Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to be sensitive to the argument the member put forward. When we think of the standing committee, a total of 169 Liberal MPs and a combined total of 166 Bloc members and Conservatives are represented at the committee. The committee ultimately made changes, but it did not get support from the New Democrat members. If it had gotten their support, the Liberals would have outnumbere…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise to speak to my colleague from Sudbury's private member's bill. I listened to her comments, and I must compliment her on her homework, consultation and identifying an opportunity to have a positive impact for our communities. I truly appreciate that we have a member who recognizes that it would be advantageous, not only in her own constituency but in constitu…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I must say that I disagree with a number of things the member put on the record this morning. The bail reform legislation was an election commitment given by the Prime Minister. It was part of the platform. After the election, extensive consultations were done with mayors, premiers and many other different stakeholders and law enforcement agencies. This legislation has widespread su…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to pick up on the issue of extortion because it has been a very serious one. The member made reference to arson with extortion and how serious an offence that is. Yesterday, I was at the airport. I had someone approach me and share a social media post of some individuals walking into a store, pouring gas all over the place and lighting it on fire. It was an extortion case. Th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I think every member of the House would clearly state that they care passionately about the victims of crime and those who are affected by it. Having said that, the Prime Minister made a commitment to Canadians in the last federal election, not that long ago. It was just a few months back. He said we would bring forward bail reform legislation. This is substantial legislation that s…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, back in April, Canada elected a new Prime Minister, who made a commitment to Canadians that we would bring forward substantial bail legislation. Bill C-14 has 80 targeted clauses to make substantial changes. The consultation included law enforcement agencies, provinces, municipalities and victims of crime. There were extensive consultations. Our new Prime Minister has brought forwar…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 12 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, this afternoon, we were supposed to be debating Bill C-4, which talks about giving a tax break to Canadians, 22 million Canadians, many of them, obviously, youth. It would also provide a GST exemption for first-time homebuyers. In many ways, that is for youth. Rather, the Conservatives have made the decision to filibuster here on the floor of the House, preventing debate on importan…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, to say that I am disappointed in the Conservatives is an understatement. I really cannot believe the destructive path they want to continue on. I thought things would have changed since the last election, and for a little while they did, when the former leader of the Conservative Party, who then represented Carleton, was defeated. He was not in the House as a direct result and I do …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Again, it supports young people. As the member across the way says, “It costs more money.” Well, Madam Speaker, some money is worth spending, and this is one program that is worth spending on. Here is the contrast. The Conservatives will talk about young people, but when it comes time to actually vote to support young people, they are found wanting all the time. The national school food program is…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
People get upset if I say “lie” or “mislead” or something of that nature, so I cannot say that. Madam Speaker, take a look at the program. This is a program that was talked about when I was first elected, back in 1988. I remember Sharon Carstairs, leader of the Liberal Party at the time, saying that we have to have a school program to feed children because we cannot expect all children to be able …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, would it not have been wonderful if we could have actually had that debate on Bill C-4? Hopefully we might still be able to get there because of the motion I just moved. When we think of a committee versus the chamber, the biggest difference is that a committee can sit indefinitely. It can sit around the clock if it wants, but there is a finite amount of time here on the floor of th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I do remember that there was an explosion of international students coming into Canada, but it was not because of the actions the Liberal government had taken. We have to take into consideration things such as what the leader of the Conservative Party did in 2014. We also have to take into consideration what provinces like Ontario and B.C. did in terms of the expansion of private po…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the member is being very selective. Let me point out a couple of things that will amplify the incompetence of the leaders of the Conservative Party, in particular Stephen Harper. When Stephen Harper was in government, the Conservatives created just under a million jobs. We almost doubled that number. That is a whole lot more jobs being created under the Liberal government than under…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am very sympathetic to anyone who is unemployed and in search of a job, no matter their age, and I wish them nothing but the best in being successful in getting a job, but if we look at the history of the Conservative Party of Canada versus that of the Liberal Party of Canada, we see that it has consistently been the Liberal Party that has come up with the programs necessary to cr…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, my friend and colleague has amplified many different actions the government has taken since the last federal election, because we have a Prime Minister who, as the former governor of the Bank of Canada and of the Bank of England, an economist and someone who understands how the economy has worked, is focused on making Canada strong. We are going to continue to work to make Canada th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I could spend a great deal of time talking about what the member has been talking about in regards to the whole immigration file. There are a lot of fundamental flaws in the comments he has put on the record. I would suggest that the real issue before us is the obstruction being caused by the Conservative Party of Canada, led by their leader. It is causing issues that affect Canadia…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, would the member then suggest that temporary work permit extensions should not be issued to the individuals who came from Ukraine and settled in Canada, who are estimated to be anywhere from let us say 250,000 to 300,000, who have temporary work permits? Should they be renewed?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I know the member has been listening to the debate today. I have expressed a great deal of disappointment that we are debating this issue when we should be talking about Bill C-4, which would give first-time homebuyers and 22 million Canadians a substantial tax break. The budget is coming tomorrow. We are witnessing a filibuster by the Conservative Party when we should be talking abou…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I believe you will get unanimous consent to go to Questions Passed as Orders for Return so that I can make a very brief statement and then return to the debate we are currently having.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, if the government's response to Questions Nos. 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337 and 338 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 →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, if we were to look at youth unemployment and go back to 2009 when the current leader of the Conservative Party sat around in the Conservative caucus under Stephen Harper, we would see that the rate of youth unemployment was at 15.2%. Then, going back to 2013, it was 13.7%. Why is that important to recognize? It is important because Stephen Harper and the current leader announced a pol…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the member made reference to temporary work permits. I will quote a CTV News story from back on September 3: “[The Conservative leader] calls on Liberals to axe temporary foreign worker program”.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, he says, “Hear, hear!” but it was an extreme statement. I wonder if the member could provide his thoughts as to why it is dangerous to make statements of that nature. In Manitoba, the Minister of Immigration and the premier have communicated with me that in rural communities, there is a great deal of concern in regard to small businesses and the impact of work permits. I believe that …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I suspect that if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent to see the clock at 1:30 p.m so we can begin private members' hour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there are a couple of things on which I fully agree with the member, and then it gets questionable at the end. I fully agree that today is an important day. It is a day when we could be wearing poppies to support our men and women of the Canadian Forces, both present and passed, recognizing their heroism and contributions. We are a free nation today because of those who put their li…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am not sure if we are hearing the Bloc and the Conservatives in essence saying that all members of the House are not equal. I think we have to recognize, whether we want to or not, that there is a New Democratic Party and Green Party presence in the House. I think the statement the member and others in the opposition have made marginalizes the importance of individual members of P…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my understanding is that the Conservatives are actually supporting the lost Canadians. They are recognizing their birthright as being Canadian. That is my understanding. Would the member not recognize that there is a difference between someone who has been naturalized through the permanent resident process and someone who stakes the claim that they have a birthright to citizenship? …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there is a fundamental flaw in the proposition the member has put before the House. He tries to give the impression that the Bloc's working with the Conservatives, and anything they might decide in a committee, should ultimately prevail because they believe they make up a perceived majority. I have been in a situation, when I was in opposition, where I was part of a political entity…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, did members know that Canada makes up 2.5% of world trade? At the same, it makes up 0.5% of the world's population. In the last election, the Prime Minister made a commitment to Canadians to look for trading opportunities beyond the United States, and we are aggressively doing so. Just last week, the Prime Minister had a wonderful discussion with President Marcos, and now we have se…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 298 and 309 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled in an electronic format immediately.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, to pick up on a statement the member just made that if members had any thoughts about the victims, we would actually vote in favour of the legislation, I would say it is a very difficult issue. I recognized that from the onset. I listened very closely to the member for Edmonton Griesbach in the presentation of the legislation. He did a fairly good job at presenting it by encapsulati…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am not 100% clear in regard to the NDP's position in terms of the passage of the legislation. Given the nature of the support from the many different stakeholders who are out there, would the member not agree this legislation, at the very least, should pass into committee?
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 response to 12 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments. Yesterday, the shadow critic was here, and there was a wonderful experience of just watching and listening and of a sense of co-operation. I then posed a question of the shadow critic. In his response, he was open-minded in terms of potentially even seeing the bill become law before the end of the year, and that was encouraging.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I would ask that you look at and review the ending remarks. These are political views being expressed by the member of Parliament. Potentially, you can come back and provide some guidance on how to present petitions.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
[For text of questions and responses, see Written Questions website]
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, what I like about Bill C-14 is the fact that in the last federal election, the Prime Minister made a commitment to Canadians that he would bring forward bail reform legislation. That is what we are debating today. I would double down on that commitment in terms of the very minister who spoke now. She was appointed as the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime. That is a compliment …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is important to recognize that over the last number of months, we have had many Conservatives stand in their place and demand bail reform legislation. The good news is that we are now actually debating Bill C-14. The member knows full well how important this issue was to Canadians in the last election. We have a Prime Minister who has materialized substantial bail reform legislat…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is where the member is wrong. I believe what we have seen is a prime minister who is committed to making our communities safer. We have seen that through the demonstration of two ministers being charged with bringing forward the bail reform legislation we are debating today. This is not something we just came up with overnight. This is something that had a great deal of consult…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to commend my friend for raising an aspect of the legislation that is so critically important, which is recognizing our first responders. It is something that is important to the member. I know the fine work our firefighters and paramedics do for us day in and day out is also important to Canadians in all regions of the country. Could the member provide his thoughts on …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is interesting listening to the member. If he is true to his words, at the very least he will recognize that, at the end of the day, there have been extensive consultations done. That is the reason why, when the Prime Minister made the commitment to Canadians to bring in bail reform legislation, we could not just snap our fingers and have it appear. It requires a great deal of ef…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to stand today to address what I believe is a major issue, one that has been talked about at great length. I am going to go back to the last federal election. The constituents of Winnipeg North looked to the political entities and made a decision to support certain specific policy ideas and initiatives. The Prime Minister talked a great deal about building Canada stro…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member says that this is the second day. All she has to do is check with some of her colleagues on the private member's bill. I do not know his riding, but a member talked about passing his private member's bill and about how substantial it is for legislative changes, which it is, and he wanted it passed unanimously that day. He was trying to speed it up, and there is a limit of t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I say that it is grossly exaggerated in terms of how the Conservatives often approach crime-related issues. It appears that they are more concerned about partisan political shots, as well as slogans like “jail as opposed to bail” in order to raise money, than they are about the interests of Canadians. We saw that in the type of question we just had. At the end of the day, the responsi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, first of all, I appreciate the kind words. The Bloc party is in a very interesting position. Eventually, Bill C-14 will go to a standing committee. There is a chance that we are not going to be able to get a consensus on all issues, which means that at times there will be the need for a vote. I suspect that any political entity sitting around the committee table would play a very impo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made a commitment to Canadians to bring forward bail reform legislation. For a couple of days, we have been debating the bail reform legislation. We want to be very crystal clear on this particular point. At the end of the day, we have an opportunity to have bail reform legislation, which is supported in every region of the country and, most importantly, is in high …
Read full speech →