Yasir Naqvi

Mr. Speaker, it is good to be back in the House. I hope all members had a good summer. Our government is focused on making sure that we are not only building Canada from coast to coast to coast, but also building partnerships around the world. We are diversifying trade like we have never seen in the history of our country. Our businesses have access to 1.5 billion consumers through tariff-free partnerships at this moment, and we plan to double that. That is our plan. The Minister of International Trade, the Prime Minister and the entire government is focused on building those partnerships so we can help grow our businesses around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I completely disagree with the premise of the member's question. I think we are seeing results. If we look at the first-ever Canada investment summit, in just one year, we a saw a $500-billion commitment, that is half a trillion dollars, to invest right here in our country. What does that mean? It means good-paying jobs for Canadians coast to coast to coast. Similarly, we are seeing the results of the trade agreements we have been signing. With United Arab Emirates alone, we were able to sign a trade agreement within 45 days. We have never seen those kinds of action before. This is how we are going to build Canada strong.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) and in accordance with the transparency requirements set out in the amended policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I am pleased to notify the House of Commons of the government's intent to initiate negotiations for a free trade agreement between Canada and Turkey. The Government of Canada intends to commence negotiations with Turkey as soon as practicable, but in accordance with the policy, the commencement of negotiations will take place no earlier than 30 days from today.

Mr. Speaker, let me start by wishing you a restful summer. I know it has been a very busy sitting. I want to thank the entire House of Commons staff for their remarkable work in supporting us in the important work we do on behalf of our constituents. It is a great honour for me to serve Ottawa Centre.

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of cheering. It feels like the last day of school. That is how my kids felt this morning, by the way, as we were leaving home. This is a similar feeling. I also want to thank the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for his hard work. I know he works extremely hard on behalf of his constituents. I know he is a very engaged father. I have often seen him around here with his children. In particular, I want to thank him for really making clear how much he believes in this country and how much he believes in a strong Alberta within a very strong and united Canada. I thank him for that. The member is absolutely right. I am from Ontario, but it is incumbent upon all of us to make an effort to understand Alberta better, better understand the concerns of Albertans and how they are feeling, and make sure that we work together to keep them as part of this country. I think we are stronger as a country when we all work together. In this place, one of the most important things I have learned is to really pay attention to what others are saying. That allows us the opportunity to learn about this beautiful, vast country of ours, because we come from our different corners. Listening to the debates that take place in this particular House allows us to to be better champions of Canada and to better understand, love and respect this country. I look forward to that opportunity. I would like to ask the hon. member if there would be an opportunity for some of us from provinces like Ontario to go and spend time with him so that we can speak to Albertans, our fellow Canadians, as one. I would look forward to that opportunity, if he could please reach out. The member raised a very important issue about youth employment. Colleagues know we are living through precarious times right now. There is a lot of anxiety in the country because of the unjustified trade war we are in, the protectionism we are seeing in the world and the wars that are taking place. They have an impact on our country, our economy and people's livelihoods. Of course, they have an impact on young people as well. That is why I think it is incumbent upon all of us, regardless of which political background we come from, to share those ideas. I respect the member for putting forward ideas that will help boost youth employment. That is not a partisan issue. I think it is an aspiration that we all share, and it is important that we all work together. However, on our side, as a government, we are seized with the issue. We have been working hard to make sure that we create those opportunities for young people. This year's spring economic update reaffirms a new investment of $6 billion to recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trade workers in the next five years. This will create opportunities for young people in skilled trades that are so needed across the country, and it will align with Canada's housing infrastructure and defence needs, where a tremendous amount of investment is being made. We are also making major investments in our workers, with initiatives such as the labour market development agreements with the provinces and territories. These labour market development agreements are provided by the federal government through funding and coordination at the national level to ensure consistency and alignment. Provincial and territorial governments will then have the flexibility to design and deliver the programs and services best suited to the needs of their local labour markets. We are investing about $2.9 billion in those agreements. I also want to take a moment to talk about Canada's summer jobs, which are extremely important, including in my riding. I see my time is up.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member again for the work he is doing. I briefly want to talk about the Canada summer jobs program, because I know it benefits young people across the country in all our respective constituencies. In my riding of Ottawa Centre alone, almost 600 jobs have been created. I run into young people who have taken part in the program in the past or are part of the program now, and it helps them to create networks and opportunities. Now they are starting to do important things in their lives. We need to make sure those opportunities exist, whether in the not-for-profit sector or with private enterprise. That is important work. I want to highlight that I think investment in skilled trades is so important. There are so many young people who want to be part of skilled trades, and the investment we are making through our government in that regard is going to create a huge benefit. Once again, I wish a happy summer to everyone. I look forward to continuing this important work.

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Indo-Caribbean Organization of Ottawa is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its annual multicultural event. This special occasion is a celebration of the culture, heritage and identity of the Indo-Caribbean community. It is an opportunity to recognize the many valuable contributions the Indo-Caribbean community has made to Canada, particularly in the national capital region. I want to congratulate my friend Peter Maharaj, who is here on the Hill, for his hard work and dedication in organizing this wonderful event over the years. I send much gratitude to all of the volunteers in our community for assisting in the success of this multicultural event year after year. Congratulations. Here is to 25 more years of celebrating Canada's Indo-Caribbean community.

Mr. Speaker, if Conservatives ever wonder why Canadians do not trust them and elect them as government, it is unserious questions like this, and what we continue to see in this House is great evidence of this. As all Canadians know, we are living in some very challenging times. We are engaged in an unjustified trade war with the United States. There are wars that are going on in the world that have an impact not only on the Canadian economy, but on the economy worldwide. However, we are focused on building our economy by making sure that we are engaged in diversifying our trade. We will continue to do that work to create good-paying jobs for all Canadians.

Madam Speaker, it is a great joy to celebrate the Great Glebe Garage Sale in my community of Ottawa Centre. If anyone happens to be in Ottawa, in my community, on the third Saturday of every May, the Great Glebe Garage Sale is the place to go. For 40 years, neighbours have participated in this sale. People can get such incredible, great deals on hidden treasures that people have stored in their basements. It also acts as a fundraiser for the Ottawa Food Bank. There were 25,000 people who came out this year. It was incredible. My team was there as well. I want to thank the Glebe Community Association for organizing this incredible event every year. I congratulate all the volunteers; John Crump, president; June Creelman, vice-president; and Sam Woods, who coordinated the 40th version of the Great Glebe Garage Sale.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate that the opposition has a job to do, which is to critique the government, but, as a government, our focus is to build our economy. That is why we have been working very hard to make sure that we diversify our trade and that we open more markets for Canadian businesses. The results are coming in. It has been reported that 88,000 new jobs have been created. We are also not leaving people behind. That is why, as of today, the groceries and essentials benefit is going to be coming to people. They will be getting, additionally, up to $533 for a family with two kids. This is how we are helping Canadians.

Madam Speaker, our strategy creates a national AI literacy initiative that will reach one million post-secondary students and 3,000 teachers. It will offer up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians. We are also helping SMEs adopt AI by investing $1 billion in programs like regional AI initiatives and the LIFT program.

Mr. Speaker, as the minister before me said, forced labour is absolutely unacceptable. That is why we are always working hard to ensure that we have our supply chain completely protected. That is why various departments within the Government of Canada, as per the strict laws we have in place, work all the time to ensure that we stop any shipments that are a result of forced labour. In fact, that is why, in all our trade agreements, we make sure that we have stringent labour provisions to uphold international labour standards. We will continue to do so, to make sure that we protect Canadian workers and workers abroad.

Mr. Speaker, forced labour is unacceptable. We must ensure that our global supply chains are free of these kinds of abusive practices. We are working closely with the relevant minister and the entire government to reduce forced labour in the supply chain. This is also why we are making it a priority to have comprehensive labour provisions included in the free trade agreement, to promote international labour standards.

Mr. Speaker, all goods entering the country are subject to import controls and rigorous verification processes. The Canada Border Services Agency conducts risk analyses to identify and intercept any goods that are likely to have been produced using forced labour, and it reports back to Parliament every year. We will protect Canada's interests while standing up for high labour standards for all workers.

Mr. Speaker, it is worth repeating that forced labour is completely unacceptable. We take all steps necessary to ensure that we keep our supply chain free from forced labour. We, in fact, put a lot of work and rigour into ensuring that, in all our trade agreements, we have stringent labour standards and provisions according to international labour standards. We will continue to do that work. We will continue to enforce our laws. We will continue to make sure that our supply chain is free of forced labour so that we can protect Canadian workers and workers abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is time to get serious. I think members of the opposition and Canadians know that we are in very uncertain economic times and that we are engaged in a trade war that is not of our making. That is why the Prime Minister and the government have a plan. That is why we are so focused on diversifying our trade and engaging in free trade agreements with countries around the world. That is why we are selling uranium to India. That is why we are selling planes to Malaysia and selling canola to China. Our plan is working. We will keep working hard to make sure we are creating good-paying jobs for all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, the members opposite can be as gleeful and as jovial as they want, but Canadians know that this is a very serious moment for our country. That is why they require serious leadership. That is why they have elected a leader and a party that have a plan to diversify our economy. We not only will engage with the United States and Mexico to get the best deal possible for our country, but we will also build bridges and new partnerships around the world with China, India, Southeast Asia and Mercosur. That is where our focus is and we will not stop until we create good-paying jobs for all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to attend a flag-raising ceremony at city hall in my community of Ottawa Centre to celebrate Africa Day. Representatives from multiple African nations and leaders of the African diaspora came together to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the African Union and its work to advance a more peaceful, sustainable and prosperous Africa. The continent of Africa is big and beautiful. It is rich in diversity and opportunity. Canada's Africa strategy is an integral road map for shared economic prosperity and security. I want to thank the African Union's Sixth Region here in Canada for its hard work to make this important event a success.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians recognize that we are living in some really economically uncertain times. There are unjustified tariffs on Canadian autos, steel, lumber and aluminum, and there is a war going on in the Middle East that is impacting our economy and the global economy. That is why this Prime Minister and this government have a plan. Our plan includes diversifying our trade, making sure that we are engaging with other countries so that we can sell more of our goods and services. That is why we are investing hundreds of billions of dollars into our economy, so that we can keep creating good-paying jobs for Canadians.