Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting a petition that was brought to my attention by Federico Sanchez and was signed by 44,869 Canadians. Clearly it has struck a chord. Political honesty and public trust are critical cornerstones of our democracy. This petition touches on those themes and draws inspiration from a white paper by the Institute for Constitutional and Democratic Research, in Wales, where…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I will just read out the prices. At Maple Produce on Roncesvalles Avenue, people can get two tins of blackberries for the very affordable price of $5, and that is quoted here. Then there are raspberries, two tins for $6. I have some other things here. I do not know exactly what I bought here in each case. I see the member for Peterborough, whose riding may well have produced some of t…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour to speak to this bill put forward by my colleague the member for Fleetwood—Port Kells. I can definitely understand the inspiration behind this bill. In his speech, he referred to the COVID-era activities that were happening in his community and in communities coast to coast, whereby people were experiencing the different impacts of food shortages in certain areas,…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour a long-time member of this House, Jesse Flis, who died earlier this month at the age of 92. Jesse lived to serve. Born in Saskatchewan to Polish immigrant parents, for more than two decades he served our community as an educator, including as principal of Argentina Public School, now Garden Avenue Junior Public School, in our riding. In 1979, Jesse heard the cal…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we signed that deal on behalf of the government for every worker, every employee and every member of that community. Stellantis broke that deal. In our opinion, it is in default. We are going to get that money back, or the jobs are coming back, period.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, instead of repeating Stellantis talking points and talking points from south of the border, perhaps the party on the other side should be joining with us to agree that the company is in default, and it should be joining us in encouraging the company to come to the table and either return those jobs or give our money back, period.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the bill before us today, and to speak to the proud history of Arabs and Arab Canadians in Canada. I will try to contextualize how we can come to a moment at this time in 2025 when we have the prospect of an Arab heritage month but not yet an Arab heritage month for Canada. My colleague for York South—Weston—Etobicoke described in some detail t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I appreciated the speech by my colleague from Saint-Hyacinthe. I would like to ask him if he agrees that, in the future, electrification of the auto industry will contribute to the growth of and gains for Quebec's economy.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I know that my colleague is working very hard in her riding of Guelph and is hearing from folks about the government's response to the unjustified tariffs. I am wondering if she could share more perspectives from her constituents about how they are responding to our government's position with respect to the United States.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the resilience of Ukrainian nationals and Ukrainian Canadians in west Toronto and across Canada as Ukraine enters another winter defending itself from the illegal Russian invasion. Organizations such as Ukrainian Canadian Social Services and the Toronto chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress have added their voices to making the essential case for this Commons …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I appreciate the interventions from my colleague from Winnipeg North, my colleague from Kildonan—St. Paul and my colleague from Guelph. I want to pick up on where my colleague from Winnipeg North left off in terms of what has sustained and made this sector resilient over so many years. We are all probably aware of the general ballpark of the current state of the sector. In 2024, we prod…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, as my colleague knows, there is currently a pause on the availability standard for next year, and I know the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature is working hard on that with her colleagues. I think one of the important things to note is what the direction of investment is and what the direction of sales and consumer interest in this sector are. In fact, electric vehic…
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Mr. Chair, in our opinion, it is better to have no agreement than a bad agreement. I think that workers, unions and union members agree. We are working every day to get the best possible agreement for this sector, which is so important. We are not going to sacrifice jobs by signing just any old agreement.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, my colleague from Guelph, who is the head of the auto caucus, knows from where she sits how much innovation and expertise come in to the sector out of Guelph. That is the kind of thing in which we want and are continuing to invest in this budget, whether it is some of the investments in research, innovation and talent or in the trade corridors, so that the manufacturers of autos or auto…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I always appreciate the interventions of my colleague from Kildonan—St. Paul. I am a bit bewildered by the strong focus on the electric vehicle sector because the evidence we have is this is a growing sector and, in fact, it is increasing the manufacturing footprint in southern Ontario. Which of the investments and which of the projects going toward our electric vehicle future is she op…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, my colleague from Vaughan—Woodbridge gave a number of examples of the current pressures on a number of current plants and companies in Canada, and every example seemed to be about the trade dispute we are in with the Americans. Would the member not agree with me that in fact it is the unjustified and unjustifiable tariffs that are the cause of the current situation we are in, and that w…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I get these questions from time to time. I understand that my colleague has public service workers in her riding. I have them in my riding as well. Toronto may be the capital of Ontario, but there are also federal public servants in my riding. I also want to commend the work of the public service employees who prepared and published this budget. The bill presented here for our conside…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I know that my colleague, in his work in Scarborough—Woburn and previously in provincial government, has been a long-time champion of public workers and workers who have a lower income but who do the most essential work of caregiving. The tax credit will return over $1,000 annually to the pockets of personal support workers and those who qualify. I think that is a really important aff…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have heard the hon. member speak in the House about people in emergency services and health care workers, and I appreciate learning more about that specific bill. When it comes to unanimous consent, I know there will be many voices that will be involved. I also know we have in front of us Bill C-14, which is a really important bill before the House that we were working hard to pass.…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to take part in today's debate on the bill before us, the budget implementation bill. This budget aims to build, empower and protect Canada, as my friend the parliamentary secretary so aptly described. It is really important to have the context of this budget bill in front of us clear. We have a hinge moment of rupture in our trading relationship with our major tradi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my friend from Provencher and I do good work together on the industry committee. It is a committee that is fundamentally charged with economic growth. He referred to a number of matters. I want to talk about economic growth and ask him about some of the measures in this budget bill that would spur economic growth. I am particularly interested in his views on some of the Manitoba-focus…
Read full speech →Oral questions
Mr. Speaker, we know that our country is built on lumber, whether it is construction materials or furniture, whether it comes from Quebec, Saguenay or New Brunswick. We also know that the U.S. tariffs put our workers and businesses at risk. That is why we have solutions, namely $500 million for businesses, $700 million for the Business Development Bank of Canada and $50 million to support employme…
Read full speech →Oral questions
Mr. Speaker, the people of Miramichi, Bathurst, Chipman, Minto and Madawaska, all through northwest and northeastern New Brunswick, know that the softwood lumber industry is a key part of our economic future, but the tariffs are putting our workers and businesses in jeopardy. That is why we put real solutions on the table: $700 million in support through the Business Development Bank, $500 million…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in 1940, Priscilla Wright was born, and 15 years later she had a hit record. She later sang with Elvis and now chairs a family foundation inspired by her parents and grandfather Arthur Meighen, the ninth prime minister of Canada. In 2001, Abi Ajibolade arrived in Canada as a new immigrant from Nigeria. Fifteen years later, she became executive director of The Redwood, which provides s…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for Oakville West for her consistent advocacy for auto workers in her community, especially at the Ford plant. Let us be clear: The Stellantis decision to move production out of Brampton is unacceptable. Stellantis has made important commitments to Canada and to our workers, and we expect it to hold up its end of the deal. We expect it to hold up its …
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian and Quebec softwood lumber built our country, from construction to real estate. However, as we know, U.S. tariffs are putting our workers and businesses at risk. That is why we are here. To offset the pressure from tariffs, we are making $700 million available to softwood lumber companies through the Business Development Bank of Canada. We will always be there for our workers…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the plan is to work with unions, to work with companies and to work with the provinces to have an alignment so that we can fight these unjustified tariffs. The plan is to have a strategic response fund to support workers and businesses in this time of challenge for us. The plan is to change our emissions framework to make sure that Stellantis and GM know exactly what we are doing. The…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what is important is that we all work together to fight these unjustified tariffs and to have a plan to respond. That includes the strategic response fund, the changes we have made to the remissions framework, diversifying our trade and continuing to attract companies from all over the world to build right here in Canada. It includes listening to the words of Linda Hasenfratz, who sai…
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Mr. Speaker, we will always be there to support the workers of London and the businesses of London and across southwestern Ontario, to protect jobs, to create jobs and to keep and attract the best talent in the world. Maybe I will just share some facts for the House in terms of the investment that is coming into Canada: the second-largest FDI stock-to-GDP ratio among G20 countries in 2024 and the …
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Mr. Speaker, we were elected to protect jobs, to create jobs and to foster the best job-creating situation in the G7, and that is exactly what we are doing. We have to defend ourselves in the United States, but meanwhile, we are working hard with Build Canada Homes, using Canadian steel and Canadian lumber, with the most aggressive buy-Canadian procurement policy this country has ever seen. There …
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Mr. Speaker, in this crisis we are in, it is so important to work hard to protect jobs, to create jobs and to bring the talent we need to this country.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly why we are working to protect jobs, to create jobs, and to keep and attract the best talent here in Canada. We have a number of responses. We have the strategic response fund that is working across sectors. We are building major projects with Canadian steel and Canadian lumber. Our Build Canada Homes project is bringing tens of thousands of homes across Canada, using C…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it is for this exact reason that we are doing the work of going around the world to attract new investment and to do these major deals. We are always going to stand on the side of Canadian workers and Canadian employers. That is why we put together one of the most comprehensive response funds with a strategic response fund of $5 billion. We will always be there for Canadian workers an…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Industry and other ministers are fighting for workers, particularly in the softwood lumber industry. For example, in the case of Kap Paper in northeastern Ontario, meetings are being held with management. We have the backing and support of the strategic response fund. We are providing a great deal of support to workers at these companies. We will always work on behalf …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin is chomping at the bit. His economics background is bursting through, and I cannot wait to hear from him in this debate. I will say in the meantime that the national school food program is providing money for kids in the Toronto Catholic District School Board that Don Walker is attending to every day. Don is a volunteer. It is not a big government …
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to the motion. I appreciate the concern that is underlying it. Like a lot of members on both sides of the House, I tend to do grocery shopping with or for my family on weekends when the House is sitting. Recently I shopped at the No Frills in Bloor West Village at the corner of Bloor and Runnymede on Saturday night, and I met some of my const…
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Pardon me, Mr. Speaker. I want to pay tribute to the late Ken Dryden and the member for University—Rosedale for their work, transformative social policy work that was decades in the making and is having an impact right now. It is helping with families' changing their lives for the better. The Canada dental care plan is another example of an affordability initiative that in fact continues to grow u…
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague said, work has been done, and it was accomplished with the collaboration of several parties in the House. We now have the necessary structures and processes in place to ensure that this debate is resolved. The large grocery chains now have a relationship with the department and the Competition Bureau. I hope that the situation will improve thanks to the work that has b…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, in the member for Guelph we have a great champion for both climate action and affordability, as well as strong manufacturing and agricultural sectors. It is a “yes, and” answer, in that we can tackle both issues at once in a context of unprecedented global change where our trading markets, our trading routes, are being disrupted in a fashion we have not seen in decades. I agree with h…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the party opposite is not calling for, in this motion, the abolition of the school food program, although its members did not vote for the program. Instead, they are compounding the issue by saying that they not only do not like the school food program, but they also want to abandon our climate targets. If the money is going to kids for food, then I think it is a good program.
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Mr. Speaker, like a number of new MPs, climate action is one of the reasons I decided to stand with this party and this Prime Minister in the last election. I am confident we are going to have a plan and updates to the plans that have already been tabled, including action on methane, all while ensuring we can meet our affordability challenges.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre, who is also the chair of the industry committee. He is absolutely right: We strive to that future where we do not need these kinds of programs. Right now, this is a vital program, and it is a direct benefit to the kids. I am so appreciative of knowing that the hon. member worked in that system. He has stories in his riding, and I invi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, in my last speech, I am on the record saying that I will be opposing this motion because we have these affordability measures that we have already brought in. Unfortunately, the party opposite has rejected a number of the most recent ones. I do not believe any Canadians, including the residents of Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park, want to sacrifice climate objectives. I believe they thin…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question. We are working with the Bloc Québécois critic in committee to address this challenge. The Competition Bureau now has more resources to do that work, and I look forward to working with the Competition Bureau and the department.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member for Joliette's comments. I think my opinion is consistent with the notice and factum that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada submitted. We need to know what constitutes reasonable limits for the notwithstanding clause. The notwithstanding clause is in the charter. It is in the Constitution. I think the appropriate question is, what are the a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly how it is used on a daily basis. We have seen this in all democracies. When we try to limit rights in a way that stops being exceptional, that is when real concerns about what is happening to democracy are likely.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, when one stands for rights, one has to stand for them when it is unpopular. One has to stand for rights when no one else is looking. It may be the case that the residents of the hon. member's riding are not plugged into this issue, and that may be the case for the residents of most of the ridings on this side of the aisle as well. The question is, are we going to be defending those ri…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to participate in this debate. I will be sharing my time with the member for Ajax. I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to this Bloc Québécois motion. I will talk a bit about my history as a child of the charter. In our caucus, several newly elected members are children of the charter. I believe that is also the case across the way. I was born to immigrant p…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize Kunsang Kyirong and the cast and crew of her debut feature film, 100 Sunset. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won honourable mention for the Best Canadian Discovery Award. 100 Sunset is set in a pair of apartment buildings in the Parkdale neighbourhood in our riding. It is brought to life by non-professional Tibetan Canadian …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Calgary Centre for the intervention and for his concern with respect to some of these matters. I am happy to respond with some of the actions our government is taking to stabilize food prices and help Canadians with the cost of living. We recognize that food affordability continues to be a critical issue that all Canadians are faced with. The hon. member ac…
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