Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am sorry that you had to reprimand me before for interjecting into the member's speech, but he is always so engaging, and I was overcome with a desire to respond. The parliamentary secretary, if nothing else, is always very entertaining. The Liberals and the NDP would like to give Canadians the impression that the carbon tax they are paying is what they can see on their fuel bills…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member talked a lot about accessibility, and that is very important. I represent a very large rural riding, and there are folks there who require child care for their children as well. They have been creative and found solutions through family, friends and community members, but they are not licensed day cares and so they would get punished by this government with this policy by…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed here by many Canadians that is similar to the ones we have just heard about. The petitioners recognized that there is a legal void in our legislation that does not recognize preborn children as victims of crime in the event of violence against a pregnant woman. There is recognition that pregnant women are more prone to violent attacks. What these petitioners w…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate what many members on this side of the House have been saying. Constituents in the riding of Provencher are very concerned with the increased cost of living, and we have seen the government put a disproportionate amount of emphasis in this bill, Bill C-47, on environmental spending and green spending, which is something that needs to be debated more rigorously. We a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition here that is signed. It recognizes that the risk of violence against women increases when they are pregnant. Currently the injury or death of a preborn child or the victim of a crime is not considered aggravating. It also recognizes that Canada has no abortion law and that this creates a void in our legal system that does not recognize the preborn child as a victim o…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is nice to rise in the House to speak to a bill that comes to us from our colleagues in the Senate, where there is general agreement among the parties that there needs to be action taken on this issue. After listening to some of the speeches earlier today, it does not sound as though there is going to be unanimous support in the House for this bill, but I think there will be enou…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, my riding of Provencher is blessed with 13 Hutterite colonies. In addition to their extensive charitable work, these communities are often on the cutting edge of entrepreneurship and innovation. I want to highlight one such group: HEART, led by Paul and Manuel Maendel from the Oak Bluff Hutterite Colony. “HEART” stands for Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team. They have invested …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise in this House to speak to this piece of legislation. I would like to start today by saying a few words about how this bill is structured, and then I plan to use the majority of my remaining time to discuss the implications of this legislation regarding personal privacy rights. When I look at this bill, my initial response is this: Should there really not be t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, if we read the bill, especially in section 18, where the government has carved out a little space for business, it would appear as though business interests trump those of the private individual. I believe that mistake has been made too often, where we have given personal data to businesses too flippantly. Personal private data, first and foremost, belongs to, and should be protecte…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I find it interesting that the member inquired with ChatGPT to determine whether or not Canadians should have confidence in the Liberal government on Bill C-27. I would be much more curious had the member asked whether Canadians should have confidence in the Liberal government, period. I believe its AI ChatGPT would have been crystal clear in saying that no, we do not have confidenc…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I should have pointed out at the beginning of my speech that I would be sticking around to answer any questions and address any comments. I appreciate the member for Winnipeg North, who I hear an awful lot, so I am getting used to him. I do appreciate the member's question about whether or not Conservatives support this legislation because, in principle, we support the concept that …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we have all become very aware of the conflict situation in Haiti, and we know that many NGOs and humanitarian aid organizations are doing very good work there. Would the legislation also provide organizations working in Haiti, for example, with protection as well?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, like the member, I am getting hundreds of emails sent to my office as well. Does the member think he is getting all those emails on his computer and physical mail through a mailbox because of the misinformation from the Liberals and NDP?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Sarnia—Lambton for that excellent and informative speech. When we listen to the Liberals and the NDP, and the rhetoric coming from that side, they would have people think that only the Conservatives have concerns with this bill. In fact, there are millions of Canadians who have written submissions to Liberal offices. They have testified at committe…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today and present a petition from hundreds of Canadians who have expressed their concerns with the comments from Louis Roy of the Quebec College of Physicians, who has suggested that babies from birth to the age of one year old could be euthanized if they display severe deformity or syndromes. This proposal for legalizing the killing of infants is deeply disturbing…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the government’s decision to spend $90 million on 200 Senator Armoured Personnel Carriers to be donated to Ukraine: (a) was this contract sole-sourced or awarded through a competitive bidding process; (b) if the contract was sole-sourced, what was the rationale for not using a competitive bidding process; and (c) was theatre (combat) experience taken into account when awarding this …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the cold winds of election interference have been blowing in Canada, and the Prime Minister has been caught up in their wintery blasts. The Greek storyteller, Aesop, tells about a contest between the wind and the sun. Who was stronger? Who could remove the traveller's cloak? In the end, the sun won and was able to expose the traveller. The Prime Minister needs to open the shutters, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the hon. member just made mention of the presence or absence of one of the hon. members from the Conservative Party in this House. That is something that we try not to do here.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am just going to read an excerpt from the bill, because it really encapsulates the answer to the member's question. It states the bill would authorize the Governor in Council, which is cabinet, “to designate any service or system as a vital service or vital system”. It would also authorize the Governor in Council “to establish classes of operators in respect of a vital service or …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, this is a very relevant question. Is it the right time for a bill like this? I would like to give a very brief answer: Yes, it is absolutely the right time for this. Is it the right bill yet? No, it is a good starting point. That is how we can look at this bill. I am happy to vote in favour of this bill, to get it to committee. I am hopeful, from the comments I have heard from membe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, this is an important question. Some time ago, I did a term on the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and what I learned there was that we have phenomenal security agencies in this country. One of those is the CSE, the Communications Security Establishment, which monitors cybersecurity. It does phenomenal work. I was coming back from a meeting one day, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise in the House today to share my thoughts and those of my constituents on Bill C-26. I am very pleased to have this opportunity. Bill C-26 is a risky and tricky piece of legislation. On the one hand, we have serious and growing issues of cybersecurity, and on the other hand, we have the importance of personal privacy. We also have questions related to governm…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank all my colleagues who have spoken so eloquently here these past many hours. It will come as no surprise to my colleagues that I am opposed to medical assistance in dying and also opposed to any expansion thereof, but I will be voting in favour of Bill C-39, because what it would do is delay the imminent move the Liberal government wants to make, which is to extend MAID to th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I partially answered that question in my speech. I am voting in favour of Bill C-39, which will provide for an extension of one year. I think the government needs to sit back, take a pause and listen to what the experts and Canadians are saying. Is this legislation they really want? Is it something we should move forward with? I hope the government takes the time to reflect on this.…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek for that really good question. On the surface, it might appear as though we are not supporting the people he made reference to, who need the help I spoke about in my speech. However, that is not the case. What we want to do is give people their freedom back, like the freedom to make choices, which the Liberal-NDP coalition has taken …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, absolutely we need to support individuals. We know that in the recent health care proposal from the federal government to the premiers of the provinces, there was no mention of mental health care support. That is very unfortunate. The Liberals had a wonderful opportunity to expand on and incorporate it into the funding they were providing to the territories and provinces and they ch…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member cited the incident with Randall McKenzie who recently killed a police officer in southern Ontario. She also cited information that was provided earlier in the House and created doubt as to the accuracy of that information. One thing that is very certain is that, out of the 44 murders in Toronto this past year, 24 of them were committed by people who were out on bail. W…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to government statistics on the causes of death in Canada: (a) broken down by year, between 2019 and 2022 to date, what are the leading causes for the total population and by age group; and (b) for deaths listed under “other causes of death” by Statistics Canada, what is the breakdown of each cause included as part of that category that was responsible for more than 100 deaths since 20…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I too want to present a petition signed by many petitioners. They are expressing concern that Louis Roy from the Quebec college of physicians has recommended expanding euthanasia to include babies from birth to the age of one year who are less than perfect. Recently, the Quebec college of physicians sent another witness to AMAD committee to double down, claiming further that this is n…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the Liberals' next leader, Mark Carney, said this was a homegrown problem. He is a pretty smart guy, so if he says this is a homegrown problem, it must be a Liberal problem. We are listening to Canadians and we are in tune with our constituents. We are in tune with the kitchen table issues. These are the issues: home heating, fuel for cars, groceries for the kids and interest rates …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that was a very relevant question. We need to look at the good, the bad and everything. I have tried to do that with regard to the fall economic statement. I have had an opportunity to point out and articulate what I think are some of the failings and shortcomings of the statement. When I look at it, I have to ask myself what is good about it. What is good about it is that it is not…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, why would we not support GST on just home heating? That is a very narrow ask and it would not benefit everybody. What if we remove the carbon tax? The carbon tax affects absolutely everything in our economy. The carbon tax does not just drive up the cost of driving a vehicle from home to a place of work or to our kids' schools. It affects the cost of the farmers heating their grain …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a great pleasure and honour to rise in the House and share my views on this fiscal budget update and bring forward the views of the constituents of Provencher. As our leader and many others have articulated here today, the Conservatives had two very simple conditions to gain our support for this fiscal economic update: no new taxes and no new spending. These were two very simp…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to take this opportunity today to speak to this legislation. I would like to start by recognizing the sponsors of the bill, the Hon. Senator Ataullahjan from the other House and our member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, for the leadership that they have shown on this important issue. I want to thank them, and it is encouraging to see a bill brought forward that ca…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, last week, many Canadians were saddened by the unexpected passing of Leon Fontaine, pastor of Springs Church, which has campuses in Winnipeg and Calgary. He was also CEO of the Miracle Channel, Springs Christian Academy and Springs College. Leon's motto of “love, acceptance and forgiveness” is what grew Springs Church to be among the largest churches in Canada. His faith inspired the …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition signed by dozens of petitioners who are concerned about the international trafficking in human organs that are being removed from victims without their consent. Senate Bill S-223 is currently being studied by the House of Commons standing committee, and petitioners are urging Parliament to move quickly on the bill, which would prohibit Canadians from travell…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for her engagement. In light of what we have seen in the last two and a half years with the government engaging in serious violations of Canadians' privacy and personal freedom rights, and given the fact it allowed the Public Health Agency of Canada, without judicial authority or approval, to track Canadians on Canadian soil, does th…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this coming Sunday is the first Sunday of what Christians call Advent. It is the first of four Sundays that anticipates the coming of Jesus. The Christian church has seen this as a time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus the king. Here was God coming to us as a baby to live among us to invite us into a personal relationship with almighty God. Each Sunday in Adven…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, once again we are seeing the Liberals stifling debate. When they realize that they do not have a solid platform to stand on, what do they do? They remove the platform and shut things down. If they really understood what this economic statement and budget would do, they would see that giving away more free money to people is going to further exacerbate inflation. Increasing taxes, es…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to rise in the House this evening. This is an important topic, and I appreciate that the member for Beaches—East York has brought this legislation forward and prompted the discussion that we are having here today. I can certainly understand that after the past two years of COVID, there are those who feel we need to get something like this done immediately. Nobo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, what I can say is actual fact. We believe there is climate change. We have always stood behind climate change. We need to do what we can, whatever our areas of responsibility are, to meet any negative impacts that the climate may be experiencing as a result of our activities. What I am against is the dumping of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River. I am against making a promise to…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I rise in the House to speak to Bill S-5, a very important issue that Canadians are seized with today. I have appreciated the speeches and questions by my hon. colleagues today, and after reading the record of the previous legislation being debated in the House, I am pleased to have the opportunity to add my voice to the conversation. Today is Halloween. That seems fitting as so oft…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we want to offer a careful assessment of the government's plans and policies and how they are going to affect Canadian families, and to protect Canadians from government overreach and bad legislation that ends up costing them their money, for which there is no return. When it comes to the government and the environment, we have a track record of fear and a track record of failure. W…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is true what my colleague said. His riding is adjacent to mine. When he needs good employees he knows where to cherry-pick them. That is not lost on me either. With regard to his question, he did note that half of my riding flooded. I would say that is a gross exaggeration of what actually happened. The Red River did flood again last year, but I am surprised how often these one-i…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I think an important part of this bill looks at the list of toxins that need to be examined. These things are very important. However, we need to make sure the toxins on the list of banned substances are there for a reason. The study needs to be done and the science needs to be researched. I am troubled a bit by the part of the bill that says any person at any time can demand that t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I did listen with great interest to the theatrics coming from the member from the Bloc. The question that kept going through my mind was this: Are any of my constituents really concerned about this issue today? The answer is no. The issues my constituents are concerned about today are the cost of living, the huge inflation and the tripling of the carbon tax. Those are the tabletop iss…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for sharing the wisdom he gained from his experiences in Rwanda with the House this evening. Could he elaborate further on similarities between what happened in Rwanda and what is happening with the Uighurs in China right now? Could he look back at what happened there and possibly suggest some solutions?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Peace River—Westlock for the work he does on human trafficking. He did not talk a lot about how perhaps the Uighurs have been subjected to that. He talked a lot about organ harvesting, and we know about that through the work of David Kilgour. We know it is happening and how atrocious it is. I wonder if the member could expand a bit on any elements of hum…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last year, the average family spent 36% of their income on basic necessities like food, shelter and clothing. Do members know what percentage was spent on taxes? It was 43%. That is over $40,000 per household, and the Prime Minister is planning on tripling the carbon tax, further penalizing families when they purchase their basic necessities. The Prime Minister is also planning a payr…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, could the member tell the House how hypocritical it is of the government to, on the one hand, want to spend all this money on rent relief and control, and then, on the other hand, on January 1 add significant payroll taxes, not only to employees but to employers? It is also going to triple the carbon tax on April 1. On the one hand it giveth, and on the other hand it taketh away.
Read full speech →