Government Orders
Madam Speaker, under Standing Order 18, all members of this House are honourable. I would ask the member opposite to retract that statement, saying that the members on this side of the House have no integrity.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we are strengthening the Royal Canadian Navy from coast to coast to coast, with billions of dollars in investments in the context of one of the largest shipbuilding programs. This is the largest investment in the Royal Canadian Navy since the Second World War. It includes six Arctic and offshore patrol ships, 15 Canadian combat ships, two joint support ships and up to 12 submarines. T…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I know we are talking about Building Canada Homes and creating this stand-alone agency, and the previous speaker mentioned that no homes have actually been built. I was at the inauguration of a building in my riding in March with 30 units for transitional housing, so I have seen in my own riding that we are building. We are building to make sure that we provide the supply to allow mor…
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Mr. Speaker, I have not had a chance to work with the member opposite yet here in this Parliament. I would like to ask for her thoughts with respect to the supports that we have been providing for young people, including in the spring economic statement in terms of providing training opportunities for young people. I think that she mentioned some young people in her speech and the importance of su…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know if my colleague has been hearing the same thing I have been hearing in my riding. I hear people saying they understand that Canada is facing a lot of challenges with respect to geopolitics, with respect to trade and so forth. They want Canadians to stick together and to work together for the benefit of all Canadians. The member alluded to how this debate today has been a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I had a chance to visit the hon. member's riding a couple of years ago. It is a beautiful riding with phenomenal people. I was listening to her speech quite intently. She mentioned something that I think we can all agree with. No one wants young people to have to leave their home to find work. I think that all of us want to make sure that young people who want to stay in their home pr…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her support for members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families. The member spoke a lot about the defence industrial strategy, and a previous question suggested that there was no defence strategy. In fact, in the defence industrial strategy, it clearly indicates the 10 sovereign capabilities that Canada has indicated very clearly with res…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the ACVA committee report that we are discussing this morning calls for the creation of an independent review board. As the member knows, we announced on Friday that we will be doing that. I will be meeting with the organizers behind Valour in the Presence of the Enemy this afternoon to talk about next steps and move forward. I would ask my colleague if he is willing to work with us…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for championing the issue and bringing the parties together. This is a non-partisan issue. In fact, when I ran in 2015, I ran because I am the mother of two serving members. At that time, I remember giving an interview, and someone asked me why I was running. I said it was because I want to make sure that, should something happen to my kids, they w…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, we ask that it be carried unanimously. (Motion agreed to)
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, establishing sovereign space launch capabilities in Canada will generate billions of dollars in investment, create well-paying jobs, strengthen Canada's sovereignty, reduce our dependence on the United States, and support a commercial space launch and re-entry sector. This could represent as much as $40 billion. That is what we are investing in. These are essential capabilities that p…
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Mr. Speaker, honouring bravery and sacrifice in service to Canada is among our government's most solemn responsibilities. We are profoundly grateful to all those who have served and who continue to serve our country. Military honours, including Canada's Victoria Cross, are subject to a thorough and rigorous review process by the Canadian Armed Forces. I can confirm that the government agrees to th…
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Mr. Speaker, establishing Canadian sovereignty of space launch capabilities is essential for us, not only in terms of our defence capabilities, but also in terms of our ability to detect wildfires and atmospheric issues. This is incredibly important for Canada. The premier of Nova Scotia is in support. The industry is in support. This is going to generate billions of dollars in economic returns an…
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Mr. Speaker, as someone who has the Canadian Space Agency in Longueuil, I do not understand why the member opposite is not supporting space domain awareness. This is incredibly important. Our job is to make sure that our forces are ready and resilient when operating in the space domain. We are standing up 3 Canadian Space Division, which will ensure space domain awareness, defend and protect our s…
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Mr. Speaker, establishing Canadian sovereign space launch capabilities will drive billions in investments, create good-paying jobs, increase Canada's sovereignty, reduce our reliance on the United States and support a commercial space launch and re-entry industry that could be worth up to $40 billion. That is what we are investing in, and these are essential capabilities that protect Canada and cr…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, establishing sovereign space launch capabilities in Canada will drive billions of dollars in investment, create good-paying jobs, increase Canada's sovereignty, reduce our reliance on the United States and support a commercial space launch and re-entry sector that could be worth up to $40 billion dollars. That is what we are investing in. These are essential capabilities that protect …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Canada has long been a global leader in the aerospace sector. Establishing Canadian sovereign space launch capabilities will drive billions in investments, create good-paying jobs, increase Canada's sovereignty, and support a commercial space launch and re-entry industry that could be worth up to $40 billion. This is what we are investing in. These are essential capabilities that prot…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, only a Conservative would say that spending 2% of GDP on defence is a waste. Being from a military family, I find that, quite frankly, incredibly offensive. The capabilities that this investment will allow us to have are incredibly important to not only our military response, but also our domestic response, whether that be wildfires, flooding or so on and so forth. To assume otherwise…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to open third reading debate on Bill C‑11, the military justice system modernization act. As Canada's new government makes a generational investment in the Canadian Armed Forces, we know that any work to support our forces starts with our people. This legislation is about the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces, and it is about ensuring their safety here in Canada …
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to the question of choice, victims and survivors deserve legal clarity, transparency and trust in the process. Justice Arbour herself called the victim's choice between military and civilian courts a false choice. This is because we would be placing a burden on the victim in a time of stress and trauma to choose between two unequal options. Asking victims and survivors to…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said, the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs submitted a report in 2024 after hearing from more than 100 witnesses. The committee drafted a recommendation to the House to do exactly what we are doing now through Bill C-11. We listened to the victims and to the recommendations of a number of Supreme Court justices. The chief of the defence staff also spoke with over 14,000 CAF…
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Mr. Speaker, actually, I agree with keeping the sunset clause in the bill, and I support the idea of having that put back in. I agreed in committee to put that in, including a four‑year sunset clause with a review of both houses of Parliament. I agree that we hope the Senate, when it does the review of this bill and is going through that process, includes that recommendation and any other recommen…
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that back in 2021, when we launched the inquiry into what had happened within the Canadian Armed Forces, very few people wanted to enlist. There was a lack of trust. Families did not want their children to join the Canadian Armed Forces. I myself have two children and a daughter-in-law who are currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. How could I ask another family to…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have always listened to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families, and I always will. I have been listening to them for years now, and I have heard their accounts. We introduced Bill C-66 in the last Parliament. It was the same as Bill C-11. We introduced this bill in response to the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, as well as those of…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said in my previous response, we brought forward Bill C‑66 in the last Parliament to enact this, to make it permanent into law. Unfortunately, that did not go through. We are bringing it forward. We were very clear in the election that we were going to do this. We made sure everyone knew we were doing this, and we are going to finish it.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I think I have been pretty clear: The minister is going to be in Moose Jaw on May 19 to provide an update. I invite the members opposite to stay tuned for that announcement. As we said, Canadians will continue to enjoy the iconic Snowbirds program for decades to come.
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Mr. Speaker, young Canadians are feeling the pressure right now, and that is why we are making ambitious investments in the Canadians economy and young workers, so they can be part of building Canada strong. In our spring economic update, we announced our team Canada strong plan that invests in training and apprenticeship supports in the skilled trades. This will help train 100,000 skilled trade w…
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Mr. Speaker, on May 19, the minister will be in Moose Jaw to provide updates on the future of the Canadian Forces' Snowbirds. The Royal Canadian Air Force is incredibly proud of the women and men who, for decades, have represented the Canadian Armed Forces with pride at air shows across North America and around the world. Canadians can rest assured that they will be able to enjoy the iconic Snowbi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as I said, the minister will be in Moose Jaw on May 19. Canadians can rest assured that they will be able to enjoy the iconic Snowbird formation for generations to come. They will continue their air demonstrations with the Tutor fleet for as long as it is feasible and safe.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I know that the hon. member has a lot of history working in the field of trade and so on. She mentioned team Canada. Whether we have a majority or not, I am not sure why she could not still work with us to make sure we get the best deal for Canada.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to share some news that is great for Canada and for the Canadian Armed Forces. We confirmed this week that Canadian Armed Forces recruitment has reached its highest level in 30 years. The number of applications has more than doubled over the past year, reaching over 45,000. On top of that, we have recruited 7,310 regular force members, surpassing our target. Our soldiers, sailo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the member opposite if there is anything else she feels that perhaps we should be including in this bill to strengthen it and if she would like to elaborate on anything she feels we should also include.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I did, in fact, work with my colleague on the electoral reform committee. I enjoyed working with him on that. I would like to get his opinion on whether we should also be looking at the following, in terms of eliminating the longest ballot. I know that every candidate who wants to present in a federal election has to fill out a nomination paper as a candidate with Elections Canada and…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful to be here today for the debate at report stage of Bill C‑11, the military justice system modernization act. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, I have the privilege and responsibility of supporting the women and men who serve Canada in uniform. I believe that responsibility is shared by all members of the House. As the mother and mother-…
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Mr. Speaker, the member mentioned the veteran affairs committee. In fact, the veteran affairs committee submitted a report to the House in June 2024 entitled “Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans”. In that report was recommendation 40, which I will quote: That the Department of National Defence, in accordance with the many recommendations made in the wake of the Deschamps,…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and also for the work we do together in committee. My priority is the women and men in uniform. The chief of the defence staff has had conversations with over 14,000 Canadian Armed Forces members and victims, and they have made it very clear that these cases need to be transferred to the civilian system.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is actually very appropriate to read the preface to Justice Arbour's report into the record, because it still rings true. It says: Thousands of Canadians have served, and continue to serve, with honour in one of the country’s most prestigious organizations: the Canadian Armed Forces.... Many, however, were denied that chance. Members of the LGBTQ2+ community were purged. Members of…
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Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the reason for Justice Arbour making that recommendation is that members of the Canadian Armed Forces who were sexually assaulted in the military were not coming forward out of fear of retribution. They did not want their case to be investigated and tried by their own employer. Can the member elaborate on that?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank my colleague for his great work on the national defence committee. I would like the member to elaborate a bit about what we heard in terms of members of the Canadian Armed Forces who would not come forward to file complaints out of fear of retribution and that their careers would be limited, and that is why we brought forward Justice Arbour's recommendation.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I did listen intently to the intervention of my colleague across the way. He referenced a report that was tabled by the ACVA committee in June 2024. I actually participated in that study as well. That report made a unanimous recommendation, recommendation 40, which states: That the Department of National Defence, in accordance with the many recommendations made in the wake of the Desc…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his work on the Standing Committee on National Defence. He talked about all the other sexual assault victims. Recommendation 5 in Justice Arbour's report stems from the work she has done. She listened to witnesses and victims and made this recommendation, the same one that was in the report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. Can my colleague talk a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her incredible support for members of the Canadian Armed Forces. She mentioned that she is a lawyer and has worked in this kind of field. I would like to ask her if she knows of any other workplace where an employee who is a victim of sexual assault would have to report that sexual assault to their employer and have it investigated by their own e…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague across the way for her work on the national defence committee. In 2024, the ACVA committee undertook an extensive study regarding women in the military. More than 100 witnesses came forward over 23 meetings, testifying before the ACVA committee. From that committee came a report that was tabled in Parliament and included recommendation 40, and this was unanimous. …
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague and I actually travelled together to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele. I know his commitment to the Canadian Armed Forces is one that is incredibly supportive. I just want to ask him what his thoughts are on the fact that the ACVA committee made the same recommendation, for us to do this, not even two years ago.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member and I worked together very closely on the procedure and House affairs committee in a previous Parliament and extensively studied the issue of foreign interference. There are many ridings in this country that we would call a “safe seat”, one that has always been blue, red or a certain colour. Essentially, anyone who obtained the nomination in a nomination contest would be gu…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to 73 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 846, 847, 848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853, 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 859, 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, 865, 866, 867, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 879, 880, 881, 882, 883, 884, 885, 886, 887, 888, 889, 890, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895, 896, 897, 898, 899, 900, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907, 908, 909, 910, 911, 912, 913 …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I have good news for Canadians today. The Secretary General of NATO has confirmed that Canada has met NATO's target of 2% of GDP for military spending. This historic investment confirms that we are doing our fair share, both at home on the continent and within the alliance. Today, as every day, NATO allies know they can count on Canada.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent so that we can return to Government Orders.
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