Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, putting aside the despicable comments the Conservatives have in their speaking notes regarding the Prime Minister, and the character assassination they persist in, I want to pick up on what the member mentioned with regard to the military. How wrong can a member actually be? At the end of the day, when the leader of the Conservative Party was in the Conservative caucus, military spend…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I appreciate the member's passion on the issue, but I would ask her to reflect on what the Conservative Party, as a political entity, actually says and does inside the House. This is a government that has worked with different jurisdictions, whether on the crime file or on the issue of overdoses, and we continue to do that. We have provided strong leadership throug…
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Mr. Speaker, I did a very quick Google search on a comment the member made. It said the year-over-year price of chicken in Canada has seen an increase of approximately 1.5% according to the consumer price index, though other sources report higher wholesale retail prices. It goes on to give a bit more of an explanation. The member had indicated that it was a price increase of 6.2%. Now, I am not sa…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I will pick up where the member ended off, because I think there is a great deal of merit to that. What most Canadians witness when they tune into Parliament, for those who do tune into it where it is televised, is often question period. However, what we see in question period is not necessarily reflective of what is outside of it. We see a lot of co-operation. Based on what I have …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments of my colleague and friend today on the budget, which are really encouraging. If we go back, as she pointed out, to the last election, we talked about how important Trump's tariffs and trade were. The Prime Minister highlighted that we need to be able to expand opportunities beyond the Canada-United States border. My friend referred to a number of different c…
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Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the Conservatives do not have a vision for Canada other than just being negative all the time. At the end of the day, what we have is a Prime Minister and a government that have been very proactive in looking at the benefits of expanding trade opportunities. That is why it is good to see the Prime Minister doing the travelling he has been doing. All sorts of p…
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Mr. Speaker, I will give a specific example, and it is a continuation with regard to the Conservatives, which is the national school food program that the Conservatives have labelled as garbage. I was first elected back in 1988 when Sharon Carstairs was the leader. At that time, in the Manitoba legislature, we talked about the too many children in school who were learning on empty stomachs and sai…
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Mr. Speaker, I know the member is very passionate about our softwood lumber industry and the importance of trade. I am wondering if he can reflect on one of the two issues that he likes to talk about. I see trade as critically important, and I see lumber, given today's announcement by the Prime Minister, as very important. What would he highlight as his important issue over the coming weeks?
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it was interesting hearing the member's comments when he talked about the issue of extortion. The first thing that comes to my mind is, really? The Conservatives have an opportunity to deal with the issue of extortion, and what is their response to it? In one word it is a filibuster. We have provinces, stakeholders and law enforcement officers all getting behind Bill C-14, and there…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, let me remind the member that the Prime Minister and the government were elected back on April 28. We had extensive consultations working with the provinces, municipalities, law enforcement agencies and others. We have the legislation here today. All we need is the Conservative Party to recognize that and help us fight crime by passing these two pieces of legislation. That is all we…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I acknowledge that there are times when it can be very difficult to provide the type of answers the member is looking for. We have a very competent and able bureaucracy that has the technical expertise to get things running in a form that ultimately will serve all of us well. I do not know the details of what the member has just made reference to, but what I do know is that the fede…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, as technology continues to grow, things actually do change. Hopefully we are moving in a direction where we will see more tracking of information. Information is vital. At the end of the day, we have hard numbers in terms of the amount of trade that takes place, though we might not necessarily know what is in everything that enters into Canada. We have a system in place to protect s…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is important for us to recognize that when we think of housing as a policy issue, it is only in the last number of years that we have actually had a government that has recognized that there is a federal role to play on the housing file. Prior to Justin Trudeau becoming the Prime Minister, during the previous 10 to 15 years, there was very little footprint on the housing file. Th…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, if the member wants to compare credentials, I have been a parliamentarian, much like the leader of the official opposition, for many years. In fact, in 1988, I was the housing critic in the province of Manitoba. I talked a lot about infill houses. I talked, back then, about co-ops. In fact, I used to be on a housing co-op myself. I understood the important role of non-profits, but I…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member, I know, has asked questions of Liberals with regard to safe sites. I am sure he is aware that there is a process for acquiring a safe site, which actually includes community involvement. It also includes having letters from the provinces and territories. Is the member aware of any province, territory or community with a safe site that has actually said no, they do not want…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to sit as a seat mate with my colleague and good friend. I see her as a very strong advocate on the whole arts file and on the French language. I know that within the budget there are commitments that are going to help a lot of people in Quebec. I am thinking of the Montreal port, for example, and of the aerospace industry through the military expenditures we are maki…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, if we were to compare the two previous administrations, Justin Trudeau to Stephen Harper, based on what the member was saying, Justin Trudeau created double the number of jobs Stephen Harper did, and in a shorter period of time of governance. We are talking about 1 million jobs versus 2 million jobs. Since we have had the new government, we have had a Prime Minister who has negotiated…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this is a generational investment budget that recognizes the value of investing in Canada and investing in Canadians. The Conservatives have made the decision not to see the merit in doing that. Why does the Conservative Party not believe in investing in Canadians?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to compare Conservatives, and the member in particular, to the Liberal government. Let us think of the national school food program, a program that feeds children. What does the member specifically have to say about that program? He was very clear that the national school food program was “garbage”. Wow. That is what he said. I believe that the member owes an apology to a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I find it amazing that the member would talk about housing in the fashion he has. When we stop and think about it, his own leader, the leader of the Conservative Party, was at one time the minister responsible for housing. He built six houses. I still do not know where they are in Canada, but apparently he built six homes. The member talked about tinkering. Never have we seen, in the …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have a newsflash for the member. This is not just about the government owning homes. Let me give us a specific example. The first-time homebuyer exemption for GST will enable young people, in particular, to afford to buy homes. This is very good. It is in the budget. Will the Conservatives not recognize that the blanket opposition to all housing initiatives coming from the Conservat…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member talks about housing. If we reflect on housing, it is important to recognize that the responsibility for housing is actually with the federal government, the provincial government and the municipal government, not to mention that stakeholders also have a role to play in this. Now, when the member's leader sat around the cabinet table as the minister of housing, he actually d…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we will note that the far right is alive and well in the Conservative Party. The member's speech reminds me of Joe Clark when he said that he never left the party; the party left him. We can take a look at this particular budget. This was interesting. We actually had the Premier of Ontario, on CTV, welcoming the passage of the federal budget. He is reported to have said that no matter…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if I can pick up on the generational investments the member made reference to and just go a little bit beyond that. Coming out of the last federal election, as the member will know, the Prime Minister talked a great deal about expanding trade opportunities beyond the Canada-U.S. border. It is really quite impressive what is taking place in South Africa, the United Arab …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as we wind down the debate on the budget today, I would remind those who are following the debate that the election was just a number of months ago, and we have a Prime Minister and a government that are focused on building a healthier and stronger economy. At the end of the day, we have set the goal of making Canada the strongest country in the G7. We have seen so many initiatives ta…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I will have a bit of time to expand on some thoughts shortly, but I have a question for the member. The reference she always makes is about sexual offences. There are many different types of offences that a person can commit. I had an opportunity to tour, quite a while ago, prison sites where gambling addictions have led to a lot of types of crimes that ultimately make a person go to …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, in many ways, I disagree with the motivation that is behind bringing this piece of legislation forward. The member herself even made reference to what is happening with public opinion in regard to immigration in general. Is it any surprise that the Conservatives like to feed that perception? We see that with a number of actions and statements that they make. Even when I posed a questi…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is really shameful to hear the allegations that are being thrown out across the way about buying sex and sexual violence, attributing that to the individual I am talking about. Shame on them.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, they need to understand the system before they start levelling the allegations that they have. The Conservatives need to be a bit more understanding in terms of what happens in our communities. There are individuals who make bad decisions. Sometimes it does not necessarily justify a deportation. In some cases, it does not justify it. There could be extenuating circumstances that need …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Good luck. I hope you are in opposition for many more years to come. Mr. Speaker, I hope that common sense will prevail and this legislation will not even make it to committee.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, it is a pleasure to be able to rise to talk about such an important issue. It is really quite encouraging that we seem to have unanimous support with respect to having the debate this evening. I like to think that, no matter what side of the House a member sits on, we all recognize how valuable Canada's softwood industry is to the entire nation. I genuinely believe that we have a gove…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, the member opposite does not have a monopoly on caring for an industry. One does not have to live in B.C., or any other specific province, to care about what is happening to the workers of Canada. Shame on the member for trying to impute motive, trying to give the impression that the Prime Minister or other members do not care. This is a government that cares about what is happening, …
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Madam Chair, I have had the good fortune of being able to talk about this issue on numerous occasions, whether it was about the softwood industry or the hardwood industry, just generally speaking about the types of things we can do to make a difference and support the industry while we are going through these difficult times. For example, there is the buy Canada plan and the expansion of building …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I am sure the member is aware that the federal government has been working with premiers, in particular in the province of B.C. There is a committee. We are looking at ways we can continue to support the industry. Again I would reinforce that, at the end of the day, we need to be looking at ways we can support the industry, while at the same time trying to get rid of the tariffs and t…
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Madam Chair, I guess I am an optimist. When I was thinking about the debate this evening, I was anticipating we would have a good, healthy debate. The member has put forward a lot of things the government is actually doing, and I have made reference to a couple of things the Government of Canada is doing to support the industry and the workers. I am wondering if the member could provide his though…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I would suggest we pass it on division. (Motion agreed to)
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, again, we would ask that it pass on division. (Motion agreed to)
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise and speak to the motion from my colleague and friend. The member for York South—Weston—Etobicoke has introduced a substantial motion that all of us should get behind. The experience he brings to the table as a former minister who has dealt with the issue first-hand and who has had the opportunity to experience the benefits of Canada's contribution to foreign a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, suffice it to say that I disagree with virtually everything the member opposite has said. Look at the national budget that we brought forward. It has received a wide spectrum of support in virtually every region. I believe even Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, wanted to see this particular budget passed. We have a prime minister who has been working with provinces, indigenous lead…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there is no shock on this side that the member opposite is not going to vote in favour of the budget. At the end of the day, we need to recognize the contrast between the Conservative Party and the government, the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party believes that we have to invest in Canadians and in the economy. Now is a great time to do it. Coincidentally, every premier of the provin…
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Madam Speaker, the member made reference to the issue of trade. Let us take a look at that. I have been a parliamentarian for over 30 years. I cannot name another individual, outside of the Prime Minister, who has been so aggressive in looking for trade opportunities that go beyond the United States border, while at the same time waiting to get the best deal we can with the United States. In the i…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to three petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The leader of the Conservative Party, last week, requested an emergency debate and later on went on to say that it was the government that opposed the debate. I think it is important that we emphasize that the government does not oppose emergency debates. It is a ruling from the Chair. The official opposition should be aware of that and not promote somethin…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445 and 446 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled in an electronic format immediately.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I wonder whether the member could provide their thoughts in regard to why it is so important that we continue to advocate and lobby for having trade that goes beyond the Canada-U.S. border. As a direct result of what is taking place between Canada and the U.S., there is an additional pressure for us to look outside the Canada-U.S. border.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I think it is somewhat unfortunate that the Conservatives want to portray this false impression of Canada with respect to the deficit and the debt. The member himself refers to the G7. How is Canada doing in the G7? We are talking about Germany, Italy, France, Japan, England, the United States and Canada. We have the second-lowest GDP deficit, beaten only by Japan. When it comes to th…
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