government. I am giving the member exam…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his concern about food banks. Indeed, the fact that we have more people going to food banks is a huge concern in Canada, and we are rightly concerned about this. However, I am very proud of our government. Every step of the way, we have introduced a number of measures to help support Canadians at every level of income. We have introduced the Canad…
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Madam Speaker, there is a huge number of seniors in my riding of Davenport. I love them all, and I am very fond of them. First of all, I am always in support of more support for seniors, just to let everybody know, but I am very proud of our record in the House. One of the first things we did when we were first elected is lower the age of retirement from 67 to 65. We increased the guaranteed incom…
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Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to today's opposition day motion on behalf of the residents of my amazing riding of Davenport, in downtown west Toronto. It is not a surprise that I will not be supporting this motion when it comes to a vote. I want to talk about the work the Liberals are doing to strengthen the economy here in Canada and, more specifically, the investments…
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Madam Speaker, this will be the third time I am indicating that I will not be supporting this motion and I have full confidence in our Prime Minister and his role as leader of our Liberal Party. I am glad that the member mentioned carbon pricing and innovative, creative ideas. That was a creative idea that we introduced when we were first elected in office almost nine years ago. Carbon pricing, a …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour the memory of Senator Joseph Day; sadly, he passed away earlier this year. Joe Day was a distinguished lawyer and a remarkable and much loved parliamentarian. Representing the Province of New Brunswick for almost two decades, he held an exceptional 18-year tenure with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, culminating in his election as the assembly's vice-president, a posi…
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Madam Speaker, we know that we need to build more housing for indigenous peoples here in Canada. We need to build more on reserves. We are very committed to doing that. We have committed and will continue to commit a significant amount of money to building the homes they need.
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Madam Speaker, is a real pleasure for me to stand here on behalf of my constituents in the riding of Davenport to speak to Bill C-69, the budget implementation act. It is legislation that would deliver on key measures from budget 2024, a budget that would advance our government's plan to build more homes faster, make life cost less and grow the economy in a way that helps generations get ahead. Bu…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, on April 29, disaster struck the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Flash floods and heavy rains, three times higher than normal, led to the worst flooding that residents of the state have seen since 1941. More than 2.3 million people across 471 municipalities have been impacted, 600,000 have been displaced and over 100 people have died. Half a million people continue to be in sh…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Davenport residents are heartbroken. At around 8 a.m. on Sunday, June 9, our beloved St. Anne's Anglican Church was tragically destroyed in a fire, the cause of which has not yet been determined. Built in 1907, St. Anne's Church was one of the oldest Anglican churches in Toronto. It was not only an architectural triumph, but also a rebel of its time. Modelled after the Hagia Sophia, i…
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Mr. Speaker, it has been 71 years since a group of Portuguese immigrants arrived on a boat named Saturnia, docking at Pier 21 in Halifax. Today, Portuguese Canadians are almost half a million strong, representing one of the largest Portuguese diasporas in the world. Living in vibrant communities across Canada, they are builders, musicians, athletes, business leaders, chefs, teachers and politician…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, while our government works to provide pharmacare, expand child care, introduce a national school food program and build housing, Conservative MPs are giving speeches at anti-abortion rallies. Reproductive health is health. Women have the right to choose when and if they start a family. With members of the House threatening to take this right away from Canadians, what is the government…
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Mr. Speaker, women's reproductive rights across the world are under assault, and we are hearing the same rhetoric and tactics used by anti-choice advocates in the United States, leaking into Canada and into this Parliament. Could the Deputy Prime Minister speak to the women, the girls and all those who care about them in our country, and assure them what their federal government is doing to stand …
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Madam Speaker, my riding is in downtown west Toronto, and I am an avid walker. I walk the streets all the time, and when I notice things, I raise the issues with the local superintendent of police. One of the key things we have talked about was whether there were discussions or any knowledge of the City of Toronto being interested in a similar program as to what is existing in Vancouver. One of th…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her participation and leadership on the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association. With respect to her question, there is indeed an issue with illegal and toxic substances crossing our border. We have put in over a billion dollars to reinforce officials at the border, the CBSA, and we have had to put in far more money because the Conservatives, when…
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the very hon. member for Don Valley West. It is a real honour, as always, for me to be speaking on behalf of the amazing residents of my riding of Davenport. I am speaking to today's Conservative opposition day motion on the opioid crisis we have in this country. We have an opioid crisis. There are far too many deaths, and we have completely different …
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Madam Speaker, I did mention in my speech that it absolutely is a health issue. I do not think it is a criminal issue. One of the things I did not get a chance to mention when I was giving my prepared speech is that a lot of our $200 million of funding is also going into expanding the indigenous engagement platform to engage with first nations, Inuit and Métis people, including urban and indigenou…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question, but I actually do not know the answer. I will say that I am very proud that we have made a historic amount of investment in research, scholarships and new strategic research infrastructure in our federal budget 2024. We have put $5.9 billion, which includes $2.4 billion for core research grants and to foster top-tier Canadian talent via more s…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be supporting the hon. member's bill. In the last Parliament, I also had a private member's bill to introduce a guaranteed basic income. I was very proud to do so, so I am very happy that the member is also supportive of that. On indigenous peoples in Canada and funding in the federal budget 2024, I am very proud of the historic investments our government has made over the last…
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Mr. Speaker, I, too, enjoy working with my hon. colleague on the finance committee. The issue around productivity and business investment is not a new one in Canada. Actually, we have been tackling productivity for more than 30 years, and business investment for the last 20-plus years. I would say that it is not just federal budget 2024 where we have made huge investments in our economy, in our ec…
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the wonderful opportunity to be able to speak to Bill C-69, the budget implementation act, on behalf of the residents of Davenport, who I am so privileged to be able to represent. I voiced support for Bill C-69 right off the bat for a very simple reason. As do many of us here, I want a better future for young Canadians, who are going through adulthood in a world that…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to present petition e-4746 on behalf of some of the residents of my riding of Davenport. It is on guaranteed basic income. Whereas Prince Edward Island has brought forward a guaranteed basic income proposal that is supported by the provincial government, which would serve as an ideal model for evaluating potential GBI programs and funding mechanisms, and due to the cha…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, CHOQ FM is the only fully francophone local community radio station in Toronto. It is located in my riding, Davenport. On May 1, 2024, it celebrated 18 years of service to francophones, sharing their history, participating in current affairs and building a solid francophone community in our city and across the country. CHOQ FM offers francophone citizens, leaders, companies and organi…
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to be sharing my time with the member for Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook. As always, it is a true honour for me to be speaking in the venerable House on behalf of the residents of my riding of Davenport. Today I am going to be speaking to federal budget 2024. It is a very important budget. It is 416 pages. I will not be able to go through all of it, but I will focus on a few…
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Mr. Speaker, I will say the following: I sit on the finance committee, and it is a privilege to do so. We hear, all the time, from experts across the country about how to resolve the housing crisis. One thing we hear, time and time again, is that it will not be resolved at just the federal level. All three levels of government need to work together to resolve the housing crisis. For about 30 years…
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Mr. Speaker, here is what I would say: I think that sometimes we have to remind ourselves of this, even though we want to forget it. We, not just Canada, but also the world, have come out of a massive pandemic. I think all of our economies have been struggling to recuperate. Very blessedly, here in Canada, we have been very lucky that we have been able to bring back over 100% of all the jobs that …
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Mr. Speaker, if the member is asking whether I would have wanted it to have been fully funded to what the Canadian disability sector had asked for, I would say a resounding yes. However, I was proud that this is one of the largest line items in our entire budget. We have absolutely made this a priority. I will also say that it is not the only thing that will be helpful to Canadians with disabiliti…
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Mr. Speaker, the people of Davenport are concerned about the fact that the Conservative Party wants to cut their Canada carbon rebate. For the majority of Canadians, every penny counts. The people in my riding rely on these cheques. Can the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tell the House how carbon pricing is lowering our emissions and how these cheques are helping Canadian families?
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Mr. Chair, while I respect the member's passion and her support for Ukraine, I do not agree. We have done a tremendous amount for Ukraine. We started out being recognized for our training of the military within Ukraine, which proved instrumental with this latest full-scale invasion by Russia. Since then, we have provided military support, economic support, sanctions and international aid. Today we…
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Mr. Chair, it is a real honour for me to be speaking on behalf of the residents of the riding of Davenport on the agreement on security co-operation between Canada and Ukraine. Many people might not know, but within my riding of Davenport there used to be a fairly significant Ukrainian population. I actually went to grade school there. I went to a Ukrainian school. It is called St Josaphat. It is …
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Mr. Chair, you have my apologies. President Zelenskyy and the Prime Minister have reaffirmed the strength and importance of our bilateral relationship time and time again, including during the President's visit in September and in his address to the House. On February 24, 2024, just a few weeks ago, when the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence visited Kyiv to mar…
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Mr. Chair, bringing home Ukrainian children is a key part of the 10-point peace plan Ukraine has put out. I am really proud that Canada has decided to take leadership on this key point. Indeed, thousands of Ukrainian children have been deported, forcibly transferred and displaced from Ukrainian territory. Fewer than 400 of those children have actually been returned. That is why I am so proud of ou…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his passion. We both care a lot about climate change. We both care about moving aggressively toward a net-zero future in Canada. I will always consider all new research and information. For me, what is most important is our objective of getting to net zero and doing it in an affordable, sustainable way for Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Davenport, we are huge supporters of the Canada disability benefit. We know that federal budget 2024 will be announced in the House on April 16, and I am hoping for good news for a Canada disability benefit. In the meantime, starting fiscal year April 1, under the Canada carbon rebate, a family of four will receive $1,800 in Alberta; $1,200 in Manitoba; $1,120 in Ontar…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it is exciting news that tax season is here. When Canadians file their taxes, they will receive the Canada carbon rebate. In the provinces where it applies, such as my home province of Ontario, the Canada carbon rebate will put even more money back in the pockets of most Canadians than they pay into the carbon pricing system. Affordability is top of mind in everything our federal gove…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me to present a petition to this respected House on behalf of the members of Spanish-speaking communities in Canada, including those in my riding of Davenport. Canada is proud to be home to over 1.2 million Spanish-speaking individuals, representing a huge cultural and ethnic diversity. For those of Hispanic and Latin American descent who have chosen Canada …
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the very hon. member for Kings—Hants. It is my absolute pleasure, as always, to be speaking on behalf of the residents in my riding of Davenport. I will be speaking to today's opposition day motion that was put forward by the Conservatives on affordability and pollution pricing. I will start with a few of my own comments and then I will go into a bit of …
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Mr. Speaker, climate change is real. We have to take as many steps as possible to move to a low-carbon future and a low-carbon economy. The most efficient and affordable way for us to do is to put a price on pollution, which is also known as a carbon tax. We, as a government, are not keeping any of the money. We are directly giving it back to Canadians, to small businesses and to farmers. That is …
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Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to speak on behalf of the residents of my riding of Davenport. It will be my pleasure to share my time with the hon. member for Mississauga—Lakeshore. I have some prepared remarks, but first I want to provide a bit of context for those who might be listening. I want to go into a few details about the motion that is before us today. In terms of context, we are …
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Madam Speaker, there may be a point in the future when it would be appropriate to re-collect some of those funds back from contractors. However, what I would say right now is that there are a number of investigations under way: the investigations through the RCMP and the investigations through the other independent bodies through the House. They might, in the end, make some conclusions to say ther…
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Madam Speaker, I recall that, during the pandemic, there was a series of votes that came to the House about audits for small businesses and the various things we were spending on while the pandemic was under way. I recall that there were a number of times that I did not vote for those audits to take place, and the reason was that we were still heavily into the pandemic and we needed to make sure t…
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