Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there has been discussion today about how we are going to work with the provinces and territories to make sure they are not clawing back benefits. How is the government going to harmonize all the other federal disability benefit programs that exist to ensure that people are supported but there is not overlap?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the minister for bringing forward this important legislation. I have one thing to ask, though. It is not clear to me exactly how much the benefit would be for. Is the thought behind it that it might be a topping up, similar to CERB? What is the amount we are thinking of?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. I think that three years is too long to wait for benefits. I would rather see the government put measures in place immediately and then continue to hold consultations to determine whether those measures are working.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I table a petition expressing concern that the Liberal Party of Canada promised in its 2021 platform to deny the charitable status of organizations that have different views. The signatories are concerned this could jeopardize the charitable status of hospitals, houses of worship, schools, homeless shelters and other charitable organizations that do not agree with the Liberal Party …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to return here to the House for a scintillating debate, and it is nice to start on a topic that all parties can agree on: the importance and the need for an increase to the support we are giving people who are living with disabilities. To start, I wanted to read a letter that I signed with members from all parties that went to the minister to request that we expedit…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we want to make sure we are not giving something to the provinces they are going to claw back, because disabled people will be worse off as a result. There is some evidence of how much money it takes to live, which I think varies by location. A lot of times we see that when people are assigned a salary, if they are working in Vancouver or Toronto there is a supplement for addressing…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I absolutely agree we need to hurry to get a benefit in place. With respect to the previous governments that have neglected this, I would say we cannot change the past. We can only change the future. Now is the time, and we need to move forward with this legislation.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Brandy, from my riding, is a single mom struggling to get by. The higher cost of gas and groceries has forced her to go to the food bank. Now the CRA, after seven years of auditing her without finding anything, has decided that she has to pay $30,000 in back taxes, and the minister has taken no action to revisit her case. Will the Liberals resolve Brandy's case and suspend the tax on …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to Translation Bureau operations: (a) how many hours of simultaneous interpretation of parliamentary proceedings were provided in fiscal year 2021-22, broken down by (i) sittings of the Senate, (ii) sittings of the House of Commons, (iii) meetings of Senate committees, (iv) meetings of House committees; (b) how many employees have provided simultaneous interpretation in fiscal year 202…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Department of Justice's Laws website: (a) how are the entries under the "Frequently Accessed Acts" and "Frequently Accessed Regulations" lists determined; (b) broken down by item, on what date was each item currently on the lists referred to in (a) added; (c) what items were formerly on the lists referred to in (a) and during what time periods was each item on the lists; and (d)…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Peace River—Westlock. It is a pleasure to rise to speak to Bill C-9, which is an act that would create a complaint mechanism for judges. We have certainly heard from all sides today that everyone thinks this is a great idea. This is not to say judges do not do a good job, because we know we have great judges in this country who work hard…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that was at the time when Jody Wilson-Raybould was the justice minister. I remember one member specifically, and there are records in Hansard. I would encourage people to go back and look at Hansard because there were specific cases cited, rape cases and murder cases, where people did go free due to Jordan's principle at that time.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am very sad to report that Sarnia—Lambton has the same homicide rate as Toronto. This is something that has escalated. When I first moved there, it was rare to hear of a murder in Sarnia—Lambton. We have had multiple murders already this year, and it is related to the drug trade. That is why I am specifically concerned that we are bringing forward bills in this House that would allo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the bill that Rona Ambrose brought forward had training as the main measure, training so that judges would understand sexual assault. With Bill C-9, we actually have a plethora of things that can be done to match the severity of the situation, whether it was an idle comment or a photograph that was taken prior to the sentence being made public. I think there is eno…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite always does a great job on his speeches and, with his experience in the past, he always gives good detail. I did like hearing that there are measures in this bill, other than just getting rid of a judge, that would address issues at a lower level. There are things like training and apologies in public. I wonder if the member could elaborate on the whole suite of op…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, in addition to being able to remove a judge, should that be the conclusion of the trial, are there other consequences that can be applied to judges who are found not to have executed their duties well?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is very encouraging to hear all parties in the House agree that this bill needs to go to committee. Over the last 10 years, there have been multiple attempts by multiple parties to address the issue of pension protection in Canada. We have seen countless Canadians impacted: They have not received their severance or have received pennies on the dollar. Bill C-228 would do three th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, earlier today, we heard one of the Liberal members talk about the high rate of reoffending. I fail to see how Bill C-5, if it lets people out of jail early, is going to do anything to protect the public safety when people are reoffending, which is what the Liberals said.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to ask another question, because I have a lot of concerns about Bill C-5 when it comes to victims of sexual assault. I have spent a great portion of my career here in Parliament defending the status of women in Canada, and to think that someone could be sexually assaulted and their attacker could actually get house arrest in the same community is very worr…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent speech. His experience in the past has really made him knowledgeable on this issue. I am very concerned about this bill and the fact that drug traffickers and drug producers could end up with house arrest. I think this would exacerbate the drug addiction crisis that is happening in Canada. Does the member agree?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I know how hard the member works and how much she loves this country, but I would reject the notion that mandatory minimums are racist. By definition, regardless of the colour of one's skin or ethnicity, one gets a mandatory minimum. Because there is no rehabilitation and there is such a high rate of recidivism, would it not be better to address the root causes of this overrepresentat…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member opposite and I have worked together for a long time in this place on issues related to the status of women, so my specific question is on sexual assault. I have a real concern, with Bill C-5, that somebody who committed a sexual assault could actually not go to jail but be on house arrest in the community where they committed the offence. We know that although judges do g…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member opposite talked about the addiction crisis that is facing Canada, which is a very serious issue. What I do not understand about Bill C-5 is that it would allow people producing and trafficking drugs to potentially get house arrest instead of going to jail. I wonder how that will help the addiction problem in the country. Perhaps the member could clarify.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals insist the police asked them to invoke the Emergencies Act. Police forces say they never asked. The Liberals insist the Act was needed in order to tow the trucks away, which is not the case, as all border blockades were resolved beforehand and it was the province that leveraged the licences of tow truck owners to get their co-operation. The allegations about Russian and f…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health needs to get in line with the rest of the countries, all 55 of them, that have dropped all the mandates. He was informed the other day that Canadians who are unvaccinated can travel on ferries as long as the journey is less than 24 hours, so why are unvaccinated Canadians not able to travel on flights within Canada since they are a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise and speak to our opposition day motion because the cost of living is the number one issue in this country. It is unbelievable to me to think that a year ago 60% of Canadians were within $200 of not being able to pay their bills every month. Let us think about the increased costs that have happened during the pandemic and the multiple carbon tax increases from …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for agreeing that the right thing to do is give an exemption. I am not sure why his government has refused to do that. In fact, the Minister of Agriculture stood in the House and refused to answer that question. The Conservative position has been clear. We stood up and called for the exemption prior to March 2. We all realize that after that, when people pu…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her advocacy for those who are struggling. Listen, this is not a one-shot solution. There are multiple solutions that we need to bring to bear to address affordability. However, there is inequity, and one thing that I found really inequitable I heard today. The government paid out $20 million for businesses in the downtown core of Ottawa that suffered during the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there are many things we can do. For example, we can eliminate the tax on oil and give the money back to the people. This is very important. It may not be that important to some, but right now there are many Canadians who cannot pay their debts. I think that is the kind of solution we need to put in place.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, these are failed policies of the Liberal government for oil and gas. Canada should be independent. We have the most environmentally sustainable oil and gas products in the world, yet we prefer to buy from Saudi Arabia for $15 billion and send the jobs there, instead of building pipelines here, instead of supporting our oil and gas and instead of returning that economic growth here for…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am not surprised at all that the member opposite is so out of touch with Canadians. Is he unaware, for example, that his own Prime Minister said that higher gas prices are exactly what they want? Is he unaware that his government has put a carbon tax on that is 25% of that higher gas price, and that there is a tax on that? Is he unaware that when it comes to housing unaffordabilit…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my thanks to the member opposite for her advocacy. Colleagues may know that I am the first female engineer in the House of Commons and began as an engineer when only 13% of engineers were women. There was significant systemic discrimination at that time. I experienced it throughout my career. Of course, as I was in construction, that was also quite a toxic environment. I was sad to …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I was really pleased when my private member's bill to create a framework to get consistent access to palliative care for all Canadians was unanimously passed. The health minister then created the framework and committed $6 billion over 10 years, in 2018, for palliative care. However, here we are four years later and only $200 million of the money pledged has been spent, and most of it…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, boaters in my riding have been impacted by the public safety minister’s decision to suspend service at several small vessel reporting offices of the CBSA. Boaters are now required to travel many kilometres out of their way to check in. The additional travel will be a significant cost for an individual's wallet, up to hundreds of dollars per trip with these gas prices. This accomplishe…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, well, the Liberals' gun buyback program is doomed from the start. Gun crime in Canada is largely committed using illegal guns, but the Liberals want to use more taxpayer dollars to buy back guns from law-abiding gun owners. Can the minister explain why they are punishing law-abiding citizens instead of criminals and driving up debt while doing so?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition today in support of Bill S-223. The people who have signed this are encouraging the government to support the bill, which is being debated this afternoon. It has passed the Senate three times. It has passed in the House in 2019 in the same form. It seeks to combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking. It would make it a criminal offence to go abroad and r…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for a great speech and for moving the amendment because I do have concerns about Bill C-18, especially when we heard the parliamentary secretary talk about how there would not be any discrimination. In every other media policy that the government has brought, there has been discrimination along the political spectrum and, as the member correctly pointe…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are suffering. People in my riding are seeing the escalating price of gasoline. It has nearly doubled, and it is driving the cost of food and everything else up. The Liberal environment minister promised that the price of the carbon tax would not go above $50 a tonne. That promise was broken. Now we have had multiple increases to the carbon tax in the middle of a pandemic, w…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise and speak to Bill C-252. This is a well-intentioned bill that is trying to address a serious issue in Canada, obesity in children. In one of the previous Parliaments, I was actually the health critic when the former version of this bill came forward from the Senate. We know that Senator Nancy Greene Raine had brought that bill forward. In fact, she received …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we are in a different place, but there are nearly four million Canadians whose charter rights are still being violated. They cannot leave or enter the country and cannot even travel domestically, even though all of the provinces have lifted their vaccine mandates. They are being prevented from visiting relatives, who in some cases are dying. Will the transport minister admit that vacc…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for federal public servants: (a) how many employees have (i) been placed on unpaid administrative leave, (ii) had their employment terminated, as a result of not meeting the requirement; and (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by (i) province or territory, (ii) each of the government's designated Employment Equity Groups, including women, aboriginal…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my riding has a lot of seniors who are struggling to make ends meet with the rising costs of food, gas and home heating. There is no affordable housing left in my riding, and the government has done nothing to address the rising cost of inflation that is making everything worse. Why is the government taking from grandma and young people, and when will the NDP-Liberal government give t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to expand on the question from the previous member. When I look at Toronto, we have more than 20 members representing a riding that, arguably, as I have driven from one side of it to the other, is not that different. Is there a question we should be asking at this time about that? Certainly we need more people to support that many individuals regarding services, but do we rea…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, sharing market-moving information could be illegal. When I look from the NDP to the Liberals and the Liberals to the NDP, it is already impossible to tell the difference. Maybe that is why the NDP leader got a budget update yesterday. One of the most important parts of the budget is the projected revenues, so to the finance minister, did the leader of the NDP get an update on the proj…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague. That is a good question. I think that people living in Quebec are well aware of the situation and of the solutions they need. The government must work with the provinces and territories, not against them. The goal is to have services, to add training and to help immigration, which is really a problem in Quebec.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his speech. He talked about the Treasury Board and how the Treasury Board is going to have the responsibility over all the departments to make sure they are complying with the official languages and that they will be the ones with the plans. How do we make sure that the Treasury Board, which has a lot of different priorities, keeps this as a p…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak to Bill C‑13 to modernize the Official Languages Act. Let me be very clear at the outset. French is very important to Canada. When I was young, from my first year of school through to high school, I took French. It was mandatory. I think that is probably why I can speak French today. I also worked in Quebec for 15 years. It was a great experience for lear…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I think that it is very important to have people who can speak both of Canada's official languages. When I was a member of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, we heard from women who were victims of sexual harassment. There was no justice for the cases presented and services in French did not exist. I will therefore support any effort to obtain far more services in both off…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, absolutely, the commissioner must have more powers. There must not be just one fine. If someone violates the act twice, the fine should be increased. I will work with my colleagues to find solutions to ensure that people comply with the act.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her speech. Another bill was introduced in the last Parliament, specifically Bill C-32. What is the difference between that bill and Bill C-13?
Read full speech →