Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people to pay my respects and commemorate those lost as a result of our nation's colonial past. Tomorrow is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, an opportunity to reflect on the tragic history of colonialism and the intergenerational impacts of residential schools. On a day such as this, I often talk to my…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to convey my sympathies with the member in what his constituents are facing in Newfoundland and Labrador. Everyone is playing a very important role in providing care and services to members of communities who are affected by the storm. We have a long-standing relationship with Red Cross. It has a demonstrated ability to provide services at a large scale, as we are seeing right …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I welcome my colleague's question. If one looks at the kind of programs we are putting in place, taking child care as an example, it is not a program without a plan. It is a program that has been sought for a very long time by Canadians, especially Canadian women, who have argued that, for them to thrive economically, we need to make sure there is affordable child care available coa…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we work our very best when we work with each other, share ideas and put them in place. I am really happy to see our government is working well with the NDP and making sure we work in a collaborative way that is in the best interest of Canadians. I am happy to see the opposition supporting this important initiative as well, because that means Canadians are going to be first. We have …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the Minister of National Defence. While it is always an honour to speak in this place, I deeply wish it was under different circumstances. Canadians from coast to coast to coast have seen the terrible images coming out of Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec over the weekend. Homes have been destroyed by fallen trees, had their roofs blown off by extreme w…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, let me first of all extend my gratitude to the member opposite. I know his community has been directly hit and he has been actively trying to help his constituents. I have offered my assistance to him. I am available if he needs any information. I know that just this morning, the Prime Minister and I, along with the member for Ottawa South, visited Hydro Ottawa crews that were going t…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, our focus right now is to provide the necessary help so those who are affected, and there are many unfortunately, can recover, and to restore power and get fresh water back to them so they can get to their workplaces. In our effort, we have learned, as the member stated, that when we prepare for emergencies like these, our response is better and we can prevent the …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to Bill C-30, which is an act to amend the Income Tax Act as it relates to the goods and services tax and harmonized sales tax credits. It is a bill that is very much focused on targeted tax relief for the most deserving in our communities. However, before I speak to the bill, I just want to quickly state that as this is the first time I am…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. As I was saying earlier, we need to continue to invest in adaptation strategies. We know that weather-related events impacted by climate change are becoming more frequent because climate change is real. We need to make sure we are not only fighting pollution by not making pollution free and not only curbing pollution to fight climate change, but in…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to first thank my friend from across the way and his party for supporting Bill C-30. It is a very positive step for all Canadians, and hopefully all parties will be supporting this important piece of legislation. Yes, we do hope the inflation will abate. That is why programs such as the child care and dental programs are important. It is because they are permanent in nature. …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, following the last two years of pandemic hardship, downtown Ottawa has changed significantly. Downtown office workers from communities across the region have changed their commuting habits. A business community that once relied on daily foot traffic of tens of thousands is struggling to get by. Ottawa's transit system, once envisioned to bring workers from the suburbs to downtown, has…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill S-206, an act to amend the Criminal Code relating to disclosure of information by jurors. We heard quite eloquently from the member for St. Albert—Edmonton of the need for and importance of the bill. I want to thank him again for his leadership, determination and co-operation with all members in this House and the Senate in getting the bill to this point. I wil…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to rise today to welcome back, after two long years of waiting, the in-person Italian Week Ottawa celebrations in my community of Ottawa Centre. Italian Week is focused on creating exciting experiences that share Italian culture with all of us. The events scheduled this year include a film screening, master classes, children's bedtime stories and much more. The grand f…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, given the member was involved in the initial study that was done by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, perhaps he could outline some of the other recommendations that were part of the report on juror support.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I listened very intently to the member opposite's comments on Bill C-5. I had the opportunity to sit on the justice committee where the bill was deliberated. We heard from witness after witness talking about the negative impact of mandatory minimum sentences, especially on those who are of indigenous or racialized backgrounds. I want to talk to the point around discretion. In the me…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable person from my riding of Ottawa Centre who will be celebrating her 100th birthday on June 25. Rita Margaret MacKenzie Markey moved to Ottawa when she was 18 years old to help support her mother. She worked hard and was employed in this very House as a transcriber of Hansard. She is a proud Canadian who takes pride in the fact that she has vo…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I can tell the member opposite that the storm impacted my community right here in Ottawa. We need to invest in building resiliency in our infrastructure. That is why there is an over $3-billion mitigation and adaptation fund available. We will continue to work with our respective local communities so that planning can take place and we can invest in building more resilient infrastru…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, over the May long weekend, my community of Ottawa Centre and many others across eastern Ontario and western Quebec experienced one of the strongest storms in living memory. What started as an emergency alert Saturday afternoon ended in tragedy, devastation and darkness for thousands of residents. My heart breaks for those who lost loved ones during this awful storm. Unfortunately, suc…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for finding common ground with what I was saying, which is that the mandates and the requirements for vaccines have saved lives, and we need to ensure that it happens around the world. I want to let the member know that I will continue to advocate for Canada to play an engaged role globally so that vaccines are available around the world and people, especial…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that is a tall order to follow. Before I get into talking about the motion at hand, I want to take a moment to thank the member for Mississauga—Lakeshore for his service in this place. I am confident that his community is better for it, and definitely our country is better for it. It took me down memory lane when he was talking about immigrating from Germany and his parents telling hi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as we look at next steps, we need to keep listening to the advice of public health officials because they are telling us that we cannot rush into ending the requirements for people to get vaccinated or to wear masks, or to ensure we keep a safe distance from each other. I again remind hon. members in this place that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. Just because we wish …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite heckled to me that he does. It is good for him if he does. Wishing does not make it so, because the scientists and experts around the world have not told us that. We need to start getting prepared to open up the world and our society as we start to resume our lives thanks to the high vaccination rates and the fact that Canadians stepped up and followed all the rule…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I try to do my very best to wear my mask because I want to keep myself safe and I want to keep my family safe. In fact, when my two young children go to school, they wear masks, even though they are not required to. They know better. They are six and 10 years old, and they continue to wear their masks. I do not even have to remind them and they do so because they want to protect thems…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I concur with the member opposite. She is absolutely right: We need to develop plans. We need to have predictability and certainty as to the next steps as we come to an end to this pandemic. That is exactly what I was talking about. It is very similar to conversations I had with my constituents in the tourism sector that exists right here in Ottawa: the nation's capital. We agree that…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for this very important question. The flooding in Peguis First Nation is of great concern, and the health and safety of residents is a top priority for our government. We are in constant communication with Chief Hudson and local partners, and are taking immediate action to ensure that Peguis receives the supports required in this emergency situation. In direct respo…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, this week is Canadian jury appreciation week. From May 8 to May 14, I encourage Canadians to heed the call of Mark Farrant and the Canadian Juries Commission to show their support for jurors across the country. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Canadians do their civic duty by answering the summons for jury duty. Jurors are our family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues and …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek for his ongoing advocacy for small businesses and tourism in his riding. Our government has made targeted investments to support the tourism industry and the local communities that rely on tourism. Just recently, the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario announced $68.5 mil…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I agree with the member that those blockades and the illegal occupation were a huge blow to our respective cities and to local economies. I am very happy to see that in the case of both Ottawa and the city of Windsor the federal government has stepped up in supporting small, local businesses through investments to recover some of the losses they incurred during the occupation. We ne…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we all recognize that health care is a very important responsibility of both federal and provincial governments, and we have seen, since the introduction of the universal health care system, that both the federal and the provincial governments work very closely in collaboration to serve Canadians from coast to coast to coast. In fact, the pandemic was a public health care emergency …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we have been investing in Canadians from the moment we came into government. Right here in my community, as I was mentioning, we have seen a tremendous amount of investment in affordable housing. In the past, under the previous Conservative government, the federal government was nowhere to be seen in the business of building new affordable housing. In fact, I had the honour of servi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. I am pleased to follow my colleague for Kings—Hants. I just noticed we are wearing pretty much identical ties today, so I am glad he got my text message this morning. I am quite pleased to speak about this budget and what it means for Canadians, in particular my constituents here in Ottawa Centre. I think it is really important, befo…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the operations of all police are fully independent, whether they be municipal, provincial, or federal. This police independence is critical. The government may not attempt to influence in any way an investigation, or direct the conduct of specific police operations. Police independence, as qualified in a 1999 Supreme Court decision, Campbell and Shirose, was described as follows: “Whi…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I want to share with this House how excited parents are in my community of Ottawa Centre with the announcement that we finally have a national child care and early learning program in Canada. It is absolutely a game-changer for young parents who want to be engaged in their kids' lives but also participate fully in the workforce. It is clear that child care is not a luxury, but a neces…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, Canada is a leader when it comes to protecting our coasts and waterways. Recent investments in coastal protection through Canada's oceans protection plan, the strengthening of the Canada Navigable Waters Act and the implementation of the Wrecked, Abandoned and Hazardous Vessels Act show our government's resolve towards protecting our waterways. One way we continue to show this commi…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to stand on behalf of the Minister of Transport. The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of safe and environmentally sound practices for the dismantling and recycling of ships. We are aware of concerns raised about ship recycling activities being conducted in Union Bay on provincial land. In Canada, responsibility for regulating waste management, including sh…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, just over three years ago, on March 10, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 157 people, 18 of whom were Canadians, crashed in Ethiopia on route to Nairobi. Some were going home or visiting loved ones, some perhaps starting new adventures, but many were humanitarians headed to the UN environment conference in Nairobi, like a constituent of mine, Stéphanie Lacroix. When she was n…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, in response to the hon. member for Langley—Aldergrove, I will start by saying that our thoughts remain with the families of those who have lost loved ones and all those affected by the floods, landslides and extreme weather conditions in British Columbia last November. Our government recognizes that this was a flooding event of extraordinary scale and scope. While the full causes of…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, as the member opposite knows, we of course work very closely with our American partners. In this instance, it is important that we also work very closely with the Province of British Columbia. As I mentioned, we have formed a joint committee with the province to work alongside indigenous leadership on immediate and ongoing support and to better understand the future steps that need …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, Canadians across the country are helping Ukrainians in crisis. Our community in Ottawa is no different. Recently, I visited the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Ottawa, where I saw dozens of volunteers collecting and sorting donations for the people of Ukraine. The energy was palpable. In the weeks since the illegal Russian aggression, the Ukrainian C…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the test is in the legislation. There has to be a threat that is national in scope. We did not have the tools available that could deal with that. This emergency is national in scope. It has impacted pretty much the entire country. There is not only the occupation of downtown Ottawa, but also the blockades that we saw in Windsor, in Manitoba at the Emerson crossing, in Coutts, Alber…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, what we have to remember in this instance is that for over three weeks, we were not able to put an end to the occupation. It continued on. Different tactics were used, with the application of existing law being present, but our law enforcement agencies were not able to end this occupation. Through the provision of powers, some of which I articulated, and their application, law enfor…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the member is right. He and I had the opportunity to work on very important charter-related issues when we were banning the practice of carding in the province of Ontario. The member was a city councillor then, and he and I worked together on that particular aspect. The essence of the Emergencies Act is to ensure that charter rights are protected. That is very much the intention and…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my heart ached as a Canadian when I saw communities in British Columbia going through the torturing heat or the flooding that I have seen just recently, or the parts of the country that experienced forest fires. This is a big country, and what binds us, unites us and glues us together is that we care for each other, so I say that I will stand with the member opposite, shoulder to sh…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, thank you for recognizing me and giving me the opportunity to speak in this extraordinary debate that is taking place in this House. It is the Sunday afternoon of the Family Day long weekend in Ontario, but here we are, as parliamentarians, debating a very important issue. As members know, I represent the riding of Ottawa Centre. Parliament is located in the riding of Ottawa Centre. T…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the member opposite knows that politicians cannot dictate to law enforcement how to apply the law. We have to rely on law enforcement to do the work. We have heard from our interim police chief that the Emergencies Act allowed him to do the important work he has done, with the help of many other police services, including the RCMP and the OPP, to put an end to this illegal occupatio…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, now I will speak on behalf of my constituents, which all of us are sworn to do. I ask the members opposite: If this kind of occupation was happening in their neighbourhoods in their ridings for four weeks in a row—
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, as members are very much aware, my riding includes Parliament Hill, which has been under siege for over three weeks now. My community has been held hostage, and I can assure the House these protests have not been peaceful or lawful. My question for the Prime Minister is this. How is the Emergencies Act going to help my constituents in Ottawa Centre?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to honour my late friend, Richard Patten, who dutifully served our community of Ottawa Centre as the member of provincial Parliament from 1987 to 1990 and from 1995 to 2007. During this time, he also served as minister of government services and minister of correctional services in Ontario. After he retired from politics and as I succeeded him as the MPP, Richard g…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, it has been four weeks in a row. The members opposite talk about listening to the protesters but they will not even listen to a member of this House to understand what my constituents, the members of my community, are going through. When did the line cross between this being a lawful protest, which we welcome in my riding and happen all the time, to an illegal protest? Members opposit…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments by the hon. member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay. Our government absolutely recognizes the profound consequences that November's flooding has had on local communities in the member's region. Our thoughts remain with all those who were impacted by this tragic disaster. Our government is committed to being a strong federal partner in the response and recov…
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