Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we have a real problem with the enforcement of the Official Languages Act in this country. We had the Commissioner of Official Languages come to committee. He said that although there was a huge increase in the number of complaints about people not complying with the act, there is not much he can do about it. He reports to Treasury Board but does not have to update the Minister of Off…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for her incredible work on the official languages committee. The member spoke about the importance of the Treasury Board being in charge. I am a bit concerned about that, because the Treasury Board has a lot of different priorities. I am concerned that maybe official languages will fall to the bottom of what it is doing. Would it not be better for the Minist…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague opposite for an excellent speech and for his work on official languages. I would like to know whether he thinks the sanctions that are now able to be imposed on those who do not comply with the act are adequate to drive the right behaviour.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that Bill C-228, An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985, be read a second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, today is April Fool's Day, so I could not start this speech without saying that one would have to be a fool not to support my private member's bill. My private member's bill…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Whitby for putting forward his e-petition, which I encourage all Canadians to sign. I think this is an issue that everyone in this chamber and all Canadians are concerned with. In terms of the priority, there has been discussion about “super priority” and where it should go on the list. When we look at all of the things that need to be paid out from th…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Manicouagan because she is the one who did the hard work of bringing the bill forward with the priority part in the first place and went through committee with it. That said, in terms of the discussion of how long people should wait, there was concern that if there are situations in which pension funds are not solvent already, the priority thing may st…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, absolutely I am open to discussing this. I like the idea of the superintendent having some powers to actually act, but I also know that there are voices who want to have their input heard when this is discussed. Therefore, let us have those discussions at committee. I look forward to that.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the NDP-Liberal government continues to try to destroy the oil and gas industry in Canada. First it had the carbon tax, then the clean fuel standards and now a call for a 42% emissions reduction. My riding of Sarnia—Lambton, which produces a third of the petrochemicals in the country, will be hard pressed to remain competitive under these punishing rules that do not apply to foreign…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, President Biden made exemptions to the vaccine mandates for truckers who drive solo and for companies with fewer than 100 employees. As part of the road map that the Prime Minister signed with the president, they agreed to match requirements at the border. Will the Prime Minister look for that match to get exemptions for unvaccinated Canadian truckers in order that we can address the …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the bombing of innocent civilians has touched the hearts of Canadians across the country. In my riding of Sarnia—Lambton, the outpouring of generosity has been overwhelming. As we speak, I am working with Pastor Tim from Bethel Church, a sponsor organization; Ed Dickson from Loads of Love, who has people helping on the ground in Ukraine; and L…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Charter rights of three million unvaccinated Canadians have been violated over the past year. They cannot board a plane or train or cross the border. Does the member think this is one measure that could be lifted right now?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. I think that we do indeed need to have a plan. The Liberal-NDP government does not have one at this time. I believe that we must get rid of the requirements that are currently in place, for example the ones at the border for people who lost their jobs. We must put an end to these requirements immediately and set out a plan for all the rest.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today. I will be splitting my time with the member for Peterborough—Kawartha. I am glad to have an opportunity to speak to our Conservative motion, which reads: That, given that Canada has one of the world's highest vaccination rates and every province across Canada has lifted or has a plan to lift vaccine mandates, the House call on the government to immediat…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for recognizing that the best university is in his riding of Kingston. Actually, I was informed in previous debates by the Liberal members who are actually members of the bar on the Oakes principle, which is applied when looking at section 1 of the charter in trying to determine whether or not the threshold has been met for being able to infringe upon peopl…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member pointed out a couple of things that are worth noting. First, there are a lot of numbers out there and the bar just kept getting changed from the beginning of the pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, the concern was to prevent deaths and to prevent our ICUs from being overcapacity. Once the ICUs were not overcapacity, then it became tracking the number of cases and th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I hear a lot of talk in the debate about science and how we need to follow the science. I just want to let people know that I am a chemical engineer. I did work in science and research, so I do have some understanding of the issue. One of the facts that I want to talk about is how the 90% of people who are vaccinated in Canada can get and transmit COVID-19. We know this. The Prime Min…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, those are empty words, because the government's record is of being slow to act in these situations. With the Wet’suwet’en and the Coastal GasLink rail blockades, it took weeks for the federal government to intervene. With the Port of Montreal, it took over a week. Forty-five hundred railcars, and nearly half a billion dollars' worth of goods getting to market, are in jeopardy every da…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 52, I am seeking leave to adjourn the House for the purpose of discussing an important and urgent matter. On Saturday, March 19, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference commenced a strike in advance of a lockout by CP Rail. This is having immediate and serious consequences in our country. Those in the agricultural sector, in advance, had people not sending them…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, when I previously asked the Minister of Transport what he was doing to prevent a CP Rail strike, he said, “Let me assure my colleague we are monitoring the situation. I have met the CEO. I have met with the Teamsters. It is really important that we maintain the fluidity of our supply chain.” The strike is on and damage is already happening. The agriculture sector is already seeing it,…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his excellent speech. This bill includes measures to provide funding for health care and COVID-19 tests. Every day, the Bloc asks for an increase in health transfers for Quebec. What does the member think of these measures? Will he support them?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I agree that we are seeing concerns with respect to inflation, food inflation and affordable housing, all due to the failed policies and lack of action from the current Liberal government. What I do not understand is why the member and his entire party continue to prop up the government and support these failed policies that are causing inflation and this burden on the people of his r…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from people concerned about Canadian companies that build in other places but contribute to human rights abuses and environmental damage in those places. They are calling on the House of Commons to adopt human rights and environmental due diligence legislation to make sure that companies properly protect human rights and the environment, that there are appropriate co…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am extremely concerned that at a time when we see seniors and people on a fixed income really struggling to survive, the government has put three carbon tax increases on them, an increase in CPP premiums and the escalator tax on wine and beverages. To add insult to injury, that carbon tax comes with a tax on a tax. This is really crushing the ability of people to afford to live. I t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, certainly, they do need help right now. When we talk about affordable housing, we know it is supply and demand. The government, its actions and its bills have not increased the supply appreciably. It has not kept foreign buyers from the market. It has not done anything to address the vacant buildings. The measures in this act are small, yet the member and his party are going to prop u…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak today on Bill C-8 at report stage. I may also include some general comments, as I did not get a chance to speak to the bill when it was in the House earlier because the Liberals shut down debate on it. Let me go through the different parts of the bill. As always, I am not here just to criticize the government; I like to make helpful suggestions as to what wou…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the possibility of a work stoppage at CP Rail that would shut down the supply chain across the country. CP Rail and the teamsters have been negotiating, but strike action is possible as early as March 16. Could the government tell us what steps it is taking to ensure that Canadians do not experience another supply chain crisis that would drive the cost of everythi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her great words. It is not just that we will do everything that we can to help Ukraine at this time; I think our allies and friends in Europe would also really appreciate something to back up the threat to their gas dependence and oil dependence, which is now jeopardized. Would the member not agree?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, sanctions against Russia are important. On Monday, I asked why the Liberals keep bringing in oil from dictatorships. The Minister of Natural Resources said I was incorrect and it was not happening, but that same day, the Prime Minister said he was going to ban oil imports from Russia. The next day, the Minister of Natural Resources said he was asking his department to design a ban. Th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadian oil is the most environmentally sustainable on the planet. Refineries in my riding are part of the energy economy that is a fifth of our GDP. Why does Liberal ideology always want to shut down Canadian oil in favour of production from dictators and people who violate human rights?
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech, although I very much disagree. Clearly, he has read the charter, but there are three million Canadians whose charter rights to freely leave and enter the country are being violated by the Liberal government's vaccine mandates, not to mention the privacy violations, the discrimination of unvaccinated people collecting EI, and the like. That said, …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his speech. The Liberals said that we needed to have the necessary measures to deal with the problem in downtown Ottawa. Now, that situation has been settled. Why do we still need these measures? Perhaps the government wants to have these unlimited powers?
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member. She clearly explained that the government did nothing to prevent this situation. The Prime Minister did not try to use diplomacy. He did not call President Biden to reach an agreement. He did not provide the police resources that were requested. I believe that the provinces and police services can currently address any situation that may arise. Does my colleague sh…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I am also very concerned about our democracy. Three million Canadians have had their charter right to freely enter and leave the country violated by the government and mandates. They are mandates that the government is continuing to add to, at a time when the World Health Organization and medical experts are saying that these kinds of restrictions are not working, now that omicron is …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that is an extremely important point. Certainly we studied this when I was at the health committee and talked about what would go into national standards. In fact, there have been numerous reports written about what is required. At the end of the day, I support the best practices being leveraged across the country, but that is not where the limitation is. It is not that we do not know…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. Absolutely, single senior women are the poorest. It is important to have a policy that recognizes that more money is needed for senior women living in poverty, because they are struggling to put a roof over their heads. More funding may be needed and pensions may have to increase to ensure that women can be properly housed.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague has always been a strong advocate on these issues. We do need immediate action from the current government. As I pointed out in my speech, the Liberals know the bank account numbers. They made 800,000 other mistakes where they gave people money who did not deserve it and are trying to get it back now. Certainly with seniors who are on GIS, they could immediately take acti…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am definitely always happy to talk about my private member's bill. The problem is that we have seen seniors work their whole lives and expect to have a pension to retire on, and then the company goes bankrupt, pays big bonuses out to their executives and leaves the seniors with either no pension or pennies on the dollar. What got me going on this was a neighbour of mine, who worked …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. I completely agree. Health is a provincial jurisdiction. However, I think there is not enough funding for the provinces to provide excellent care. What is more, while some provinces have very good practices, I would like everyone to be able to benefit from those best practices and for funding to be accessible to put those practices in p…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, certainly I think that everybody needs to pay their fair share, but it is outrageous that 12 months has gone by. The government has known that this problem exists and has done nothing. If someone did not pay their rent for 12 months, would they have a place to live? If someone did not have their heating bill paid for 12 months, would they still have heat? That is the situation Canadia…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member opposite is from my former hometown of St. Catharines. I heard him talk about the increased OAS, and the $500 bonus that those over age 75 were going to get. I had been critical before that the government disenfranchised seniors between the ages of 65 and 75, but I noticed that the mandate letter of the minister says that she is supposed to increase the OAS and the GIS fo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Salaberry—Suroît for her excellent speech. I worry when I hear the government say that it needs another computer system to pay seniors. I remember Phoenix, which did not work for five years. Why does the government need another system when the funds are usually deposited directly in Canadians’ bank accounts every month?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am very disheartened to see that the Liberals are continually trying to avoid parliamentary process. The Conservatives brought a reasoned amendment that said we recognized this was an important issue, and we would be willing to amend it at committee. I have been calling for a resolution since March of 2021. The government knows the bank accounts of the people who got GIS and the b…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, one of the things I find really troubling is that, in the length of time that it has taken to address this issue, we know many seniors have been losing their homes. They cannot afford to eat. We know that with all of the many programs that were introduced by the government, with lots of little failures and things, they managed to put money into 800,000 people's accounts who really wer…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to talk about one of my favourite topics, seniors, and I have now become one. I think it is really important that we have this discussion today. This is an opportunity for us to pull what I would call an ugly scab off of the issue of affordability for seniors, especially those living on a fixed income. This is a wound that has been festering for some tim…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise and present this petition calling on the government to take action on behalf of the Uighurs, who are being subject to arbitrary detentions, the separation of children from families, invasive surveillance, destruction of cultural sites, forced labour and forced organ harvesting. Specifically, petitioners are calling on the House of Commons to formally recogniz…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-228, An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to introduce my bill. The pension protections act would ensure that people who have worked and paid into pension funds would actually receive that benefit. We have all heard so often abou…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline and the government’s invocation of the 1977 treaty: (a) what timeline has been conveyed by the United States to Canada regarding when (i) the federal case will be heard, (ii) a final decision is expected; and (b) what is the timeline for any parallel action that the government is taking with regards to negotiations with the United States to ensure that M…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his service as a police officer. The government has been clear that it wants to reduce gun crime in Canada, and all Canadians would agree that is the right thing to do. However, I do not understand why reducing the penalty for gun crime would actually reduce gun crime. I wonder if the member could illuminate me.
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, tonight, with Equal Voice, we are celebrating 100 years of women in the House and the 374 female members of Parliament elected since then. Over this century, there have been many firsts, beginning with Agnes Macphail breaking the glass ceiling when she was the first woman elected to the House of Commons, along with the first female cabinet minister, Ellen Fairclough, and our first fem…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome the member opposite to the House. She mentioned violence against women and gender-based violence as an issue. As the former chair of the status of women, in 2016 we authored a report with 45 recommendations for the government to be able to eliminate gender-based violence in Canada, so it is disturbing to me that in the throne speech Liberals are still talking a…
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