Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary, in his speech, talked about affordability and gave the real-world example of filling up his car just a week ago and how much that cost has increased. We have seen the price of a barrel of oil go up to almost $120. Given that Canada has what some describe as the least fuel-efficient fleet in the entire world, we are seeing that cost right now. As part of th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, three reports of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. First is the committee's fourth report, entitled “Marine and Coastal Protections”. The next is the fifth report, entitled “Equal Opportunities for Coastal Communities: Attribution of Redfish Quotas and Exploratory Lobster Fishing Licenses”. Pursuant to Standing Or…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I also represent a rural region and my riding is also experiencing a labour shortage. I know that the Leader of the Opposition wants to put an end to the temporary foreign worker program. In my riding, it is really important to bring in people from different parts of the world to offset the labour shortage. My colleague spoke of a grandfather clause for people who are already here. I …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I think we are talking about two different things here. The member opposite mentioned the need to speed up housing writ large and to address a lot of the barriers that are at the municipal level. In fact, we have programs that are doing just that. One called the housing accelerator fund is helping municipalities speed up their permitting systems, and I have seen its impact across my r…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to request a recorded division.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to recognize the profound loss being felt by the community of Tumbler Ridge. All members of the House grieve with the families who are mourning. We stand with the students, staff and first responders who are carrying the weight of this unimaginable tragedy. In times like these, we are reminded that in sorrow, we are united as a nation. Canada will hold them in o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Long Range Mountains for her speech and for supporting Bill C-19. The member opposite mentioned being honest about the impact of government policies. We have seen in the last year that gas prices have actually been reduced in Canada by about 17% to 20%. At the same time, we have seen grocery prices increase by about 5%. Does she really believe that by…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the extraordinary life of Vi Roden, who recently passed away at the age of 102. A World War II veteran, mother, friend and tireless community activist, Vi believed that if we see injustice, we must act, and she lived by that principle. In 1978, after learning of abuses in the women's prison system, she famously phoned the Attorney General at home and made it cle…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Squamish Climate Action Network, Squamish CAN, on receiving the 2025 Edible Communities Sustainability Award for outstanding leadership in community-driven climate action. The network's impact is felt across the region. Its self-sustaining downtown school farm gives residents and students hands-on experience with regenerative agriculture, distributes fres…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B), 2025-26: Votes 1b, 5b and 10b under Department of Fisheries and Oceans”. The committee has considered the votes referred and reports the same.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we certainly need to invest in our trade infrastructure. There is a deepwater port in my riding in Squamish, and we need to make sure we can access these new markets, get more free trade agreements and find alternative markets to the U.S. That is really critical. As we are building these relationships, it is not just selling to new markets, but it is also making sure we can bring in n…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, softwood lumber is a very important industry in British Columbia, too. Before the budget, we announced programs worth $1.2 billion to support this sector. It is very important to find new markets and to have new products that we can use in Canada and sell to the world. I think this evening's debate is a good way to look at how we can do more. However, the Minister of Energy and Natura…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would disagree with many of the pretexts of the member from Sarnia—Lambton's question. For such things as the consumer carbon tax, it is one of the most economically efficient ways of reducing emissions. It is also a measure that was actually a Conservative climate measure. Unfortunately, it was politicized by the Conservative Party. Frankly, that is too bad for our country. In the …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise to speak to Bill C-15, the budget implementation act, and what it means for my constituents in West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. First, I want to say a few things about budget 2025, a plan to build Canada strong. It comes at a time when Canada's economy is being deeply impacted by American tariffs. It is estimated that these tariffs are going to…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that Bill C-244, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, as one of the 5.5 million Canadians who has the privilege of living on Canada's coast, I know it is not just where we live; it is part of who we are, from learning about the life cycle of salmon…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is an important question. With the changes proposed in the bill, there would be an obligation for the seller to take steps to ensure that they are not selling to someone who they know does not have the means to maintain it or properly dispose of it. There are a lot of ways that one can do that, such as properly disclosing the current condition of the boat and ensuring that the sell…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I enjoy working with him on the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. This amendment seeks to correct a problem created by a court decision. The penalty and the prohibition were always intended as a strict liability offence. The court's interpretation of the law altered its application. This amendment restores the original intent: Any act c…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned in my speech that this is something that requires multiple levels of government jurisdiction to address. The province has taken some actions, as well, to deal with marine pollution. It is very much something that we can work together on. We all realize that this is an issue. If it is in the water, it is typically the federal government's jurisdiction. When it washes ashore…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, money laundering, fraud and financial crimes fuel organized crime, undermine confidence in our financial system and contribute to serious challenges, such as the opioid crisis and rising housing costs in British Columbia. Our government has taken decisive action in recent years through major legislative reforms, but the sophistication of these crimes means that we must remain vigilant…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Guelph. I rise today to speak to Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act. This bill would amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act to improve public safety, strengthen accountability for repeat violent offences and serious property crime, and modernize procedures that affect victims, police…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as I said in my speech, the principle of restraint was established through the Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence in interpreting how the Charter of Rights and Freedoms should apply to bail hearings. We are very committed to making sure we would be passing legislation that is compliant with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There has never been a federal government that has promi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned in my speech that there has been a mischaracterization of what the principle of restraint is, as well as of the impact of the inclusion of it in Bill C-75. As I also mentioned, this is a principle that was well articulated in the Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence, and it simply was legislated through that legislation. The Conservatives talk about how the principle of r…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I think that this bill makes good progress in the fight against organized crime. As I said in my speech, we announced the establishment of a new financial crimes agency. We have made a lot of changes to our laws in recent years, we have a new registry for companies, and I know that, if we can work together with the provinces and all members of the House, we will come up with even more…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, entitled “Acting Together to Address Derelict and Abandoned Vessels in Canada”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House today to present e-petition 45-1, initiated by one of my constituents, Ms. Jenny Perez, a passionate advocate for children's online safety. This petition has garnered the support of nearly 2,000 Canadians, including parents and concerned citizens from coast to coast to coast. The petitioners draw attention to the growing concern that smart phones a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-244, An Act to amend The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House to introduce the clean coasts act. This bill takes two important steps to better protect our coastal environment, boaters and coastal residents by proposing to amend key federal laws. First, …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, this month, Whistler turns 50. What started in 1975 as a gravel road, a few cabins and the bold dream of pioneers like Nancy Greene and Franz Wilhelmsen has grown into a world-class destination. From the first gondola at Creekside to the rivalry between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains and partnering with the Squamish Nation and Líl̓wat Nation to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans entitled “Challenges to the Sustainability of the Yukon Salmon Stocks”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the two provinces where people buy the most electric vehicles are British Columbia and Quebec. What do these two provinces have in common that explains this phenomenon?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise to speak in opposition to the opposition day motion today, which, at the heart of it, is simply disinformation: disinformation about climate policy and disinformation about an affordability policy that, quite frankly, gives me flashbacks to the last government, where it seemed that week after week, the Conservatives would have a similar type of motion that t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is a really important question that we need to consider as we see lower revenues that go to fund some of those things. There are ways that we can think of things. Perhaps, with public charging stations, there may be some of that tax that could go to fund some of those same things. Some jurisdictions have put a small tax on the registration for electric vehicles. I am thinking o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me another opportunity to speak French in the House. We do know that this is the direction that the world is heading in. There are already countries such as China where it is cheaper to produce electric vehicles than gas‑powered ones. When everyone adds to the number of vehicles produced, prices will be even lower. Technology will also improve. We hav…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am one of those people who waited for an electric vehicle during the pandemic, so I am very familiar with this situation. We need measures like this so that the vehicles people want to buy are actually available for purchase. Continuing to improve how these vehicles are produced in Canada is one way to accelerate the transition. What is clear is that people want these vehicles, an…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize all those who put themselves in harm's way to fight the Dryden Creek wildfire in Squamish and keep the community safe. Despite dangerous conditions, thanks to the skill and determination of Fire Chief Aaron Foote, Squamish Fire Rescue, Whistler Fire Rescue, BC wildfire crews, Mayor Armand Hurford, the district of Squamish Emergency Operations Centre and the Squamis…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the things that are within the federal jurisdiction are the things that are covered in the act. The federal government cannot force the provincial governments to reduce the internal trade barriers, but it has to act as a facilitator to do everything it can to do that. The first thing we can do is get rid of those federal barriers and do what we can to encourage the provinces to remove…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, these are not normal times right now. We are in an economic crisis, and we need to do things faster. I also think the legislation will protect the environment, but we need to put measures in place to make sure of that. I hope that when this bill is referred to committee, these aspects will be studied further.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, yes, these measures will be a tremendous boon to entrepreneurs in my riding. In my speech, I mentioned Backcountry Brewing, a brewery based in Squamish. Its beers are amazing, but they are not sold anywhere in Ontario. I could think of more examples. I know other companies that manufacture highly specialized materials for buildings. They will be able to sell their services and product…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to mention that I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Guelph. It is an honour to rise in the House today to speak to Bill C-5 to create one Canadian economy. As this is the first time I have had the opportunity to rise in the House to deliver a speech since the election, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the great people of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I always enjoyed working with my colleague from Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes on the indigenous and northern affairs committee. What I can say is that these are interprovincial trade barriers that have long been a drag on our economy. I think it was in 2017 when the free trade within Canada act was put forward, which dealt with a lot of those ones. Frankly, there are constituencies within…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, my question to my colleague is this: How do the increasing impacts of wildfires and the increasing impacts of climate change emphasize to her why the federal government needs to continue to take strong action to mitigate emissions?
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate you on your election as Speaker of the House. It was a pleasure of mine during the last government to work alongside the member for Nunavut on the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. In fact, as part of the work in that committee, we did a study looking at emergency response in the north and in indigenous communities. Of course, this is really…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, while the federal government has made some major investments in wildfire mitigation, whether that is investing in early observation systems, training thousands of firefighters, or, in ridings like mine, investing in firebreaks through the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund, we know that with the increasing effects of climate change, we are going to see more wildfires like this. M…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour a remarkable individual, Barry Janyk. Barry served as mayor of the town of Gibsons for four terms, from 1999 to 2011. Known for his smile, humour and infectious spirit, he was beloved by those who had the pleasure of knowing him. He was a pioneer in advancing smart growth for Gibsons. He spearheaded the development of parks throughout the town, supported the cre…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 19th report of the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs, in relation to Bill C-61, an act respecting water, source water, drinking water, waste water and related infrastructure on first nation lands. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 18th report of the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs, which is in relation to the motion adopted on Thursday, November 21, regarding the appearance of the member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, today marks 1,000 days since Russia began its unprovoked, illegal, full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. Since then, we have seen the heroism and resilience of the Ukrainian people on full display as they face Russia's repeated, brutal and criminal attacks. Canada has committed over $4.5 billion to support Ukraine, and we stand steadfast with Ukraine until its victory. As we m…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 17th report of the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs, which is in relation to Bill S-16, an act respecting the recognition of the Haida Nation and the Council of the Haida Nation. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendments.
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday, British Columbians braved an atmospheric river to vote for their next government. While a clear majority of British Columbians voted for candidates who believe in the science behind climate change and vaccines and rejected the conspiracy theories that defined the Conservative Party, the final make-up of the legislative assembly is still too close to call. We do kno…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House this evening to speak to the motion before the House today. It is a pleasure and a privilege every day to represent the people of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. I am grateful to be in the House, to work on matters and to do the business of the nation. This is why it is a little unfortunate that, for the second time this week, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the intervention from my colleague, the member for Beauport—Limoilou, and the question from my colleague, the member for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. I will just say that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is not some buffet where people can pick and choose what to use and what to cast aside. However, that does not mean that we should not do everything we can to…
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