Government Orders
Madam Chair, I want to compliment my hon. colleague for talking about the demining that is needed in Ukraine. I wonder if he is aware that Canada has provided over $450 million in the last two decades to demining. I also wonder if he is aware of the importance of the assistance we are also providing to Ukraine and the fact that, through DND, we have tremendous expertise in this regard.
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Mr. Chair, I would disagree with the premise of my hon. colleague's question. Anyone who looked on the ground and talked to our partners, including our multilateral partners, would see that Canada is very much present. In fact, we are leading. As I mentioned, we are the fourth-largest donor to the World Food Programme. We continue to lead, particularly on innovation. The very farmers whom my hon. …
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Madam Chair, I think we all agree in the House about the illegal and egregious genocide that is happening against the Ukrainian people. Yevheniya Kravchuk is one of the MPs who was here from Ukraine this week. In her remarks, she said that Putin was relying on democracies thinking that democracies are weak because we are under pressure when our populations have inflation, increased food prices and…
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Mr. Chair, I am very happy that we are having this debate this evening. It could be one of the most important debates that we have in this House. We know that Russia's unjustifiable and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has had an immediate impact on the food security and nutrition of the world's most vulnerable people. This is adding to the existing food crisis caused by the pandemic and by climate …
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Madam Chair, I want to thank my colleague for her passion and her important work in this regard. She and I have very similar backgrounds in international development. In fact, our feminist international assistance policy and our national action plan on that have been in place. We are celebrating the fifth anniversary this year, and it is actually creating a change on the ground. Those very women w…
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Madam Chair, it is what I said previously about innovation and Canadian farmers and Canadian NGOs that are on the ground. I spoke recently with the Humanitarian Coalition, whose partners are doing incredibly important innovative work around the world, using Canadian expertise, and also listening to the small-scale farmers internationally. We have projects looking at women farmers who are building …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to draw the attention of the House to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Political instability and violence are exacerbating the humanitarian situation. That has had a significant impact on the Haitian community in my riding. Canada has committed $70 million for projects in Haiti that will improve health services for Haitians, address food insecurity and build securi…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague about David Daubney, who was a predecessor of mine in my riding. He was a Conservative MP in the Mulroney years. He was actually chair of the justice committee during that time. He said that during the Harper years, the “departmental distaste for research and recommendations is the opposite of the situation under administrations such as those of Cons…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Sunday, May 1, marked First Responders Day, a day we reflect on the selfless contributions of countless women and men in the fulfillment of their duties. Today, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the often unsung heroes of Ottawa, the members of the Ottawa Fire Services, whose unrelenting work keeps us safe every day. In particular, I congratulate my constituent, John …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers. In response to part (a) of the question, Canada is a steward of the unique ecosystems and wealth of biodiversity that exists in the ocean and understands that, despite often harsh conditions, offshore and deep-sea marine environments host a diversity of habitats that support many orga…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers. In response to part (a) of the question, Canada is actively engaged internationally to advance marine conservation. This includes ensuring that the regulations for seabed mineral mining under development at the International Seabed Authority, ISA, provide effective protection of the m…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, Canada is deeply concerned about the worsening humanitarian impact of Russia's unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine. We stand strong in our unwavering commitment to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict. Canada responds to complex humanitarian crises through an established international humanitarian response system, comprised of United Nations ag…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I would say to my hon. colleague that it is not either/or, and certainly we are constantly re-evaluating. Since the onset of the crisis in 2014, Canada has supported the humanitarian response in Ukraine with over $194 million in humanitarian assistance through experienced humanitarian partners. Their unparalleled access to affected populations and their ability to provide neutral, i…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for Richmond Centre for his advocacy. Our government recognizes that more support is needed for women and girls who are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change, natural disasters and biodiversity loss. That is why we announced $67.5 million in international assistance funding that will provide support to eight projects. Th…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague for Spadina—Fort York has raised an incredibly important question. We continue unequivocally to condemn President Putin's unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine. Our hearts break as we hear about untold suffering, particularly in cities such as Mariupol, where thousands of people are trapped without electricity, water, gas or a way of communicating with the…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Canada remains steadfast in its commitment to address the humanitarian needs in Ukraine as well as the needs of those who have fled to neighbouring countries. We reiterate our deep concern for the increasing number of civilian casualties as well as for the growing number of people crossing the border into neighbouring countries in search of safety, and we continue to call for safe pas…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Tuesday is International Women's Day, when we pay tribute not only to the amazing women in our communities but even more so to those on whose shoulders we stand. I rise today to pay tribute to such a woman: Dr. Elizabeth Betsy McGregor. Betsy was recently appointed to the Order of Canada for her national and international championing of women in STEM and politics. Her tenacity, coachi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we all thank the Ukrainian Canadian Congress for the incredible work it is doing. I would note that the $10-million matching fund program for the Canadian Red Cross is just one part of what we are providing. There is also $50 million in humanitarian aid already announced, plus the UN flash appeal of $100 million, where Canada is leading the world in terms of what we are providing. Thi…
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Mr. Chair, I agree 100% with my colleague. We have already created the matching fund with the Canadian Red Cross of $10 million. That is just a start. We have already provided $35 million in development aid and another $15 million in humanitarian aid. We are working with other countries, not just for Canada to step up further but for other countries to also step up. We are taking a leadership role…
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Mr. Chair, I want to thank the member for Etobicoke Centre for his incredible advocacy on this and for his untiring and unwavering work in this area. I would like to assure the member that in addition to what I mentioned previously, the $10-million matching fund, which I encourage all Canadians to take advantage of, and the $50 million we recently announced, which is in addition to over $240 milli…
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Mr. Chair, we have been working in very close coordination with our allies and with like-minded countries to make sure we are standing united in making sure that Putin, the oligarchs and the banking system will be completely isolated in the world. We heard the Prime Minister very clearly say that we want to remove Russia from the SWIFT system. We have a number of other measures, and we are working…
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Mr. Chair, yes, we are extending visas for those Ukrainians who are here in Canada on temporary visas. We are expediting all immigration visas. We are creating corridors for Canadians, for permanent residents and their families to be able to come here. I thank the hon. member for his advocacy because these are incredibly important moments to be able to bring as many people as we can to safety, and…
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Mr. Chair, it is with sadness, alarm and great resolve that I stand in the House today to speak at a moment in history when our words and actions will have great impact. I had hoped to never be in a position to speak about war in the chamber, but in the face of open aggression by Putin's Russia, which is undermining decades of peace brought about the post-World War II international rules-based ord…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I note that the member she referenced, the member for Peace River—Westlock, also called this a “so-called emergency”. He can tell that to the people of Ottawa. Yes, I do agree with my hon. colleague that there will have to be a really serious rethinking of how policing is done in this country. We have to look at the unconscious biases and the differential ways in which different gro…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation. As elected officials, our most important responsibility is to protect our citizens and keep them safe. In the past three weeks in Ottawa, I have heard first-hand the many unacceptable, dangerous and threatening situations that the people of Ottawa have faced as a result of illegal blockades and occupation in …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, if my hon. colleague were to look at the terms, they say very clearly that this will occur if the purpose is to “further the illegal blockades”. In fact, I would go so far as to say that 52% of the donations are coming from outside of Canada. Of those, 1,100 are coming from people who also donated to the January 6 insurrection in the United States, so this is an incredibly important…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, we did not head directly to the Emergencies Act. In fact, members will recall that we provided the City of Ottawa with supplemental police officers three times, as well as intelligence capabilities and command capabilities. However, the fact remains that the city and the province have declared states of emergency. They were unable to deal with the extent of this and the entrenchment…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mount Royal. I never thought that I would be in the House having an emergency debate like this with our city of Ottawa under siege and in a state of emergency. We have heard so much today from many members, in particular the hon. member for Ottawa Centre, my good friend, who talked about what is happening just metres away from the House …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, just this month we have actually procured 140 million rapid tests. However, these are not the truckers. The trucking associations signed a joint statement with the minister saying that they supported the vaccine mandate, and 90% of truckers are vaccinated. That is not who is out there on the lawn right now.
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I think we all share that same sentiment. The nurses, doctors and frontline health care workers are there every single day caring for us. Whether we take their medical advice or not about getting vaccinated, they are there and going to work. They say they are not heroes, but we know they are the people we need to support. It is why we have made it illegal for anybody to harass healt…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, in fact, we just announced today that we are going to have a trilateral meeting among the different levels of government. We know that people do not want to hear us say that it is about jurisdiction, but the fact is that politicians do not direct the police. What we need to be doing, as politicians and the federal government, is providing all the resources so that the police, who ha…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for articulating so well exactly what is at stake here. We must remain steadfast in supporting Ukraine. I am very pleased to see that our government is standing up to Russian aggression and that we are doing so with every tool available: with our diplomatic tools, as we have seen both our foreign affairs minister and our defence minister in Ukraine in…
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Madam Chair, our government recognizes the importance of the forestry and softwood lumber industry for Quebec. We will continue to defend the resiliency and innovation of Quebec's forestry industry, which exports more than $10 billion in forestry products per year and employs more than 60,000 workers in the province.
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Madam Chair, I absolutely agree with my hon. colleague. This is something that all parties agree on. It is a team Canada approach. Speaking of team Canada, the minister is in Washington right now with a group of members of Parliament from all parties to make sure that we are vigorously defending the interests of our communities, our industry and our businesses. This is something we have to do all …
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Madam Chair, I would like to thank the member for Calgary Skyview for sharing his time with me and also, as a fellow Calgarian, on his election as a Liberal for Calgary Skyview. Canada's forestry sector—
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Madam Chair, this is exactly why we fought very hard, and successfully, to keep the dispute resolution mechanism within CUSMA, and that is something we will continue to do. In fact, the WTO, under NAFTA and CUSMA, has consistently ruled in Canada's favour that Canada is a fair trading partner. There is no reason to believe that it would be different this time.
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Madam Chair, we continue to vigorously defend all industries in Quebec and Canada.
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Madam Chair, Canada's forestry sector is a crucial part of the economy from coast to coast. The forestry industry contributes to the economic vitality of thousands of communities. This week, the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development is in Washington to meet with U.S. congressional leaders and other stakeholders. The minister will advocate for Ca…
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Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more with my hon. colleague. The one thing that is absolutely vital about democratic institutions is resilience and the ability to modify and adapt to changing circumstances. Institutions, by their nature, need to reflect and adapt to the current environment they we are in, in order to serve Canadians. My hon. colleague is absolutely right. The use of technology has …
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Outremont. Since this is the first time that I am standing in the House in the 44th Parliament, I want to thank my constituents of Ottawa West—Nepean for putting their faith, confidence and trust in me once again as their member of Parliament. I would also like to thank my family, especially my husband Don, my stepdaughter Courtney an…
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Mr. Speaker, our main responsibility here in the House is to protect Canadians and their health. We need to keep that in mind in everything we do.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have been in this House for six years, and I know that members in this House work hard every day. I find it both insulting and disingenuous that the member opposite would accuse any of us of wanting to hide in basements simply because we want to maintain public health measures. We need the flexibility in this place to make sure that we ourselves are not becoming vectors of the virus…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, as outlined in Canada’s defence policy, “Strong, Secure, Engaged”, a modern fighter aircraft fleet is essential for defending Canada and Canadian sovereignty and contributing to our NORAD and NATO commitments, now and in the future. That is why on December 12, 2017, the government launched an open, fair and transparent competition to permanently replace Canada’s fighter fleet with 88 …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the care and support of ill and injured military members and their families remains a priority for National Defence. The Canadian Armed Forces is dedicated to ensuring that every ill and injured member receives high-quality care and support throughout their recovery, rehabilitation, return to duty in the Canadian Armed Forces or transition to civilian life. This is why the Canadian Ar…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who, while under the Harper government, appointed a chief of the defence staff who was under active investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service. If the Conservatives were serious about this issue, they would support budget 2021 and the $236 million dedicated to combatting and eradicating sexual misconduct in the…
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Madam Speaker, yesterday shows that the Conservatives are more focused on waging personal and partisan attacks than supporting the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces. As opposition members themselves admitted, that vote will do nothing to help our women and men in uniform, including those who have experienced misconduct. Do members know what would help the women and men in uniform? It is s…
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Madam Speaker, I am very disappointed by the viciousness of the tone in the House we have seen yesterday and today. I would like to review the track record of service to Canada and Canadians of this Minister of National Defence. He has over two decades of service in the Canadian Armed Forces, including four tours of duty, with three in Afghanistan, for which he was awarded the Order of Military Me…
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Madam Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is an inspirational trailblazer and ally who we are absolutely proud to have on our team. He has spent his career breaking down barriers to inclusion. The minister has lived a life of service to Canadians, whether that was during his time in the Canadian Armed Forces, as a member of the Vancouver Police Department, or now as a cabinet minister. This …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the premise of the question. I believe that the Minister of National Defence has tremendous respect and has, in fact, made sure that the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces are front and centre in everything we do. Colleagues can see that through a number of the things he has done. We have put the SMRC in place. We have put in legislation, through Bill C-77, to …
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Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to the debate, and I must say that I am very disappointed. Instead of working together in the House and at committee, where Liberal members have been trying to work in good faith, we are debating this motion today. We should be working together across the aisle to address survivors and their needs, and to change the culture of toxic masculinity that exists in the…
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