Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am a little curious. The member opposite spoke about the importance of making life more affordable for Canadians, yet he voted against child care, which has been proven to make life more affordable for Canadians. The Conservatives voted against every single measure that has come forward to make life more affordable. The member also spoke about the importance of dealing with the exci…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, across Canada, many communities celebrate Nowruz, the beginning of the Persian new year, the coming of spring. It is a time for sharing a meal, assembling the haft-seen table and, most important, it is a time for family and friends to come together. However, around the world, from Iran to Tajikistan, Turkey to Afghanistan, many communities that should be celebrating have been facing e…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, we celebrate the contributions, achievements and leadership of women and girls in my constituency and around the world, but we cannot forget that the fight for gender equality must also be driven by men and boys. Access to abortion is an issue that impacts us all, and we know how important access to this reproductive health service is. Could the Prime Min…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this House today to speak to Bill C-35, which is an important and crucial piece of legislation that would make a real difference in making sure that our kids get the best start in life. I am the dad of a beautiful young boy who will hopefully go to day care in about a year or a year and a half. As we think about our circumstances and the circumstances of m…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, one of the things about this legislation is that it requires us to work with the provinces to ensure implementation is done in a way that addresses many of these needs. It would make sure provinces are part of the conversation and would make sure when we are talking about implementation the federal government is not only imposing a solution but working with others. That is the way t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would remind my colleague that we are here today to talk about child care. In this particular case, it is clear that we have a model that works well in the province of Quebec, one that is an example for the rest of the country to follow. We can use this model to improve our country. When it comes to health, it is important to acknowledge the problems facing the provinces. We need …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my hon. friend is absolutely correct. If we think about these economic times and the challenges people are facing, if we can reduce one burden from them by ensuring they know they have affordable, accessible child care, then it gives them the ability to be able to get that extra job or take extra shifts if they need to. Most importantly, it makes sure they have that sense of securit…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, today I rise in the House to honour Ralph Schwartzman, who passed late last year. Ralph was a pillar of Vancouver's Jewish community. A builder for over 70 years, Ralph's contributions to the community were of many construction projects, including the Vancouver Talmud Torah school and the Temple Sholom synagogue in my riding of Vancouver Granville. Ralph was a kind and honest man, a…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, today, Ismaili Muslims in Vancouver Granville and around the world celebrate the 86th birthday of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, the 49th Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims. An honorary Canadian citizen and an honorary Companion of the Order of Canada, the Aga Khan has dedicated his life to reducing global poverty, advancing gender equality, combatting climate change, and improving hea…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, I was proud to announce a new investment of $25 million to revitalize the Jewish Community Centre in my riding of Vancouver Granville. For generations the JCC has been the centre of Jewish life, and it has been the place where people of so many different communities have learned to swim, have gone to day care and attended seniors programs. The new JCC will be at the heart o…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, whether it is because of bad crops or extreme weather, Putin's illegal war in Ukraine or supply chain issues, food prices in Canada and around the world are on the rise. Canadians are having a hard time putting food on the table, and they are looking to us. Can the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance tell the House what the government is doing to help Canadians with …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, protecting and extending workers' rights is a priority for this government, and these rights must never be taken for granted. The House unanimously passed Bill C-3, which established 10 days of paid sick leave for all federally regulated workers. Can the Minister of Labour tell us when paid sick leave for workers will come into effect and discuss the importance of these measures for C…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in the House to highlight Matheson Phan, an exceptional grade 5 student in my riding of Vancouver Granville. Inspired by the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people, Matheson decided to raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine humanitarian crisis appeal by making blue and yellow ribbons adorned with a Canadian flag pin. Since February, Matheson has worked wit…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, British Columbians have seen the impacts of climate change first-hand. We have seen the impact of what happens to our communities, which have been devastated by flooding, fire, and so on and so forth. I sat here and listened to the member opposite talk about failures of the government to promote the ongoing destruction of the environment. I wonder how this member reconciles his views …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my neighbour from Vancouver Kingsway for his long-time advocacy on this important issue. We listen in this House to the Conservatives talk about having the best interests of Canadians at heart, but how do they align that with the hypocrisy of saying they are going to deny kids the right to dental care? I would love to get the member's sense of how tha…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her comments and her question. We need to pay attention to our seniors. We will work together to improve oral health for all Canadians, particularly youth and seniors. If we continue to work together, and if, as I hope, all members of the House of Commons here today support the bill, we will also be able to work on other elements.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this House to speak to this important piece of legislation on behalf of the citizens of Vancouver Granville. This piece of legislation, which deals directly with measures related to dental care and housing, is going to provide immediate support to families across the country. We have all talked about the fact that the global economy is facing serious chall…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, one of the things that I think health ministers across the country would say is that the government has done a tremendous job of consulting with them on a variety of health care matters, and has done far less damage, I would argue, to the health care system than the previous government did when it chose to gut transfer payments to the provinces for health care. One of the most impor…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member's reflections on what he is hearing in his riding are exactly what I am hearing in mine. I have families that are struggling. I have seniors and young families that would benefit from the support. I also have a large number of people who work in health care, particularly doctors and nurses. They have all said that dental care would improve the long-term health care indica…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to rise today and recognize the Little Mountain Baseball All-Stars on their big win at the Canadian Little League Championship earlier this summer. As they represented our Vancouver Granville community as Team BC, we were proud to cheer on these amazing athletes on their path to victory. The All-Stars went on to make us proud as team Canada at the Little League World Ser…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today is the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. Thirty-seven years ago today, Air India Flight 182 was blown out of the sky, which killed 329 innocent souls. These were 268 Canadians, including moms, dads, grandparents, friends and 82 children, who would never come home. To this day, this remains the single largest act of terrorism perpetrated against Canadians. It …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I very much appreciate the opportunity to speak on Bill C-21, an act to amend certain acts and to make certain consequential amendments regarding firearms. I am proud to support such crucial legislation, which is going to make a real difference in keeping communities like mine safe and free of gun violence. Gun violence is on the rise in Canada. It presents a serious and significant…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is striking the member quotes the CMA and he quotes the importance of being able to register and regulate firearms, yet it is curious his party has consistently opposed any efforts to register firearms. It has opposed firearms registries and pretty much everything, so I am glad he is looking at the research put out by medical professionals, who have said that, in fact, gun violen…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would not call it a futile example, because it is at once important for us to recognize that guns kill people, whether it is in the commission of crimes or when people are taking their own lives. Our obligation to protect Canadians is to make sure that we make it as difficult as possible for crimes to be committed and for people to use guns to take their own lives. We have an obli…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, through the use of the yellow flag and red flag I think we would start to move in that direction, but there is a lot more we need to do. Working together with organizations that have been advocating for us to do better, we will continue to do so. I think that means doing everything, including ensuring people who pose a threat or risk to their partner cannot get their hands on guns. …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the hon. member is more than welcome to come over here to look at my notes and look at my computer, if he would like.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, one of the things that it is important for us to do, as a government, is to ensure that we are making investments with partners to ensure that the work that is being done on mines like this one is done in a way that protects the environment and natural resources, and ensures that we are leading when it comes to ensuring that our food security and food stability, and the production of …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time with the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. It is an honour to rise in this House on this subject. Many people might be asking why a member of Parliament from Vancouver is speaking about an issue that in many cases is focused on farming and on challenges facing many of our farmers, as we think about global food security and insecurity. It is because food securi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
My colleague is right, Madam Chair. This is a problem, not only for today, but also for tomorrow and next year. We will have to work with our international partners to fix this problem. We must continue to support Ukraine in this war. We must also continue to work together to help Canadian farmers produce the essential foods that our country and the world need.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I agree with the hon. member. It is important for us to recognize what we are facing with the invasion of Ukraine. What we have seen in other parts of the world is an increase in the rise of what I would call authoritarianism and a move away from the world order where we respect human rights and where we respect pluralism. We have really turned away from the values that have made this…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, in the digital era, cybersecurity is national security. Our critical infrastructure relies on interconnected networks and cyber-systems every day. From our financial system to telecommunications and from the energy sector to the transportation sectors, organizations need to be well prepared to be able to prevent and respond to cyber incidents. Can the Prime Minister inform this House …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. colleague for her speech, but I was left a bit concerned, because every piece of research out there shows that mandatory minimums do not work. Every piece of research in Canada, the United States and around the world shows that the only people who are disproportionately affected by mandatory minimums are people of colour. What I would love to understand from the membe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's speech, but I really fail to understand it. There is no data that shows mandatory minimums work. In fact, every piece of data says mandatory minimums do not work, whether from Canada or the United States. The only thing it does prove is that people of colour, indigenous people and Black people are the ones who are disproportionately affected by mandato…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the fact that our government was able to work with the NDP Government of British Columbia and a former NDP MP, who is now the mayor of Vancouver, to ensure that British Columbians have a plan in place that will be the example for the rest of the country of how this can work and work well.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, health care professionals, the law enforcement community and all kinds of folks who deal directly with individuals affected by this issue support this initiative and support this work. We are proud to be working in tandem with the province and with law enforcement to get this done for British Columbians, and for all Canadians eventually.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, in the riding I represent, which has many health care workers and many families and folks who have been affected by the opioid crisis, there is support for this important initiative. What it does is treats addiction as a health issue, not as a criminal justice issue. It is about time that Canadians recognize that members opposite continue to further victimize those who are dealing wit…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the opportunity to rise to speak to the estimates. Several important steps are being taken by the government to support the effective and efficient functioning of the justice system, in particular regarding access to justice for youth, indigenous and Black persons and those who are economically disadvantaged. As the House is well aware, our justice system has be…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, one year ago today, Madiha and Salman Afzaal, their daughter Yumna, and her grandmother Talat were brutally murdered in London, Ontario. They were killed for one reason: They were Muslim. Nine-year-old Fayez Afzaal, in the blink of an eye, became an orphan and lost his sister and his grandmother. Their murder shook us to our core and united Canadians in our grief. For Muslims across C…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, on behalf of all Canadians, today I want to congratulate our Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes who represented us at the recent summer and winter games. As we cheered from home, Team Canada delivered remarkable performances in sport excellence, bringing home 96 medals, achieving many personal bests and exemplifying fair play. The athletes represented Canada with grace, dignit…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, we heard a lot from the member for Battle River—Crowfoot about the erosion of democracy and the erosion of institutions. I am wondering if the member might be able to share with us his concerns about the rhetoric being shared about firing the Governor of the Bank of Canada and about questioning our democratic institutions. Could he share how that contributes to the erosion of public…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I first met the hon. member, who is now leaving us, when he and I both worked at the Privy Council Office. It was a great honour for me to be elected and be in the same chamber as him, and—
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, we saw another horrific massacre in the United States; this time, just across the border from Canada in Buffalo. What was particularly chilling about this murder was the killer's ties to violent, far-right, white supremacist extremist ideology targeting African Americans. Canada is not immune from this threat. We saw this in the horrific killings at the mosque in Quebec …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this week, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi will visit Canada. In honour of his visit, I want to recognize all those individuals across the globe who have had to flee their homes, communities and countries due to political unrest, war, humanitarian crises, natural disasters and instability. Around the world, refugees fleeing Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Mya…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Nowruz marked the arrival of spring and is a time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to good things to come in the year ahead. This weekend, Persian, Afghan, Kurdish, Zoroastrian, Baha'i and central Asian communities, and my own Ismaili community, celebrated Nowruz, or Navroz. After two long years of battling COVID-19, communities in Vancouver Granville and across Canada final…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would be glad to respond. If I understand correctly, there was an email sent by the interim Leader of the Opposition in which she said she thought this should be made the Prime Minister's problem and that they should not be encouraging these individuals to leave Ottawa. Unless the email was a fabrication, unless the email was a lie or unless she changed her mind, that is on the re…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciated very much the proverb, particularly that when we start to sweep, we start to find things. Given that the opposition is actually supposed to be Her Majesty's loyal opposition, surely there would be an interest in getting to the business of sweeping to find out what actually went wrong quickly. Why is there this need to hold back the committee from actually starting the im…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his comments. The reality is that the Conservative Party has decided to politicize the situation that we went through here in Ottawa. The way we can act now is to have a committee that will look at the situation with the Bloc Québécois and the NDP co-chairing the committee. We can work together to find the answers. The member is right: The people of …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. It is a question that has plagued me for the last couple of days as well, and I am led to wonder the very same things. Could it be that there is something that the Conservative Party does not wish to have revealed during the course of the review? Could it be that there are deep concerns about it possibly alienating the potential voters they …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I apologize. This is simply not true. No such investigation exists. The interim Leader of the Opposition, instead of seeking a solution to the problem, said, “I don't think we should be asking them to go home...we need to turn this into the [Prime Minister's] problem.” With this type of rhetoric, a willingness to mislead Canadians and a willingness to support an ongoing occupation o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg North. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this motion to create the parliamentary review committee per subsection 62(1) of the Emergencies Act. For three weeks, blockades illegally disrupted our daily lives here in Ottawa and across the country. They harmed our economy and endangered our public safety. In my riding of Vanc…
Read full speech →