Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my dear friend and colleague from Kingston for his passionate speech and for talking about the importance of having meaningful dialogue in the House. He spoke about opportunities. British Columbians in Richmond and people from across the country want to know what opportunities we are working on right now. Could he shed some light on real, meaningful things that are hap…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's forestry industry, anchored in my home province of British Columbia, is not just a regional asset; it is a national economic engine. I recently met with the BC Council of Forest Industries and forest sector leaders to discuss how we can support this valuable sector, which provides over 200,000 jobs and contributes over $25 billion to our GDP. The United States' tariffs on sof…
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Mr. Speaker, my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia, known for having the longest life expectancy in Canada, was recently recognized as Canada's most active city, winning the ParticipACTION Community Challenge, presented by Novo Nordisk. ParticipACTION is a national charity that has been dedicated to promoting physical activity in Canada since 1971. The most active city award came with $100,000…
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Mr. Speaker, fentanyl, precursors and issues related to crime and strengthening our borders have had an impact on our communities. Over time, these issues change and evolve, and we need to evolve and bring in new measures. That is what we are doing at this point. If we look at strengthening the borders by adding police and CBSA officers, with the new search warrant measures and all the resources a…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we are all looking forward to the budget on November 4, and we will see many of those measures in it. With respect to the member's question on how many officers have been hired, we have committed to 1,000 police officers and 1,000 CBSA officers. Just last week, I had the opportunity to make that announcement in British Columbia, and it was very welcome by all police agencies t…
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Mr. Speaker, the member is still the chair of OGGO, and I look forward to, at some point, maybe sitting in or substituting for somebody. I know of the very important work the committee does, and I miss it. As for the member's question, perhaps the chair of OGGO could have representatives of Canada Post come to the committee and further share their thoughts. As I mentioned, this is important work t…
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to be here today to speak to Bill C-12. The bill proposes amendments to various acts that would make our laws even stronger and that would keep our families, children and communities safe while protecting privacy and charter rights. The bill would help the government fight the flow of illegal fentanyl, enhance the integrity of our immigration and asyl…
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Mr. Speaker, during the parliamentary recess weeks, I, along with my Pacific colleagues, worked actively on the mandate set out by our right hon. Prime Minister to engage with industry in all sectors to identify Canadians who want to collaborate, invest and join us in building Canada. Can the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources please elaborate on how British Columbia is contributing to this …
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think there is a member in the House who does not have a story they can share from their community or who has not been touched by the issues of fentanyl, opioids and the flow of precursors. There is the Tablotney family in Richmond, who I had the opportunity to table a petition for, and they were asking for a sustainable, national ad campaign to raise awareness of this at all…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for sharing the story from his community. When we look at this, and I will speak specifically to the CDCP program, and when we talk about the economy, this is actually a productivity program. People can get the care they need and maybe get an opportunity to get a job that they could not get when they did not have that care. I thank the member for raising a very impor…
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Mr. Speaker, the plan was rolled out in phases, as I indicated, and it was a success, with more than four million Canadians being approved to be part of the plan and more than two million having already gone to get care. The plan, as it was presented, was effective and efficient, and people are getting the care they need.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to appear before the House today to talk about the main estimates, but I want to take a moment to thank my friend, who went before me. I share the respect she showed for our military and those who serve to protect the freedoms we enjoy. I thank her very much for that and her heartfelt speech. Voted expenditures cover an extraordinarily wide range of programs and activi…
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Madam Speaker, as we look forward to making these investments, I think it is important to look at whether we can make the vehicles cheaper. This is why, when we work with other nations that are doing the same, I think we can look at different options to make them cheaper for people.
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Madam Speaker, it is extremely important, as I mentioned, to be talking about the advancement not only of the technology but also of the innovation, and about creating these jobs, which every other nation is focused on also. We do not want to be left behind in those. More importantly, as I mentioned earlier, air pollution from road transportation emissions in Canada costs approximately $9 billion …
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Mr. Speaker, again, I can talk about the advancements. We are talking about creating jobs in the sector, and if we continue to work with the nations that are also advancing in this way, that is exactly what we will do.
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Mr. Speaker, in the speech I made, I talked about how we are aligned with other nations that have the same focus for 2035, nations like the U.K., the E.U. and China. If we do not work with them and alongside them to make these advancements in technology, we are going to fall behind. I do not know why you do not want to work with us on that.
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Mr. Speaker, I heard someone say “choice”, and that is their choice, actually. Families want to save money at the pump. Workers want to participate in building the vehicles of tomorrow. Municipalities want to electrify bus fleets, and I have had the opportunity to make major announcements in the electrifying of bus fleets in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Also, young Canadians want to inh…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Terrebonne today. I rise today not only as a representative of my constituents but also as a voice for Canadians who believe in a cleaner, more prosperous future for our country. We are at a turning point, a moment that calls for both courage and collaboration. Climate change is not a distant threat; it is a present reality, and in my home…
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Mr. Speaker, my question for my dear colleague from Winnipeg is this: Despite generational investments into things like the SkyTrain in my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia, and other transit operational investments that have been made, how important are electric vehicles to our province of British Columbia, for example, where there has been tremendous climate impact from wildfires and floods…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think I mentioned anything about stealing from anyone. I am talking about providing services, health care and programs, not only to the benefit of Canadians, but also to the benefit of our economy. We are making people more productive so they can do things that they may not have been able to do previously. Today, I was focusing on those programs.
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Mr. Speaker, not only do we know, but we actually have a plan. I am sure the member has heard the Prime Minister talk about a plan to make sure that we can continue to provide funding for important programs, such as the CDCP, and at the same time look at our operational spending and make those reductions and find those savings so we can continue to serve Canadians in the right way.
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Madam Speaker, the member for Waterloo is one of our hardest-working members. I want to congratulate her on being re-elected for a fourth term in this House. I have heard this question a lot from constituents. Many of them are happy to hear we are working expeditiously and very quickly on these amendments.
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member and I shared some time on committee, and he will know that I worked quite hard in the 44th Parliament to address the issue of foreign interference. That is why we brought in Bill C-70, which includes the registry and other measures like security of information. Through it, enforcement can take place on issues of foreign interference when it has to do with things like…
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Madam Speaker, there is also the work I did with the member across, but I did not catch what he said. We spent some time on the mighty OGGO committee, and I know he probably wants to see me there again. Everyone in this House knows the sacrifices families make for us to be here, and their strength helps us do the important work we all do. I remember my wedding day 23 years ago. In my reception toa…
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Madam Speaker, I rise here today recognizing that we stand on the traditional territories of the Algonquin nation. I want to congratulate you for your role again here as Assistant Deputy Speaker. We are debating Bill C-2, which would enact several legislative amendments, including important measures to help detect, deter and disrupt cross-border money laundering and terrorist financing networks. T…
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Madam Speaker, under the previous Harper government the number of CBSA officers was reduced. We have made a commitment to increase the number of CBSA and RCMP officers by 1,000. I think it is an integral part of what will take place beyond the introduction of Bill C-2. We will make those announcements in the coming days.
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Mr. Speaker, countries and businesses around the world are heavily investing in artificial intelligence. The benefits of this cutting-edge technology are already growing, finding efficiencies and spurring innovation. It is imperative that we secure the Canadian advantage. Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry update the House on how he is making sure that Canada leads the global s…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to welcome the Canadian Construction Association to the House today. Canada's construction industry is widely known to be about building structures and developing critical infrastructure, but it is important to recognize that construction is at the heart of our nation's economic strength, shaping communities like my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia and building the founda…
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Mr. Speaker, throughout the summer, I met with my constituents and listened to what is on their minds. They want rapid construction of new housing options. They want their kids to have the best possible start in life, with $10-a-day child care and nutritious food in schools. They want to build an economy that works for everyone. They know that in order to do this, we need to make our tax system fa…
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Mr. Speaker, I have listed a few things in some of the other answers. For example, the member mentioned the dental program. We have over 500 dentists now signed up in my city of Richmond, British Columbia, who are ready to help those who need help the most. I speak to all of these measures as being a way toward productivity. If people can get help and get a leg-up, they can contribute in a better …
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Mr. Speaker, I encourage the member to look at all the measures that were put into this budget. They amount to billions to help with homelessness and to give people another chance.
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Mr. Speaker, I encourage the member opposite to look at the responsible measures taken in the spending review right now. If we look at all of the measures in the budget, we see that they are all about productivity. Whether we are talking about $5 billion in loan guarantee programs or whether we are delivering major economic investment tax credits, it is all to increase productivity.
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Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to stand in the House to debate on matters on behalf of the great people of Steveston—Richmond East. Today, it is to continue the debate on Bill C-69, the budget implementation act for budget 2024, which is about reinforcing the promise that all Canadians should have a fair chance to build a good life, and about continuing to build a country that works for every…
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Mr. Speaker, a tremendous number of initiatives respect what Quebec has to offer. If we look at the budget, there is $3.4 billion to support young researchers in Canada and Quebec, billions to fight homelessness, $780 million in support for creative industries and $1.5 billion to protect and expand affordable housing. There is a lot in this budget that respects how we are working with Quebec.
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Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in my comments about the collection of data, which has never been done before, to look at race-based discriminatory incidents that may take place, as it comes back to Parliament, parliamentarians from diverse backgrounds would have an opportunity to address those needs.
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Mr. Speaker, we heard witness testimony, quite frankly, that was very hard to hear. I commit myself to encourage moving forward as quickly as we can on those recommendations and bringing that forward.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the shout-out; the chair of the mighty OGGO is here to witness this. I am very pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-20, which would establish a public complaints and review commission for the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Both the RCMP and the CBSA are critical organizations that protect the security of Canadians. While…
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Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, and other members have spoken about, the CBSA was never included in this type of a review, and we are encouraged to see that this transparency will now be brought forward. The CBSA will be included and will have to answer to any incidents that do occur.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member, a fellow British Columbian, for the question. Of course, I am happy to always answer questions from the member. If we look at some of the measures that are being brought in, they would increase transparency. I think the issue at the heart of the matter that the member is questioning is learning about what high-risk detainees there may be. We would now understand wh…
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Mr. Speaker, I heard the member mention many investments. I am happy to talk about housing at all times. There is a rapid housing initiative breaking ground in Richmond, British Columbia, and I would like to know if the member can talk a bit more about what the impacts of housing investments will be across Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to answer questions from the member opposite from British Columbia. When it comes to our banking system and taxation, the member opposite very well knows that we have made adequate and competitive choices when it comes to tax fairness. I encourage working closely with him on these issues.
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Mr. Speaker, as we all know, on this side of the House, we have worked very hard and aggressively to combat climate change, and we will continue to do so for future generations. Not only that, but also I was talking more precisely about housing and how we are going to be combatting the issues around affordability on housing. I can only speak for my riding specifically. We have already broken groun…
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Mr. Speaker, Justice Hogue's report was very clear that there was no certainty with respect to the election interference. I encourage the member opposite to read the report thoroughly before they make misleading accusations and try to do a character assassination on any member in the House.
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a privilege to stand in the House and to contribute to the debate today on Bill C-69, the budget implementation act for budget 2024, which is focused on ensuring fairness for every generation. It is another building block to help future generations and is based on supporting the promise that all Canadians should have a fair chance to build a good, middle-class life and to…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this very important motion, Motion No. 112. I would like to thank the member for Surrey—Newton for bringing this motion before us and, of course, for his dedicated service. Democracy has always been at risk and has been tested throughout history. Living here, in one of the world's greatest democracies, it is easy to forget how fragile it is. These are real t…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as Sikh Heritage Month celebrations continue all April, Vaisakhi night at BC Place Stadium was packed, with amazing performances by anthem singer Juggy Bajwa, legendary singer Jazzy B, and, finally, our Whitecaps beating Toronto FC 4:nil. Before the match, I had the opportunity to participate in a kickoff message with Whitecaps legend Carl Valentine and young heroes Malia and Noah Kum…
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Madam Speaker, I had technical difficulties and I would like to vote nay.
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Madam Speaker, the people of Steveston—Richmond East and Canadians from coast to coast want leaders who collaborate and work together to get things done. British Columbians want to know who will stand with them. We request a recorded vote.
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Mr. Speaker, recently the Richmond Sockeyes Junior Hockey Club honoured a local hero as they retired the jersey of Ray Sawada, who passed away at the age of 38 while playing a recreational hockey game earlier this year. Ray Sawada played junior hockey for the Richmond Sockeyes from 2001 to 2003, and he was selected 52nd overall in the NHL draft by the Dallas Stars in 2004. Ray retired from profess…
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome that question. I think that every member in the House, across the aisle, are getting a little tired of some of the procedural games that are taking place not only here in this House but also in our committees. If we look at the collaboration needed to move this country forward, we are not really seeing these things being met when it comes to the work that we are expected to …
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