Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in April, Canadians will mark National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week. April 7 is Green Shirt Day, reminding us of the importance of organ donation. These annual initiatives highlight the critical need for donors, encourage donor registration and celebrate the many lives saved through transplantation. More than 4,700 Canadians are waiting for a life-saving transplant. It is …
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Mr. Speaker, I am really thankful to the hon. member for basically repeating what I said. We do have laws in place that protect the freedoms of Canadians, freedom of expression, freedom of religion and all that, but the government is refusing to enforce those laws while trying to communicate a political piece of legislation with the intent of gaining some votes in some areas regarding a certain se…
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Mr. Speaker, this is a political exercise for a party that does retail politics very well. We know what this is aiming for. This bill would not make anything safe. It would not help anything. Is it better for the government to enforce the legislation we have on the books when it comes to protecting people rather than doing what it is doing to divide people further?
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Mr. Speaker, I feel for the Bloc Québécois. The Liberals will be sharing the vote gaining in certain places with them. As for the question, the laws are in place. We need the enforcement. There is no political will out there in the current government to enforce the laws. If the political will were there, we would not see attacks on synagogues or mosques or churches. If the government had any inten…
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Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the big question. The government will always say something and do the opposite. This is one of the same symptoms we have seen many times over the last 10 years.
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Vancouver East. To put it bluntly, I am not convinced that this legislation, Bill C-9, an act to amend the Criminal Code regarding hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places, is necessary. I find it strange therefore that after months of making other legislation a priority, the government now wants to mak…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member. I think there is no will in the government to do any of that. The by-election is coming soon in Quebec, and that is why the Liberals are rushing this through, to make sure there are no further amendments. If the bill is of value to the government, it would have allowed more consultation and more amendments to take place, so that we could have a better pie…
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Mr. Speaker, there are a few things to speak to. First of all, the government is politicizing this issue and causing a lot of division among Canadian society. Secondly, the government has lost the trust of the faith communities in Canada. As far as what we are hearing from Canadians is concerned, I have religious institutions in the double digits in my riding of Edmonton Manning. It is a diverse r…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, the public is used to hearing politicians talk about importance of victims' rights, especially when a horrific crime is committed. What we have before us today is not just talk about protecting the victims of crime, but to actually do something. Bill C-243 is designed to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to provide that in the case of an offender who is serving a sente…
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Mr. Speaker, the first question that comes to mind regarding the need to build homes is this: Who builds homes? It is builders. People build homes, but they need a way to be able to build them. They need the government to get out of the way and municipalities to facilitate it. All these conditions have to be provided by the authorities to make sure that homes are built on time, with productivity l…
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Mr. Speaker, every time the government has an issue, it either throws money at it or creates another bureaucracy. Would the hon. member agree?
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Mr. Speaker, there is a saying that, in life, that we do not get what we deserve; we get what we negotiate. I believe that the government has failed to negotiate well to finally resolve this issue, which costs the Canadian economy close to $500 million a year and made it unfair for some of the pensioners. They deserve to get a fair shot out of their investment for life, especially as seniors. Nego…
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Mr. Speaker, I am sure in the history of Canadian Parliament there have been bills with longer names, but we have to admit this one is a mouthful: an act to implement the protocol on the accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. It is a very long name for a trade agreement. This does not flow …
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Mr. Speaker, the U.K. is Canada's third-largest trading partner and ally, and with this new relationship, I can see the opportunity for increased trade. However, there have been missed opportunities, and not only with pork and beef. Like many members of the House, I have met with representatives of 127,000 British state pensioners living in Canada, who have raised the issue of their pensions with …
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. leader of the Green Party and I were together for many occasions when we met with those pensioners, trying to, first of all, listen to them and understand the issue—
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Mr. Speaker, it is true. People in the beef and pork industries are not happy with this. The government could have negotiated better to get this because, again, this is a golden opportunity to do something better, and if that is missed, the industry will be hurt. It will be affected by it.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. leader of the Green Party and I were together, more than once, to meet with these pensioners who, we believe, have been treated unfairly. I believe that there is still a chance for Parliament to ask the government to push for that. This could be the second time that we miss such an opportunity, but it would be great if we could do it. It would be historical. We would help a l…
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Mr. Speaker, if the government does its job, no one has to do anything, but the government is not doing its job. The hon. member knows that. The Liberals have failed to come back to Canada and deliver on their promises. It has been one deadline after the other, and we still have not seen a result. If the government is suggesting that people should sit around, do nothing and not stand for Canada, t…
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Mr. Speaker, my question for the member is this: What distinguishes this agreement from other free trade agreements we have? Is there any specific element of this agreement that makes it so special?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, today we are considering a bill that would amend the Export and Import Permits Act, which governs Canada's defence exports. If passed, this bill would see the removal of allowing exemptions for specific countries. The bill would change the current legal framework by: (a) clarifying that parts, components and technology necessary for the assembly or use of arms, ammunition, implement…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition from Canadians who are concerned that the Liberal-Bloc amendments to Bill C-9 could be used to criminalize passages from the Bible, the Quran, the Torah and other sacred texts. The state has no place in the religious texts or teachings of any faith community. Freedom of expression and freedom of religion are fundamental rights that must be preserved. Therefo…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, under the Prime Minister, food prices have skyrocketed by 7.3%. Canada is now the food inflation capital of the G7. This is a made-in-Canada problem. Seventy per cent of all food is produced domestically. We produce 80% of our processed foods. Conservatives have a food affordability plan to remove hidden Liberal taxes on food, such as the industrial carbon tax on farm equipment, ferti…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the petition I am tabling has received 245 signatures on behalf of the Kurdish Canadian community to draw attention to an urgent humanitarian and international security matter that directly affects the community. In northern Syria, Kurds, Druze, Alawite and other minority civilians are facing sustained attacks and systematic deprivation. Petitioners respectfully urge the Government of…
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Mr. Speaker, we have a great nation. I think all of us can agree on that. We and those who came before us have worked to build a country that all Canadians can feel proud to be part of, but we are not perfect. We have not always lived up to our ideals as a nation. One area we have fallen short is when it comes to our obligations to our indigenous people. Our nation is a relatively young one. The r…
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Mr. Speaker, what is appointing bureaucrats going to do? There are no results being delivered by the government as far as this file goes. There has been nothing done and no progress made in the last 10 years. What is the point of appointing someone? It is just to add another bureaucracy. I do not think the community is looking for that. The community is looking for action and looking for results, …
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Mr. Speaker, I think the debate here is between delivering results and showing signals that really do not deliver anything to the people. The community wants results. It wants more action. It wants to see that things are progressing properly, and some of the issues the community is facing need to be resolved. That is what the community is looking for. How to approach that, in our opinion as the Co…
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Mr. Speaker, in the system that we have for our democracy, I believe that Parliament should keep the government in line. If we need to add layers and layers to keep the government in place, then what are we doing here? Why are we here? We are here to represent the people and defend their rights, and I think Parliament should have the power to do that, not another new bureaucracy.
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Mr. Speaker, in the last decade, the government has not negotiated a single treaty with the indigenous community. That tells us a lot. There are 70 groups right now negotiating with the government. They are going to continue to negotiate and negotiate, but no one, especially the government, is showing any results. The government is not showing us the truth of what it is doing. Unless we reach that…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the situation remains fragile for members of Syria’s minority communities. The new government makes promises, but has not yet been able to provide guaranteed security for its citizens. Recent massacres targeting the Druze community around Suweida and the ongoing blockade of Kobani by HTS fighters are especially concerning. After years of civil war, the Kurdish and Druze communities wa…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise to offer my support for Bill S-227, the Arab heritage month act. There are more than a million Canadians of Arab descent. They are found in every province and territory. Each one has a different story of how they or their ancestors came to this country. No matter where they came from originally, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, Jordan…
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Mr. Speaker, congratulations to the hon. member for York South—Weston—Etobicoke for sponsoring this bill in the House. What message would he like to give to Canadian society on behalf of the Arab community, which has been in this beautiful country for nearly 160 years?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in A Christmas Carol, Dickens wrote, “Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts”. Under the Liberals, it is millions who are in need. My constituent Enide says,“I can barely afford to eat, a lot of people are in the same situation and feel helpless.” In 2015 the Canadian grocery bill was $159 a week. After a decade of Libera…
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Madam Speaker, the previous incarnation of the Liberal government was led by a man who believed that budgets somehow magically balance themselves. He clung religiously to that belief, even after 10 years of watching the deficit get bigger and bigger. No wonder he thought Canadians would forgive him if he did not think about fiscal policy. He obviously did not understand that the government deficit…
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Madam Speaker, there is a lot of bad news in the budget. One piece is the $78 billion of extra deficit, with $321 billion for the next five years. At any simple level of understanding, we know this has to be paid somehow by Canadian taxpayers and by future generations. My hon. colleague is correct; the lineups at the food banks are a huge concern. It is something we have not seen in our history. T…
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Madam Speaker, we have been hearing the word “investment” for the last 10 years. There has been more debt and more money to service the debt. It seems as if the government does not want to listen to true numbers, whether they are coming from the PBO or coming from us and from others around the country. Unless we accept the reality of the last 10 years, including now, we will still be going in the …
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Madam Speaker, I have learned in life to compare myself to the people above me and ahead of me, not to the people behind me. The government has given us the same story over and over. It talks about the comparison to whatever, such as the comparison to the debt in so many years. All these numbers do not help Canadians with what they deal with on a daily basis. Millions of Canadians are lining up at…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am presenting this petition, which has 600 signatures, on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners in China. They are suffering severe human rights abuses, including mass arbitrary detentions, torture, killing and forced organ harvesting on a large scale. The petitioners are calling on the Canadian government to publicly call on the Chinese regime to end its persecution of Falun Gong in…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is the most expensive in Canadian history. The Liberals do not understand that every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians, driving up the cost of everything. Year over year, food costs have increased 3.4% under the Liberals. Canadians are forced to go hungry to keep a roof over their heads. The Liberals had a chance to lower foo…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that Bill C-234, An Act respecting the establishment and award of a Living Donor Recognition Medal, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, a living donor is someone who donates all or part of an organ to save the life of a fellow Canadian. I am a living donor. On December 8, 2003, I donated part of my liver to save the life of my son Tyler, but I am not alone. Acro…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the kind words and for the question. Absolutely, the nature and spirit of the bill is to recognize the heroes we do not even know about in Canada. Working with organizations across the country is very important, and I believe this will be done. My office and I will be reaching out to many more organizations that we know of, and I thank the member for highli…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his support. He brought other cases to my attention, and other organizations that are doing some good work. I am adding another chapter to that through the House; I am giving the House, all MPs in all parties, the opportunity to work together with all Canadians. For Canadians who are most in need of organs, the bill would facilitate that, make their lives…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of any specific awards such as the one I am proposing. April is Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Month, which was created through the effort of some NGOs in their jobs, trying to bring awareness. I continue to help and to support their initiative; however, I believe we need to do more. We need to recognize and bring awareness to Canadians about how important it is to…
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Mr. Speaker, it was an impressive speech by my hon. colleague. The budget will mean a $78-billion deficit. This money is going to be borrowed against future generations, to be paid by Canadians for the longest time we can ever imagine. What does the member think of the deficit? Should we go into a $78-billion deficit with a budget?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the history of business is filled with scandals and scams as companies cooked the books to hide financial disaster. The Lehman Brothers global financial services firm hid more than $50 billion in loans disguised as sales. Bernie Madoff conducted the largest Ponzi scheme in history, defrauding investors of almost $65 billion. Enron, the energy company, kept huge debts off the balance s…
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Mr. Speaker, the government wants to borrow $321 billion over the next four years, borrowing $78 billion in this year alone. That represents $8,000 per Canadian. Where is the prosperity in the budget? Where are the benefits to Canadians in the budget? It would put an additional $8,000 on the shoulders of each and every single Canadian.
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Madam Speaker, after a decade of passing laws to make life easier for criminals, the Liberal government has suddenly realized it created a problem. From its rare attempt to face reality, we have Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act. Conservatives have been pointing out for years that the Liberal approach to crime has the opposite effect of what the Liberals intended. Criminals did not rea…
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Madam Speaker, if anyone should accept any amendments, it should be the government, not the Conservatives. When it comes to the bill going to committee, it is very important for any bill of this importance to go to committee to be examined by all parties. This is the way we do things. I hope the committee will be able to study this bill well to make sure we can present to Canadians, once and for a…
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Madam Speaker, I am sure the hon. member knows well that we need Canadians to be safe, first and foremost. In order for Canadians to be safe, the government cannot be light on criminals, as it has been through Bill C-75 and Bill C-5. I said in my speech that this bill, Bill C-14, is a good start. The Conservatives want it to be stronger. We want criminals to understand they cannot just get a freeb…
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Madam Speaker, we hear a lot in the news everywhere about how many crimes are committed every day, and the majority of them are committed by repeat offenders, people released from prison within 15 days who go out on the streets again and start attacking people. I hear about it in Edmonton every day. Toronto is also a great example.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, Edmonton's Food Bank is serving more people now than at any time in its 43-year history. Requests for food hampers have gone up 42% in the last 30 months. Food Banks Canada reports record use, with 2.2 million visits in a single month. It took decades to hit one million but only six years under the Liberals to double it to two million. When will the Prime Minister finally give Canad…
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