Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives want to talk about past policy, that is their prerogative. What we are focused on, from start to finish, is making sure that this country's present, and especially its future, is on a sustainable footing; that we build this country up; that we focus on the economy; and that we look to the immigration system as one way to make that happen. I will absolutely defend …
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Mr. Speaker, personal attacks speak for themselves. I have great respect, in fact, for the member. We have had the pleasure of working together on the House of Commons committee responsible for immigration. He understands that, fundamentally, immigration has played a very important role in the history of this country, and that needs to continue. He also understands, as our side does, that transfor…
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Mr. Speaker, the member will be aware of the landmark 2013 Supreme Court decision, the Pham decision. That decision makes very clear that when it comes to assessing the criminal actions of individuals, whether they are foreign nationals or Canadians, public safety always takes precedence. If the individual has concerns with the decision of the court, that decision is a court decision. It is not a …
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Mr. Speaker, personal attacks again speak for themselves. I am honoured to work with every single member of caucus who time and again devotes themselves to their constituency. As far as London or any Canadian community is concerned, we continue to see immigration as a fundamental building block in this country. Of course, transformations and policy are needed. That is exactly what we are devoted t…
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Mr. Speaker, I have already gone over the achievements of the government on the immigration file. We will continue that work. Furthermore, Conservatives have a tendency, unfortunately, to count permits and not people. They will count the original permit that is issued and then the renewal, so a double counting often happens. As far as creative math is concerned, we will put that aside. Conservativ…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is very well read. He will look at the recent reports of the International Monetary Fund, which has made clear that Canada stands as an example for the G7, and in fact for the entire OECD and beyond. What we have now is an opportunity to engage in serious policy to build up this country. I mentioned yesterday's investments in Canada's north. We have investments in Canada'…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously the jobs data that came out this morning is unfortunate, but the Conservatives can fixate on month-to-month data. They never mention, or their script never recites, anything on long-term trends. What did we see just a few days ago? It was a very clear announcement in Bloomberg. My colleague can go look at it. The largest amount of foreign investment that Canada has seen sinc…
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Mr. Speaker, the member represents an area I know very well, just down the road from the constituency I have had the honour of representing for a decade. I have friends and family there. These are very real issues, to be fair, that he raises. Food is expensive; we know that. We go to the grocery store and see those prices, particularly when it comes to meat and vegetables. I genuinely wonder, thou…
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Mr. Speaker, I am more than happy to have a further conversation over coffee, tea or whatever the member wishes to have. He and I have worked together for over a decade now, so that is quite fine. It might be a bit too late with respect to the budget and an upcoming vote. Regardless, as I said before, he is interested in matters of education and those that pertain directly to youth. However, I did…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to address youth issues. I welcome the comments of my colleague. I will disagree with a number of points that he has raised, naturally, but I do not discount his passion on these issues. I know he has been a member for a long time, and he has made it his focus in the past few months, as I understand it, to take up the issue of youth. The member began with a poin…
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Mr. Speaker, I am smiling because I made a genuine good-faith effort to put it back to the member as to what general solutions could be put forward. He is well read and knows very well that there has been no credible evidence that says the Conservative talking points, and that is exactly what they are, would do anything to alleviate food prices at the grocery store for Canadians. Canada has import…
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Mr. Speaker, the government has taken a step in that direction. The GST measure is known to the member, and it is awaiting royal assent. With respect to getting home ownership going in this country, I agree. We need to collectively do more to push that. This is something the Canadian Home Builders' Association, in particular, has emphasized. They have also emphasized the need to attack regulatory …
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Mr. Speaker, I was at the federal finance committee yesterday with the hon. member. He knows how the answer was put forward by Mr. Cory of the Infrastructure Bank. There is no deal with Lion Electric. What happened with Lion in terms of the bankruptcy obviously is regrettable, certainly, but the buses that were intended to be procured are on the road under the operation of another company. The com…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is a new member. I want to commend him. He has been very active in the community. It has been good to get to know him and to work with him. I know he cares also, of course, about home ownership. He met with the London Home Builders' Association recently. What it has shared is exactly what I said earlier, that regulatory red tape at the municipal level stands as the lar…
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Mr. Speaker, the member's question gives me the opportunity to say that Bill C-19 has received royal assent. It shows what we can do when we work together in the House of Commons. This is the groceries and essentials benefit, which will provide up to $1,900 for a family of four in what is, certainly, a difficult time for this country. I also urge the member to look past politics and to work with a…
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Mr. Speaker, in the short time the member has served as an MP, she has made an outstanding contribution, particularly regarding economic issues. She is, after all, a tech entrepreneur at not one but two companies. She understands the importance of putting in place a foundation for the Canadian economy. Bill C-19 did receive royal assent, and 12 million Canadians will benefit. We can go a step furt…
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Mr. Speaker, I have known my colleague for a long time. He does have passion, I will grant him that, but sometimes that passion leads him to act a bit too quickly. He forgot to talk to unions. Earlier this week, he and other Conservatives raised the situation of workers at CAMI in Ingersoll. They were talking about the withholding of severance. What he forgot to do was actually talk to Unifor. Loc…
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Mr. Speaker, the industry minister and the Prime Minister, along with every minister and this entire caucus, are devoted to ensuring the well-being and future of the Canadian auto sector and its workers. I invite Conservatives to support the government in continuing to ensure that measures are put in place to ensure the future well-being of that sector.
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Mr. Speaker, I know the member's community. I know his riding very well. Its residents expect better than his hurling insults. That is not a way to get things done in the House of Commons. The member talks about the London Home Builders' Association. That is good. We met this week as well. They talked about, among other things, the housing accelerator fund, which in St. Thomas alone is leading to …
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Madam Speaker, with great respect to my colleague, he knows that there has not been a shred of credible evidence to suggest that the industrial carbon tax is primarily responsible, or remotely responsible, for the increases in prices that people are seeing at the grocery store. His point, though, on increasing competition in the grocery sector is well taken. I agree that we need greater competitio…
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Madam Speaker, first of all, I know the member, not terribly well, but well enough to say that I respect him very much. I know how hard he has worked to become a member of Parliament, and I know the riding he represents, which is very close to my community of London. I would simply say a few things. I acknowledge what he is saying, at least on the individual side. For constituents in his riding, i…
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Mr. Speaker, I know the member, and I know he cares about those workers, as do we. The CAMI plant in Ingersoll is a half-hour from my house. I regularly speak to Mayor Brian Petrie, who is doing an excellent job in very trying circumstances. I know the business owners who rely on the presence of the plant. I know the leaders and the staff of the social agencies that are responding to the crisis on…
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Mr. Speaker, 134,000 jobs were created in the past year. Wages have been outpacing inflation for almost three years, with a rate of inflation that is well within the Bank of Canada's guidelines at 2.4%. However, we will not rest on that. We cannot, because the aim now must always be to secure Canada's future. Budget 2025 puts a foundation for that in place. Will the Conservatives join us and put t…
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Mr. Speaker, almost 240 agreements have been signed between the federal government and various municipalities, large and small, for the housing accelerator fund. They want to talk about getting things done and anti-development. The facts do not line up with that narrative. The reality is that we need to build more: duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes. That is the kind of vision being put in place t…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have mentioned beef. They have mentioned coffee, fruits and vegetables. The Bank of Canada has affirmed what we already know; it made clear that import costs are crucial when it comes to food inflation. Which kind of import costs in particular is this? It is climate change, dramatic weather events around the world and domestically. It is obvious; when we have more fl…
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Mr. Speaker, I call on Conservatives, yes, to work with us. We can work together for the betterment of this country. What did we see yesterday? If the Conservatives do not want to listen to Liberals, that is fine. They should listen to Prime Minister Harper, who called on us in a moment of crisis, a moment of rupture for this country, to do what is right for Canada. We have an opportunity. We saw …
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Madam Speaker, my colleague is an experienced member, and I know how much he cares about the economy and his community. Of course he is immersed in these issues, as we all are. To reassure him, I would point to the December 5 statement issued by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF, one of the most respected multilateral organizations in the world, said a great deal about Canada's current fisc…
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Madam Speaker, that is interesting. I am tempted to talk about the Conservative record on health care. I will not because, as I say, I think we need to embrace these issues.
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Madam Speaker, it is a touchy subject for the Conservatives. We need to embrace these issues wherever possible with a lack of partisanship and be serious about the issues of the day. Yes, there is debt and deficit in this country, as there is in every democracy, but again, we can look to the International Monetary Fund. If it is not the IMF that the members want to look to, they can look at the Wo…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague can look to Dalhousie University's food price index of 2026. He can look to the recent TD report. We know climate change is a key factor when it comes to the increase in the price of food. This is admittedly a challenge for this country. This is why the Canada groceries and essentials benefit is so important. Let us move beyond the script for a moment. The Conservatives s…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague represents the area of what was once called London North Centre, north of Fanshawe Park Road, and I look forward to continuing to work with her. Her point about manufacturing and businesses is interesting. The member said that she hears time and again about the industrial carbon tax issue. I would welcome her to present a single letter from a business that mentions this p…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for our colleague, and it is always a pleasure to take part in a House debate with him. There is a climate change crisis in Canada and around the world. Every government has a responsibility to respond with serious policies, because it is a challenge for the future. I have a four-year-old daughter, and I am worried about her future. Every government must…
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Mr. Speaker, I certainly would agree. I want to commend the member, who is a new member but has not hesitated to delve in. He is doing a fantastic job on the finance committee. The member talked about food prices. The Dalhousie University report that members in the Conservative Party have quoted frequently in the past few days makes clear that a major contributing factor to meat prices, in particu…
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Mr. Speaker, up until recently, the Conservatives have been frequently quoting Food Banks Canada. They have stopped, and I wonder why. I wonder if it is because the organization has suggested a key recommendation that the government is now fulfilling, which is the groceries and essentials benefit of almost $1,900 for a family of four. What about other supports that the Conservatives are against? T…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to address the House on this very important matter. I will say at the outset that I will be splitting my time with the member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River. This is an important debate. My colleagues might be surprised across the way, but I want to thank them for raising it. Though it is interesting how they politicize it, this is exactly the type of issue th…
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Mr. Speaker, how about having the backs of Canadian families, the middle class and low-income Canadians who need a serious government now to respond to their everyday challenges? That is why we have put in place this particular benefit. That is why we are increasing the GST credit. Furthermore, if the Conservatives are serious about the challenges of this country, I would hope that, beyond inventi…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a classic technique of right-wing populism to identify every problem imaginable and invent some too, and not propose serious solutions. Only a few months ago the Leader of the Opposition was calling for the firing of the Bank of Canada. On this side of the House, we take seriously what the Bank of Canada says. We are seeing, in this country, inflation within the target rate. We …
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Mr. Speaker, I said it already today and will repeat it: The target rate of inflation is within what the Bank of Canada gives as a guideline, which is 2.4%. On the food inflation the member points out, yes, this is admittedly a challenge for the country. The Conservatives are fond of citing reports. The problem is that they never read those reports. Dalhousie University's food price index says tha…
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Mr. Speaker, a fiscally responsible approach is what the government is committed to, and that is exactly what we will fulfill. I already mentioned the International Monetary Fund. I know that for colleagues across the way, multilateral organizations, not all of them but many of them, unfortunately, are not to be dealt with. These conspiracies continue to circulate on that side of the House. Howeve…
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Madam Speaker, the slogans continue on the other side. What is lacking is seriousness. They condemn a decision signed by the Premier of Alberta. Yesterday was a great day for Alberta and for Canada. The government was elected on a policy vision to ensure more jobs in this country, economic stewardship and environmental stewardship at the same time. We will maintain that vision from start to finish…
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Madam Speaker, the member knows very well that those who are not eligible to be here will face the consequences of Canadian law. We trust authorities to carry that out. As for services in this country, we understand that there has been a strain on services and that the immigration system has a part to play in that. What is also at stake is that we put policy on the table to address those issues. A…
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Madam Speaker, I say this with all due respect. The member has been the immigration critic for the Conservative Party for almost 10 years. She knows very well that when new information comes in, it can lead to the cancellation of existing visas that allow individuals to be in Canada in the first place. When we understand these matters, we leave it in the hands of authorities to address those matte…
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Madam Speaker, the member is or should be aware of the landmark Supreme Court decision of 2013 that says that the courts, and judges in particular, can take note of the immigration status of an individual but cannot use that to condition sentencing in a way that would avoid immigration consequences. The question is not a serious one. The point is that if we are going to do immigration policy serio…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has been an example for the world, particularly when it comes to responding to the Uyghur issue in China, among other global crises affecting fundamental human rights. We continue to look at this issue, and we continue to put in place measures, but the hon. member knows that the circumstances are very challenging indeed. When individuals come to Canada, of course, a number of c…
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Mr. Speaker, today, November 20, is World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Every year, 7,000 Canadians are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and more than 6,000 succumb to this terrible disease. One was my late aunt, Eleni Dellaporta, who passed away this past January at the young age of 58. She leaves behind two extraordinary sons, Nikos and Panagis; her beloved husband, Petros; and her soon-to-be daughter…
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Mr. Speaker, I would urge colleagues across the way to think twice about putting on the floor of the House of Commons unverified reports from anonymous sources. Security is of paramount importance in this country. That is a sacrosanct principle upheld by successive Conservative and Liberal governments. We maintain that principle from start to finish. As for the comments about the program that was …
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Mr. Speaker, the member continues to cite anonymous sources on the floor of the House of Commons. The reality is that security remains always a fundamental responsibility that we take seriously. When security agencies become aware of potential threats to this country, they act accordingly, We trust them to do that. As for the point that was raised before, relating to what was discussed this week a…
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Mr. Speaker, my friend accuses me of not answering the question, but his question was all over the place. I am not sure what exactly he was talking about. I am genuinely very interested in the youth employment plan of the Conservatives. I will look it up, but we do not know about it. Perhaps some of us do, but I think I follow things pretty closely, and I have not seen it. As far as the immigratio…
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Mr. Speaker, the member knows the respect that I and other colleagues hold for her. Of course, she has served this country and never fails to bring up matters that are important to her and her constituents. I understand that very well. What I would say, and she knows this as well, is that individual cases, for privacy reasons, should not be brought forward on the floor of the House of Commons. She…
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