Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it is with great honour that I rise in the House today to speak about one of Whitby's finest: our very own Mike Shoreman. Despite being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome and being told it would leave him disabled and unable to continue his lifelong passion for paddleboarding, Mike decided to take on a monumental challenge: paddleboarding across all five Great Lakes. Not only did Mik…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her incredible work and advocacy for individuals who lack the income to live a full life. I have always been a vocal advocate for a guaranteed basic income, and I have never hidden that from anybody. I think the patchwork of benefits we offer today could be greatly enhanced by a guaranteed basic income, so I thank the member.
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Madam Speaker, the consultation process that is engaging provinces and territories in designing this benefit is essential for ensuring that this really is a supplemental income benefit that individuals living with disabilities will be able to get. There is no intention, from my perspective, to overstep into provincial jurisdiction, but to work collaboratively with stakeholders who serve individual…
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Madam Speaker, I do not think that one in five Canadians will receive or be eligible for the Canada disability benefit. I believe it will be targeted at working-age individuals living with a disability who need supplemental income in addition to the income benefits they already get. It really has to be very targeted. That is why I think the consultation process across the country with provinces an…
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook. It gives me great pleasure today to rise in the House to speak to a piece of legislation that I think is essential to supporting Canadians, reducing poverty, making life more affordable and building a more inclusive and accessible Canada. Bill C-22 is another step forward on the path to reducing poverty in …
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Mr. Speaker, whether supporting homeowners to retrofit their homes, get into an electric vehicle or ride an electric bus, working together at all levels to green our lifestyle will save us money, build a stronger economy and protect the planet we cherish. Last week, I was ecstatic to hear that Infrastructure Canada’s zero-emission bus strategy is reaching my community. An MOU was signed by the Can…
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member's question is a good-faith question, and I appreciate it. The freeze on handguns definitely limits the market. It starts to regulate the market so that there will be no more handguns in circulation in Canada from the moment this bill reaches royal assent. That allows us to start to understand and work on the issue of getting guns off the streets in a way that respect…
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Madam Speaker, I do not know the specific example the member speaks of, but embedding red flag and yellow flag laws within legislation would only give additional tools to law enforcement and individuals who suspect that someone has suicidal ideation or may harm others. That is a good thing. We can all probably agree that the fewer the number of individuals who commit suicide via a firearm and the …
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Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity today to join this important debate. Let me begin by saying two words: Resolute and realistic. I think the Minister of Public Safety said it best. Resolute and realistic is what this government has strived to be since we began tackling gun violence as soon as we were elected to lead this country almost seven years ago, and these adjectives have been our…
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Madam Speaker, our government knows that illegal gun smuggling is important, as is increasing the investigative capacity of the CBSA and the RCMP to investigate purported gun smuggling and crack down on it. We have increased the penalties for those who are caught, from 10 to 14 years. To my knowledge, we are increasing capacity at our borders and ensuring that our law enforcement agencies can shar…
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Madam Speaker, this goes to show that just because people are law-abiding gun owners when they purchase a gun does not mean they are not capable of committing an act in a heated moment. It is important for us to realize that limiting gun ownership and restricting guns are going to help reduce gun crime.
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Mr. Chair, I appreciate the member's question because it gives me an opportunity to let this House know about my support of front-of-package labelling and why I feel strongly that it is a good policy and good step forward. Our government spent many years researching it and consulting on this particular policy. The research has shown that it does impact people's eating choices and dietary habits, a…
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Mr. Chair, I know this topic has come up at the agriculture and agri-food standing committee numerous times. I do believe the sanctions on Russia are completely justified, but I believe there is an impact on our farmers that is pretty hard for them to take, especially given the pressures they are under. We should be doing something for those farmers to help them, especially for the farmers who pre…
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Mr. Chair, I will be sharing my time with the member for Ottawa West—Nepean. I am exuberant to be here tonight, and I feel the same sense of importance for this debate as my colleague, the MP for Avalon. The date of this debate is particularly timely, given recent events in Ukraine. We all know that Putin's senseless war on Ukraine is having a massive impact on global food insecurity. The Standing…
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Mr. Chair, I do not know about the specific tariff that the member referenced, but I think he is making an argument analogous to the situation we are experiencing right now with the tariffs on fertilizer related to Russia. From my personal perspective, I think those farmers have been hard hit already. This exacerbates the pressures they are under, and we should be looking at doing something to sup…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of one of my constituents in Whitby, signed by more than 12,000 Canadians from across Canada. Since 1982, more than 250,000 Canadian seniors have suffered the loss of pension income due to corporate insolvency. With over four million Canadians depending on a defined benefit pension for their financial security and retirement, we cannot affo…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as someone who spent years working with social purpose organizations, I have seen first-hand how social innovation and social finance are catalysts for positive change. Big challenges like climate change, energy security, poverty, systemic racism, food insecurity, housing affordability, reconciliation and more can all be addressed by harnessing the ingenuity of our social innovators a…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite both for acknowledging that I am a decent person and also for his good question. I do appreciate it. I would say that the pains that we are experiencing today are the direct result of about 30 years or more of inaction when it came to climate change. We have known that this was coming. It has gotten so bad that it is reaching our doorsteps today, and our …
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Madam Speaker, I request a recorded vote.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate that the member opposite always asks good questions. I also appreciate the work of Environmental Defence, which is an organization that I had the opportunity to work with many years ago. It does incredible work and is constantly providing a critical edge to the work of our government. No doubt, we can constantly increase our ambition, but I believe that we have the most…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciated the work that the hon. member and I had the opportunity to do together in the last Parliament when we were on the same committee for a period of time. I think that a just transition and having equitable opportunities for workers who are transitioning from one part of the economy to another and supporting their re-skilling and transition to the new clean technology indu…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to contribute to today's debate on Bill C-19, the budget implementation act, and to highlight some of the measures in budget 2022 that contribute to a healthy environment. We know that to protect our planet and to build a stronger economy, we must do even more on climate action. Canada can be in the vanguard and on the leading edge, or we can be left behind. That is, of…
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Madam Speaker, each spring I have the honour of notifying many businesses and organizations in my riding of Whitby of receiving funds through the Canada summer jobs program. The creation of quality summer work experiences for young people enriches their development while contributing to a stronger local economy and a more inclusive community. Today I would like to acknowledge an incredibly inspiri…
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Mr. Chair, the issue of losing fishing gear is not a new one around the world. With decades of old debris in our oceans and along our coastlines, our government recognizes ghost gear as an issue of national importance, which is why, in 2019, Fisheries and Oceans Canada established the ghost gear program. This program is helping to prevent, retrieve and responsibly dispose of this harmful and often…
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Mr. Chair, I appreciate the minister's highlighting the incredible results of this program. It is clearly innovative and paying off for our ocean and marine coastal ecosystems, which are essential to Canada's livelihoods and a good fishery sector.
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Mr. Chair, it is a great pleasure to rise in the House tonight and participate in this discussion. Canada is, without a doubt, a proud maritime nation that relies heavily on its oceans as a source of food, jobs, energy, raw materials, maritime trade, tourism and recreation. We are particularly proud of our robust, sustainably managed and well-regulated commercial fisheries, which are important to …
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Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the Ukrainian people have exhibited strength beyond measure, yet unfortunately, next week will mark three months since the start of Putin's illegal war on Ukraine. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has repeatedly thanked Canada for the aid and support to help his people defend itself against the Russian invaders, yet there still is no end in sight in this senseless …
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Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for Canada and our Parliament Buildings. The design competition for Block 2, directly across from Parliament Hill, has concluded and the winner was announced today. The winning design brings together the past, present and future, mixing heritage-designated buildings with modern landscaped courtyards and a public square facing the Peace Tower. The preservation of h…
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Mr. Speaker, I believe the member opposite used the old slippery slope argument. I think it is certainly the simplest of logical arguments, as one thing leads to another, which leads to another, and so on. The member also spoke to promoting diversity of opinion. What about artistic expression and Canadian content? The bill explicitly tries to amplify content creators from diverse backgrounds. Does…
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Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I think the member misinterprets the intention of the bill. When we say level the playing field, we are talking about the very traditional broadcasters that would be subject to the Broadcasting Act versus the very big, successful online streamers that are running platforms that are streaming content for commercial gain currently. The playing field is not level because t…
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Mr. Speaker, my thanks to the hon. member for a good faith question. I appreciate it. The way I read the bill, and I have the section in front of me, is that this is how the bill defines commercial content and commercial content is part of how we define whether someone is broadcasting or not using a streaming service. In many ways, this is part of the definition of being able to determine whether …
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Mr. Speaker, the bill is actually very clear on this in terms of defining the terms of broadcaster and what counts as commercial content that would be subject to the regulations within the bill. To me it is actually quite clear. There is no slippery slope here. There is no backdoor attempt at trying to censor user content. The member opposite should not be concerned about her nightly news channel …
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Mr. Speaker, I happily rise to speak to Bill C-11, especially after that display of political theatre that we saw on the other side. It was very entertaining for some but quite frustrating for others, I am sure. Certainly, onlookers in the Canadian public who are watching tonight are probably quite concerned that the Conservative Party of Canada is not even really reading the bills that the govern…
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Madam Speaker, we understand that the less energy we use, the more money we save, whether it is at the gas pumps or on our monthly utility bills. While we are keeping more money in our pockets, we are also reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. That is why I was honoured to announce, on behalf of the Minister of Natural Resources, a $3.4-million contribution to help launch the Durham greener homes…
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Madam Speaker, it goes without saying that Line 5 is crucial energy infrastructure for our country and for our continental energy security. There is another court case in Wisconsin that is threatening the line's operation. Could the Minister of Natural Resources update the House on what he is doing to ensure that the line continues to operate?
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Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to speak to this bill, although I am very displeased with the fact that we are doing this today. This strikes me as a form of obstruction in the House when we were set to debate the budget implementation act, which is a seriously important piece of legislation. One could argue that it is probably one of the most important agenda items for the House to be d…
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Madam Speaker, that was riveting, but I am glad to get back to the matter at hand. Obviously, the Conservative Party has—
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Madam Speaker, it is great to speak a bit further to the reason that Bill C-5 should not be hived off into two, contrary to the Conservative motion that we are debating on a Friday afternoon, which is unfortunate given the fact that there is important government business to finish, business of the nation, to implement Canada's budget for 2022. To get back to the matter at hand, I was just talking …
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Madam Speaker, I believe the member across the way is forgetting the fact that the mandatory minimum penalties in this case are being repealed because they are being applied to non-violent offenders. When we are considering smaller offences that do not pose a large community safety risk, we are talking about youth who have made a mistake early on in life or someone who possesses a firearm but has …
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Madam Speaker, I cannot speak to what my colleague, the parliamentary secretary, spoke to, because I do not necessarily understand the full implication of dividing the bill in that regard, in terms of when it goes to committee, but I do not think that provides a reasonable argument for why this bill should be divided. It is all relevant to mandatory minimum penalties that are being proposed to be …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for her incredibly hard work on this very important private member's bill, which I could not be more supportive of. I think many Canadians will be thanking her, hopefully for generations, because of her contributions to children's health. What is interesting to me is to think about the cost avoidance of dietary-related disease, which we know is one …
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Madam Speaker, I think we have to look at the underlying socio-economic, historical and institutional conditions that lead to criminality. I think we are not recognizing that this “lock them up and throw away the key” mentality the Conservatives have been peddling for generations does not work. The evidence suggests that it does not work: It does not keep our society safer, it does not deter crime…
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Mr. Speaker, when Vladimir Putin senselessly invaded Ukraine, he attacked not only the people of Ukraine but Ukrainians everywhere, including those here in Canada. I was recently joined by the Minister of Public Safety to meet with the Durham Ukrainian Canadian Congress. We heard truly inspiring stories from people with family and friends on the ground fleeing violence or staying to fight and defe…
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Mr. Speaker, the global auto industry is undergoing a seismic shift toward zero-emission vehicles. Canada can and should be a world leader in this transformation. Canada's automotive sector plays a crucial role in our economy. It supports hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs, including hundreds in my riding of Whitby and thousands across the Durham region. This industry is driving the develop…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in the House virtually today to take part in this important debate. Pension protection is an important topic. It is one that my constituents have charged me with advocating for on their behalf. I want to thank the member for Sarnia—Lambton for her work on this important issue. There is no doubt that we need to strengthen pension protection for defi…
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Madam Speaker, I want to start by acknowledging the incredible work the member for Sarnia—Lambton has done. I applaud her approach in working with all parties and members of the House who are concerned with this important issue to put something forward that is a hybrid and includes the best of all possible solutions. I really applaud that approach. I think it is very constructive, and I appreciate…
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Mr. Speaker, all across Canada, and especially in my riding of Whitby, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. After two challenging years, it is time for good news. That is why I was happy to join the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario to announce funding for the revitalization of downtown Whitby and downtown Brooklin through the My Mai…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's push in this direction. It is an important discussion to have. Strengthening the transparency needed for corporate beneficial ownership is a topic that our government is very concerned with and, in fact, has done a pretty substantive public consultation and engagement on. I note a document posted on the Government of Canada's website from April 6, 2021, pro…
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Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today and speak to the opposition motion before the House. We are acutely aware that many Canadians are being squeezed by higher prices for groceries and gasoline. Our government knows that elevated inflation, a global phenomenon, is driven by the unprecedented challenge of restarting the world's economy and the instability of global markets as a r…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's concern and interest in seeing child care agreements signed across the country and the substantive reduction in fees that families, which are ultimately the consumers and beneficiaries of these services, would experience as a result of the very substantive federal government investments across Canada. In terms of regulating and capping fees, this is an issu…
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