Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, addressing the roots of conflict and instability abroad helps reduce the risks Canadians face here at home. Investing in development helps build stronger allies, new trading partners and new markets for Canadian businesses. Our government is making generational investments to strengthen the Canadian economy, help Canadians get ahead and build a more resilient future for our country. O…
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Mr. Speaker, this year's theme for International Development Week is “prosperity through partnership”. Canadians are strong when we work together and work with others. While our development efforts are grounded in fighting poverty and advancing inclusive growth, they can also lay the groundwork for long-term mutual prosperity. I saw this myself in Indonesia, where decades of development co-operati…
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Mr. Speaker, our hearts are with those affected by the devastating floods in Sri Lanka, which has declared a state of emergency. In times of crisis, Canadians step up. To support an urgent and immediate response, Canada is providing an initial $1 million in humanitarian aid to help the Red Cross, the Humanitarian Coalition and other partners deliver life-saving relief. This means emergency shelter…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) and consistent with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Amendments to the Agreement Establishing the African Development Fund”, adopted by the Board of Governors of the African Development Fund on May 23, 2023.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, this concept of restraint came from a Supreme Court ruling in 2017 showing why it should be done. What I have seen is that the concept of restraint has not been equally implemented across Canada. Take, for example, the extortion cases I have seen. I have met victims of extortion in Ontario and Alberta as well as British Columbia. The same bail provisions via the Criminal Code are im…
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Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise in the House today to speak in support of Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act. This legislation represents a significant effort to strengthen public safety and ensure that Canada's justice system works as it should: firm, fair and focused on protecting people. In my riding of Surrey Centre, we have seen first-hand how crime can shake a community's sen…
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Madam Speaker, it is imperative that all three levels do. We have to remember that, in Canada, it is the local, municipally governed police or the RCMP in that jurisdiction that have to do the investigation and catch the culprits. It is the provinces that have to press the charges and control the prosecution. They must make their efforts and we must make the laws. We are doing our part. We ask tha…
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Madam Speaker, I share a lot of the same concerns as my hon. colleague, whose riding is adjacent to mine. Yes, there is a lot of concern among business owners and families, but the bill that the member opposite is speaking about was more about slogans. It was not charter-compliant and did not have the consultation of the provinces and territories, the attorneys general, the solicitors general, the…
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Mr. Speaker, hurricane Melissa has left heartbreaking devastation in its wake. We stand with the people of the Caribbean in this moment of crisis. Last week, we announced $7 million in emergency relief, allowing partners to scale up the delivery of food, water, health services and other essential aid. This builds on long-standing work to strengthen disaster preparedness in the Caribbean and suppor…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has built a strong and enduring reputation as a trusted partner in international development. For over 50 years, we have fought poverty, hunger and disease, and we have been a consistent champion for human rights, dignity and equality. At the UN General Assembly, one thing that stood out loud and clear was the deep trust our allies and partners place in our country as one that …
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Mr. Speaker, our new government commits to keeping our commitments to humanitarian aid and global development on a sustainable level despite other countries cutting back. Our country and our great Government of Canada will continue to help those who are much in need, those who have been displaced and those who need help in times of dire straits.
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Mr. Speaker, supporting small and medium-sized Canadian organizations is a top priority for our new government. Organizations such as Cooperation Canada, Nutrition International and the Humanitarian Coalition are just some of those bringing Canadian expertise to the communities that need it most. With tens of thousands of Canadians working in this sector, these efforts create jobs at home and buil…
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Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to have, in the second vote, my nay changed to yea.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this summer, millions of Canadians cheered on team Canada at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Paralympic swimmer Sebastian Massabie smashed the world record and brought the gold home to Surrey. Canadian athletes give it their all to represent our country, so budget 2024 boosts our support for them with more pay for our athletes as they train to represent team Canada. Unfortunat…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, last week, I was proud to announce funding to two excellent organizations in Surrey that are helping our veterans. BC/Yukon Legion Foundation and the Legion Veterans Village received $9 million to help our veterans who are facing homelessness with access to housing and wraparound services. While the opposition talks about program cuts, our government is there for our veterans and th…
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Madam Speaker, I think my hon. colleague has not read the bill. The bill is just about a GST tax relief, which would happen from December 14 to February 15. It would immediately give from 5% to 12% relief, depending on the province. That is, consumers will pay less when they go to the till, so the relief would be immediate. It will carry forward into the new year, but there is nothing about the ne…
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Madam Speaker, I think the Liberal government has always had a two-pronged approach to grow the economy and increase the pie. If we grow the economy and increase our GDP growth, then of course we want to give relief to the tax base as much as possible and wherever it is possible. That is why we have targeted relief when it comes to pharmacare, dental care and child care. We will continue to work t…
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Madam Speaker, I think the member uses very crass language in calling those people, who take their families out for dinner at Christmas, imbeciles. I think that is a very inappropriate word for parents who buy their children books. I think that is a very inappropriate word to call those parents who buy their kids puzzles or children's toys, or who might have a beer or two, or a glass of wine, duri…
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for London North Centre. I am thankful for the opportunity today to debate Bill C-78. The past few years have been challenging. It feels like the price of everything has gone up, thanks to global inflation and the need for central banks all over the world to raise interest rates in response to the after-effects of a once-in-a-generation glob…
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Madam Speaker, we are giving tax relief to those who need it the most: Canadian workers, Canadian families and Canadian seniors. We will continue to do that. With respect to more economic growth, I think sales will go up. People will be able to spend a bit more, and we will probably see the government coffers having a little more revenue at the end of the day as well.
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my good friend, the member for Vancouver Granville. There should be no doubt that the Government of Canada places the highest priority on strengthening our trading relations with the United States. For a place like Surrey Centre, this is in no way undiminished, as we are a border city and a port city. Trade is of vital importance. These are indeed uniq…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I recall that very vividly. It was no small failure. Capitulating after winning victory after victory in the softwood lumber industry has set a very bad precedent since then. I commend our trade ministers for holding their feet to the Americans, winning case after case and not capitulating. What the member said is no different from what Prime Minister Harper said when we were renego…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, that is the approach the government has been taking. The Prime Minister is meeting with all the premiers of the country to find a proper strategy. My speech did not actually target anybody from the opposition in that regard. I answered a question just before from my colleague as to the approach that the Conservative Party took versus the Liberal government of this tenure. We need an…
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Mr. Speaker, we are not going to take any lessons from the Conservatives. They shut down nine Veterans Affairs offices. We opened nine, plus another one in my hometown of Surrey Centre. They laid off 1,000 Veterans Affairs officers who were there to help veterans get the services they need. We reinstated those services. We have created services to help those veterans get what they need, and we wil…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, veterans often see music as a profound way to express themselves and heal from the impacts of military service. That is why, last year, Veterans Affairs Canada hosted its first-ever Veterans' Open Mic night. This event brought together veterans, family members, active service members and music lovers. It was so successful that the idea expanded, with events happening across the countr…
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Mr. Speaker, we all admire the sacrifice and service that veterans have given for us. I think that question was quite out of line. However, as it is Veterans' Week, it does deserve to remember and commend all the veterans who sacrificed their lives, given back for our freedoms and protected the democratic processes that we have today. We will always remember them not only on Veterans Week but ever…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, last week, we learned that the Conservative leader will reverse Canada's housing progress and cut programs that are building more homes faster in Surrey and across the country. It is not just his own MPs who disagree with his reckless housing cuts. Mayors across the country, including former Conservative MPs, are sounding the alarm over the cuts. The housing accelerator fund invests i…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the committee on veterans affairs is currently studying this matter. We are waiting for its report. I can assure colleagues that the government will respond to that forthwith. The Persian Gulf War veterans have done a great service for this country, and we all deserve to see the response to this report. I assure colleagues that the government will respond accordingly.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I stand here today to share the loss of Tony Moore, veteran and president of Whalley Legion, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 229. Tony was a dedicated advocate for veterans and served as president for as long as I can remember. He was also instrumental in the building of Canada's most modern full-service veterans facility, the Whalley veterans village. Opene…
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Madam Speaker, Surrey has one of the fastest-growing populations in the Lower Mainland, and with that, the number of seniors is set to rise over the next 25 years. I am honoured to share with members information about the groundbreaking of the new Guru Nanak diversity village seniors facility opened by the PICS Society of British Columbia. Behind this much-needed community project is the progressi…
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Madam Speaker, there are over 1,350 Legion branches across Canada, including Whalley Legion Branch 229 in my hometown of Surrey. Their members represent one of the largest volunteer bases in this country. We set up the veteran organizations emergency support fund during the pandemic so that they could safely keep their doors open. We have been proud to support legions to improve infrastructure, ma…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to speak to the vital, ongoing work that the Government of Canada is doing to protect Canada's democratic institutions. As all members of this House are aware, threats to Canada's democracy do not affect only some Canadians; they affect all Canadians. That is why the enhancements to safeguard Canada's democratic systems and processes against foreign i…
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Madam Speaker, the Government of Canada continues to support the important work of the public inquiry into foreign interference, as it has done since the inquiry was established last year. The government continues to provide thousands of classified documents and to make government witnesses available to meet with the commission to answer its questions. While supporting the commission's work, the g…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I want to stress that this is an issue we are not taking lightly. Let me first say that I am very proud of the public servants who worked so diligently to ensure that the government could deliver services and programs to Canadians during the pandemic. At the same time, it is clear that something went wrong with the procurement of professional services related to ArriveCAN. Our gover…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, we are committed to preserving the integrity of federal government procurement, and that is precisely what our government is doing. Public Services and Procurement has already taken several steps to implement the recommendations of both the Auditor General and the procurement ombudsman. It is strengthening guidance and training in federal procurement and making great progress in our…
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Madam Speaker, Surrey is home to high-level athletes from across the country. Last month, 26-year-old Buneet Bisla was crowned as the Canadian light-heavyweight champion in a first-round knockout, making it his first professional title. Turning pro in 2019, Bisla has amassed a record of 10 wins and is now the undisputed number-one ranked fighter in Canada for the light-heavyweight category. Bisla …
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Madam Speaker, Canadians are at the front lines of the climate crisis. Climate change manifests itself in our lives on a daily basis. It has already forced and will continue to force us to adapt and to change how we manage our businesses, organize our lives and interact with nature. With warmer temperatures comes more intense and frequent weather events everywhere on earth and here at home. At the…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32, it is my honour to table, in both official languages, the 2023-24 annual report of the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman.
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Madam Speaker, I believe that 25 million tonnes have been reduced per year, which has been the biggest reduction with a carbon tax since, I believe, the 1990s. I think it was the Oilers' last win, if I am right. However, this has been the biggest contribution to the reduction of carbon from our atmosphere that has ever happened in the history of this country. It is definitely more than what happen…
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Madam Speaker, it is very clear how they are different. One is subsidizing the production of oil, which emits carbon, especially in the process of production and also when it is burnt. The other is a subsidy in order to capture any carbon that is used in the process and store it so that it does not get into the atmosphere but goes back into the ground or some other place where it will not harm the…
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Madam Speaker, that is exactly what we would like to do on this side of the House, but I would like to remind the member that the motion is an opposition day motion, and it seems like the Conservatives' only priority is to fight on how we can produce more carbon and how we can release more carbon into the air. We are fighting for Canadians and will continue to fight for Canadians. Fighting the imp…
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Mr. Speaker, June 2024 is a sombre time of remembrance for the Sikh community. Forty years ago, the skies of Amritsar turned red as the Indian government attacked the Golden Temple complex, Akal Takhat, plus 40 additional gurdwaras across the country, killing thousands of Sikhs. Forty years ago, the Sikh Reference Library, home to our histories dating back to the inception of our faith, was reduce…
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Mr. Speaker, today we commemorate D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, which took place on June 6, 1944, during the Second World War. We honour those who sacrificed themselves and served our country in the ultimate battle that led to allied victory and the liberation of Europe. On June 6, 1944, more than 14,000 brave Canadian soldiers were involved in the Normandy landings and fought with exceptional…
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Madam Speaker, Surrey is a young city. With over 35,000 individuals aged between 19 and 25, Surrey is home to the largest number of youths in all of B.C. It is no surprise that our youth are at the forefront of Surrey's growth and innovation. Every year, the Surrey Board of Trade recognizes 25 outstanding youth with its Surrey's Top 25 Under 25 award. This award pays homage to business and communi…
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Mr. Speaker, it would be very difficult for them to say because the chief adviser in their Conservative caucus was considered, currently, before or after, by a side company, a sister company, I do not know exactly, but she is paid as a formal lobbyist for that very dominating grocer in the House. It becomes difficult for them to challenge when they are paid and supported by that particular organiz…
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Mr. Speaker, no more is it a testament than in places like Nunavut and Iqaluit, where one is seeing this discrepancy between the person actually selling the groceries and feeding a family, and the elite at the top. That is why we put measures, including the capital gains changes, where a lot of corporate executives were able to discount some of the tax rates that would normally be applicable if th…
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Mr. Speaker, last November, the government introduced Bill C-59, the fall economic statement implementation act of 2023. Among other measures, Bill C-59 proposed significant amendments to our Competition Act. I am proud to share that the Standing Committee on Finance has recently completed its review of the bill and has made several amendments to further strengthen existing proposals. For many yea…
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Through you, Mr. Speaker, I just want to ask this. The member opposite was blaming the insurance premium going up on, I believe, her staffer or somebody at her house. I wonder if it was from a car accident or repairs or if it was from a flood to a house or whatnot. How can the government be responsible for insurance premiums? I would really like to know how the budget was responsible for the insur…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a good question. Whenever any banks or any major telecoms merge, the scrutiny is very strict. There is always a review under the Competition Act. Banking regulators and public opinions are even brought into the question. It is only after thorough commitments and signs from such parties do they actually agree in these cases. Many have been rejected or have been pushed back befo…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, today is a special day on the Hill as we mark Dr. Ambedkar Equality Day and day of jayanti. Widely regarded as the father of the Indian Constitution, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader. A champion of civil rights, Dr. Ambedkar’s vision for a free India was simple. He wanted equality for all, irrespective of caste, gender or…
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