Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I will be sharing my time with my colleague, the member for Kitchener Centre. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this very important issue that has tragically touched so many lives right across the country and of course in my riding of Vancouver Granville. British Columbia has been seized by the opioid crisis as we have heard from other members. It does not matter whether we are r…
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Mr. Chair, the time has come to work together and tackle this problem. We must work with all the provinces to find solutions that will work for their regions and for the cities facing this crisis. We will work together, because that is what it will take to find these solutions and solve these issues in an effective manner.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, we have to work with the provinces and the cities where we are going to be putting this in place to understand what makes the most sense. There is lots of opportunity for us to look at SUAP, the substance use and addictions program, and ways in which we can direct funding from there to work with physicians to deal with safe supply. There are so many options available to us, and we need …
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Mr. Speaker, while listening to the speech by the member opposite, I reflected on his comment about ordinary Canadians. The ordinary Canadians I know do not go to protests where there are swastikas and Confederate flags. They do not go to events where people are calling for the hanging of elected officials. I will leave aside all of that rhetoric and all of that anger for a moment, and leave aside…
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Mr. Speaker, we have now seen the occupation of Ottawa by right-wing radicals and racists, an occupation that has been supported by some of the member's colleagues and denounced by others. We have seen Confederate flags, swastikas, anti-indigenous racism, not to mention the total shutdown of small businesses in Ottawa. My hon. friend has said he does not support any new spending because that is no…
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Madam Speaker, there is no question that around the world inflation is a challenge that countries are dealing with, but Canada has fared better than most countries, including the United States. The reality is that many of the measures we need to put into place for future-proofing our economy are the types of measures that require government investment. They are investments we have made. They also …
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Madam Speaker, I will try to answer in French. As my colleague knows, our government has made incredible investments, with an additional $6 billion for affordable housing. We will continue to invest, and we will continue to work with the provinces and communities in every region of our country on this very important issue, in order to determine what solutions will work for them in their particular…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I was speaking to Melissa, a young professional who lives in my riding, last night. She shared with me that she supports our generational investments in affordable housing, in fighting climate change and in child care, but she is worried about the impact of this spending on our long-term economic future. Can the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance explain to the House and Ca…
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Madam Speaker, vaccines are the best way for us to move forward through this pandemic, and making sure that every single Canadian is vaccinated is the best way to move forward. We know that folks who are vaccinated do not suffer the same consequences when they get COVID as those who are not. This is an important thing for us to consider as we move forward. We know that the folks who are vaccinated…
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Madam Speaker, as with many of us, our ridings are vibrant communities and in fact microcosms of Canada, so the small businesses that are dependent on government support to get through difficult times are beneficiaries of what is being provided here. I know there are folks who have connections to family farms. In fact, I met with some of them yesterday. Although they may live in my riding, they ha…
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Madam Speaker, as the hon. member knows, there are provisions that have already been put in place to address foreign buyers. We will continue to move forward on all the commitments that were made, including such provisions. I think all of the provisions we can put in place to increase affordability and make it easier for Canadians are not only important, but essential to making sure we can reach a…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak today to Bill C-8, an act to implement certain provisions of the economic and fiscal update tabled in Parliament on December 14, 2021 and other measures. The economic and fiscal update is a transparent report of our nation's finances, but it is about making sure that we have the tools we need to protect Canadians and keep our economy growing. It…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her speech and for our ongoing wonderful working relationship in committee. The member spoke about the importance of vaccination and the value it has provided us in a path toward freedom, as she refers to it. She also expressed some other concerns. Could the member share with the House how she reconciles the views that folks have right now…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, like the hon. member, I care very much about the constituents in my riding, many of whom are feeling some of the same issues. The reality is that Canada has done much better vis-à-vis inflation than most other countries, the United States being the perfect example. We continue to do the right things. We continue to invest in the right infrastructure and supports to bring goods to Cana…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by congratulating the government on November's Speech from the Throne. Given what we have seen this weekend, and of course with the challenges posed by omicron, this may be a world away but it is in fact very real. The Speech from the Throne is all about moving forward from this pandemic and building a stronger economy and a better country for all. The Speech fro…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, there are historic commitments being made by this government to support health care in partnership with the provinces. We have seen investments in mental health, which is a big concern. We know that some provinces, like the Province of Quebec, have expressed their concerns and a desire for increased investments in mental health. We will continue to work with the provinces. We will con…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, from many constituents in my riding of Vancouver Granville, I have heard first-hand the impact that $10-a-day child care will have on families who have had to decide whether one parent was going to stay home or both parents were going to return to work. This is the type of situation we see across the country, save for in Ontario. People are now seeing the real impact of having two par…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, on a personal level it is very important for us to examine and explore all options that increase affordability. I think it is incumbent upon any reasonable-minded person to do that. We have seen that when we support and take care of Canadians and take care of one another, everyone gets ahead, so I would be open, as I have been and I think as many of my colleagues are, …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the constituents of my riding of Vancouver Granville felt the effects of COVID-19 in all aspects of their lives. Thanks to this government's prudent financial management, however, we have seen a strong economic recovery. Could the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance tell the House about some of the measures included in the recent financial update that will continue to suppor…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on December 13, Ismaili Muslims across Canada will celebrate the 85th birthday of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan. An honorary Canadian citizen and honorary companion of the Order of Canada, the Aga Khan has worked tirelessly to reduce global poverty, advance gender equality and improve health care and education around the world. His Highness continues to inspire the Ismaili commun…
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member is absolutely right. It is becoming insidious. During the last election, many of these very same protesters chose to attack our office. They harassed young people who were volunteering in the office. They intimidated people who were trying to come to have conversations with us. I think all of us need to do exactly what the hon. member said. We need to recognize that …
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Nickel Belt. Before I begin my formal comments, I would like to tell the member for Bow River that he does indeed represent a beautiful riding. I have enjoyed many trips to his part of the country, and it is a beautiful part of Canada. I am thankful for the opportunity to discuss Bill C-3, an act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canada…
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Madam Speaker, I do not know the answer to that question, but I am sure we will be able to get back to the hon. member with an answer. If we are working together on this legislation, we should be able to protect those workers as well.
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member makes an important point. We are in a place right now where we do need to be thinking about those people who are taking care of us. Health care workers have put themselves on the line, tirelessly and constantly, throughout the pandemic. They have done so before and will continue to do so after the pandemic. It is our job as parliamentarians to ensure that those healt…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge. I am pleased to speak in favour of this motion. I believe that it sets out a reasonable approach to allow the House to perform all of its regular business while keeping members and all the staff who support us safe during the ongoing pandemic. It is particularly frustrating that all parties in the House were not able to…
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Mr. Speaker, again, I hear my hon. colleague's concerns. I think the reality is that we have an example from the last Parliament of when things can work and when things do work. I do not see anything in this motion that steps into play anything sinister or anything long term. This is a motion to deal with this session of Parliament.
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is no, never, not even once. The reality is that most Canadians wanted to know that government was functioning and that their parliamentarians were doing their work. That was the question, not where we work. It is important to remember and note that, while we have heard the concerns of the members opposite, they are also the party that often talks about learning from the pr…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the question was, but I hear the hon. member's concern. I think the important thing to remember is that this process allows for accountability regardless of where individuals are. It enables people to participate in the activities of the House without endangering their communities, without potentially causing super spreader events and perhaps most importantly. It al…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-4, which was adopted in October 2020, created three new temporary recovery benefits to support Canadians who were unable to work for reasons related to COVID-19. Bill C-9 put in place new targeted supports to help businesses through the pandemic with the emergency rent and wage subsidies. Bill C-12 charted a course for clean growth for generations to come by legislating net-zer…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, bold and decisive action means implementing a plan that was supported by Canadians in the last election, which is what we are here to do. Bold and responsible action is making sure that we are able to meet our targets, as we have committed to doing. Bold and decisive action means ensuring that we are working with all stakeholders, provinces and indigenous communities to make sure th…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, when we talk about the Sumas Lake, I think of the guidance that was provided at the time to the first nations communities about what might happen in a situation like this. That said, we are where we are today, and of course the government has pledged to make sure that we are able to rebuild British Columbia and do our part by doing everything that is required to ensure that the prov…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. I am grateful to rise in the House of Commons for the first time as the member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville, which is located on the traditional unceded territory of the Coast Salish first peoples, the Musqueam, the Squamish and the Tsleil-Waututh. I am grateful to represent…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, indeed the hon. member is right. In my riding of Vancouver Granville, constituents chose a plan that they knew made sense. They knew capping orphan wells was important and that not cutting funding to capping orphan wells was an irresponsible decision. They knew that making sure we transitioned away from fossil fuels was important and that investing in that appropriately was the righ…
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