Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, a true Hamilton icon, Denise Christopherson, retired in December as CEO of YWCA Hamilton, where she created countless opportunities for women to lead, to excel in non-traditional spaces like science, trades and politics, and to find safety for themselves and for their children. Under Denise's leadership, YWCA Hamilton built the first affordable housing residence in our city specifical…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that I have enormous respect for the member for Nunavut, and I absolutely appreciate her intervention. I would say that the government has every intention of getting this legislation right, and I would invite any input she has into helping alleviate that administrative burden.
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Mr. Speaker, it is so nice to be back in the House with friends and colleagues. I would like to take advantage of the very end of the statute of limitations to wish everyone a very happy new year. I particularly wish the residents of Hamilton Mountain a happy new year. It was so great to be back in the riding over the holidays, but I am thrilled to be back in the House today to stand to speak in s…
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Mr. Speaker, what I know and have heard from constituents in the riding of Hamilton Mountain is that this child care system is working. Parents are getting the relief they need and the child care system is getting better for them. I have heard directly from my constituents that this is something parents needed and that childhood educators have been clamouring for. They are so grateful to this gove…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Drummond for the question. I really enjoy working with him at the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Here in Canada we are very proud of Quebec and the system that was created there. The entire country has learned from Quebec's system, which respects provincial and territorial jurisdictions. It has the parameters to be able to continue to grow and to en…
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Madam Speaker, Edmonton was the place I had my start in journalism in 1998 at the Edmonton Journal, and at the time there were several newspapers in town, along with several radio stations and several TV stations, which were all producing news for the city of Edmonton. Over the past 20 years, the media landscape has really shrunk. There is not the same number of journalists out on the street repor…
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Madam Speaker, I wonder if the member has read the latest report from Australia, which has just reviewed its similar legislation one year in and found that journalism was supported. In fact, the smaller outlets in Australia did better in comparison to the larger organizations, and it has been a success. I am wondering why the member thinks it would be different in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mary Long, the founder of Hamilton Tax Help, a free low-barrier tax clinic that has helped Hamiltonians access almost $7.2 million in critical federal benefits last year alone, $1.6 million in my riding of Hamilton Mountain. Mary is set to retire at the end of this month after an inspiring career. Whether it was through her 17 years at Family Services Ha…
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Mr. Speaker, we have seen a substantial increase in outbreaks of flu and RSV over previous years. Recent Canadian studies have shown that immunization rates for measles, mumps and rubella declined during the pandemic. This year's flu season will be particularly dangerous for very young children and the elderly. Many parents in my riding, Hamilton Mountain, are concerned about their children's heal…
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Mr. Speaker, with one of the world's most comprehensive and detailed climate plans, a wealth of natural resources and a skilled workforce, Canada is establishing itself as a global supplier of choice for clean energy in a net-zero world. With governments worldwide looking for reliable, affordable and non-emitting forms of energy, could the minister please inform the House of actions taken by the g…
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Mr. Speaker, cancer care deserves priority health care funding. Hamilton has a world-class network of health care providers, including the Juravinski Cancer Centre in my riding of Hamilton Mountain, where nearly 5,000 health care workers live. I hear regularly from constituents who provide care and from many who receive cancer care. Recently I met Mélodie. During the pandemic, she waited far too l…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for introducing this bill. I think it is very important to Canadians to protect their privacy. I have heard a lot about these issues in my work with the committee on access to information, privacy and ethics, and one thing we have heard in some of these committee meetings is that the privacy rules in Europe are stronger. I am wondering if the minister could explai…
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Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 30th anniversary of Women's History Month. With the theme “She Did, So Now I Can,” we recognize the actions of strong women who have had a positive impact on our lives and who have been pushing boundaries so others can have more opportunities today. With misogyny on the rise, including in this House, our government recognizes the importance of uplifting and celebra…
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Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to the collective bargaining process to protect workers’ rights, pay and power. One of the first things we did after we formed government was to repeal Conservative anti-worker legislation that made it harder for unions to fight for workers, legislation the Leader of Opposition supported. Hamilton labour leaders tell me they were relieved and grateful that …
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Mr. Speaker, in 2016, Kim MacDonald was diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, this Hamilton Mountain resident and popular Weather Network personality, friend and fighter is five years cancer free. Kim did not emerge from this ordeal unscarred, but some would say she is now more powerful. Through Breast Cancer Canada, Kim bravely shared her story and made her private struggle public. She bared her c…
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Madam Speaker, I know the member opposite. We have met, and I know his riding very well. It is a riding in which my Alberta family lives. I have made my career in Hamilton for more than 20 years, and I have heard from the residents of Hamilton Mountain that they are concerned with the cost of living. It is tough to go to the grocery stores today. I am wondering if the member opposite would agree t…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to address this topic. The inflation we are experiencing is a global phenomenon, and unfortunately Canada is not immune. My riding of Hamilton Mountain is not immune. We know Canadians are feeling the rising cost of living, particularly through higher grocery bills, rent and gas prices. While this motion calls for many measures that the governmen…
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Mr. Speaker, when Sharron Harley prepares for her day, she slips a photo of her late husband Charlie into her uniform and heads into the same spot she has worked at since 1977, the McDonald's on Upper Gage and Mohawk, in my riding of Hamilton Mountain. A familiar and friendly face to many, Sharron turned 75 this year, and she credits her job with keeping her active and engaged with her friends and…
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Mr. Speaker, it is Italian Heritage Month and my riding of Hamilton Mountain is home to a vibrant Italian community 12,000 strong. One of my constituents, Alfredo De Luca, learned the art of cooking from his mom back when he was a child in Calabria, Italy. There he learned how to perfect his sauce, make the handmade pasta he uses to craft his lasagna, and find the perfect spice for his meatballs. …
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Mr. Speaker, June is Seniors Month in Ontario, and last Friday I had the pleasure of visiting the Sackville Hill Seniors Recreation Centre, which serves about 3,000 members across my riding of Hamilton Mountain and beyond. I awkwardly participated in an energetic cardio dance class led by Pam, got schooled in billiards by Angelo and chatted and laughed with women enjoying the bright, sunny lounge.…
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Mr. Speaker, it was an honour to host the Prime Minister once again in my riding of Hamilton Mountain, where we greeted two families who recently settled in Hamilton after escaping Afghanistan. Last year, Ahmad and Marghana fled their home country, clutching their newborn daughter. They now have a home and work in their chosen fields, and their daughter, Harir, who is not yet two years old, will g…
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour once again to rise in the House to talk about Bill C-11, an act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other acts. As a former journalist and broadcaster, this bill is close to my heart. I followed the previous version of this bill as a journalist before I was elected, and I find it very fitting that I now have this new oppo…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not believe the government has been trying to hold up the legislation. I believe we are trying to get it passed as quickly and as efficiently as we can. I believe, although I am a fairly new member, that it has been more the opposition blocking the legislation from passing than anything that the government has done.
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Mr. Speaker, of course I have spoken with the hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage, but I do not have any further information. I would have to get the minister himself to answer that question.
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Mr. Speaker, thank you from the recovering broadcaster caucus. I would say that I cannot come up with any specific examples of the CRTC being especially heavy-handed. I would rather the CRTC be helping ensure fairness in this country than leaving it to Facebook.
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Mr. Speaker, platforms are in; users are out. The CRTC has been very clear that it has no interest in regulating the cat videos put up on TikTok and Twitter. It is the platforms that would be regulated with this legislation, not the users.
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Mr. Speaker, as far as I am aware, this is a debate. This is the second time I have been up to debate this bill. I believe our members have spoken more on this bill than anyone else in this House. I do believe it is really important to debate this bill. Let us get it right. Let us get it passed. Let us talk about it until midnight.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister recently kicked off the post-budget tour in my riding of Hamilton Mountain by addressing an important issue that is top of mind for many of my constituents: The ability to afford a safe place to live. We met with Felicia, Peter, Ala and Ahmed, and they told the Prime Minister first-hand about the struggles they faced as they tried to find safe, affordable housing fo…
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Mr. Speaker, Boris Brott, an icon of Canadian culture, was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Tuesday. Hamilton Spectator columnist Susan Clairmont wrote: Among the steel mills and hardscrabble neighbourhoods, for richer and for poorer, from school halls to concert halls, the maestro believed our lunch-bucket town could love classical music. He was right. But even more, we loved Boris Brott. His ac…
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Madam Speaker, the government has been very clear that it is platforms that fall within the mandate of this legislation, and not users themselves. It is the platforms that we are asking to contribute. Right now, we have a system that is two-tiered, and traditional broadcasters have to follow a number of rules that new streaming services do not have to follow. We want to make an even playing field …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to quote Ian Scott, chair of the CRTC. He said, “We will never regulate user generated content. We are not interested in that.” The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, said, “once this bill has gone through the parliamentary process—”
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Madam Speaker, I respectfully acknowledge the Anishinabe people here in the national capital region, located on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin nation. Our government made a commitment to advance the interests of Canada and Canadians through a digital framework that ensures progress for everyone. This program includes measures that will make the Internet fairer and safer for all…
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Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleague to improve Bill C‑11 in any way that we can. With respect to algorithms, I want to point out that YouTube's own algorithm actively recommends video containing misinformation or hate speech, and those videos tend to perform well on the platform. When it comes to the algorithms about discoverability, we know that in 2020 Spotify found that i…
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Madam Speaker, as a broadcaster for 20 years, I very much look forward to working on this bill. I am very proud and happy to be part of the heritage committee working on this legislation. The world of broadcasting would not have long to live if it were not for this legislation and the actions of this government to support our Canadian heritage.
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Madam Speaker, thank you for that reminder. The hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage said, “once this bill has gone through the parliamentary process and received royal assent, we will make it even more clear to the regulator, through a policy directive, that this legislation does not touch users, only online streaming platforms. Platforms are in; users are out.” I am a member of the heritage commit…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to sadly inform the House that Hamilton lost a much-admired journalist this week. Steve Arnold was known for his unquenchable curiosity, gentle demeanour and profound intellect. For more than half of his 40-year journalism career, he was a business reporter at the Hamilton Spectator, delving deeply into Hamilton's business, manufacturing and labour sectors. For many of …
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Madam Speaker, I will try to answer in French, but please excuse any errors I may make. I love Quebec and have spent a lot of time there. However, I think the problems my colleague mentioned exist across the country. For example, I talked about the risk of homelessness in Hamilton. The minister recently promised $26.7 million to build over 100 housing units for people in Hamilton who are at risk o…
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to address this House in my introductory speech. Today I am fiercely proud to speak to several elements in the Speech from the Throne that are particularly close to my heart: our government's plan to improve life for women and all Canadians by addressing the housing crisis and creating a national child care system, and our efforts to bolster our democracy and civic d…
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Madam Speaker, I am so proud to be part of this Liberal team. It has had a 50% gender-diverse cabinet since it started six years ago and has maintained that proportion. We have a female Deputy Prime Minister and finance minister. We have a woman who is the head of defence. We have women in key positions in cabinet. That says for itself that this is a feminist government, a government that believes…
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Madam Speaker, I did hear our minister responsible speaking to these issues today. He spoke about how much he has been able to accomplish in terms of the immigration system and how many immigrants we have been able to bring to Canada despite the pandemic. We have obviously more to do always, but I think we have done a fair job.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to humbly join my colleagues in congratulating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on their Grey Cup victory, but I would particularly like to thank the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for an absolutely incredible season. This jersey I am wearing is from 1999, the last time the Ticats won the Grey Cup. It was signed by Ticat Hall of Famer Joe Montford a day before the legendary game. The year …
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise as the member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain, and I am so grateful to my constituents for electing me to be their voice in the House. Over and over I have heard that our government's plan for a national affordable child care system will be transformative for families in Hamilton Mountain. I recently visited one of the Umbrella Family and Child Centres in my …
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Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 exacerbated the realities of gender-based violence across the country. Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. It is a time to reflect and renew our commitment to ending violence against women, girls and people of all gender identities and expressions. Would the Minister f…
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