Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's comments. There is an old phrase from the Bible that says a calm answer turns away wrath. I think in this place we do need to bring the calmness, so we do not encourage things to get worse. I absolutely take that. I feel it is all of our responsibility to be that way. That is where I think this act is fanning the flames. We need to do our very best to bring…
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Madam Speaker, that was a great question. This place is often a place of contention, but it needs to be a place of forgiveness too. We have given the Prime Minister that opportunity. I even called on him to just apologize. I think a lot of people feel like that. They would accept a simple apology, but we have not heard that yet. We are calling on him—
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today, I congratulate a very dedicated member of northern B.C., Judy Desjarlais. Last month, Judy was elected chief of the Blueberry River First Nation and just yesterday served her very first day as chief. Judy said she is dedicated to “bringing unity back” and “building a prosperous future for her nation”. For almost two decades, Judy and her husband Boomer have owned Top Notch Oilf…
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, the member is supposed to be speaking to this particular motion. He has called out different members for talking about something other than what he thinks they should be talking about. In this case, all he can talk about is what we Conservatives are saying.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my office has been flooded with meetings, calls and emails about Immigration Canada and the buildup of almost two million applications that have not been processed. This has led to processing times of more than two years, and the applicants are running out of time. These delays are costly and highly stressful not only for the people applying but for many workplaces too. We had a great…
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Mr. Speaker, I was the former chair of the access to information, privacy and ethics committee. One thing we learned there is that privacy is a big deal. Most of us in Canada believe that. However, apparently the member across the way does not think it is a big deal. He is saying it is no big deal and telling folks not to worry about it. With the new quantum computing capacity, de-identified infor…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank our opposition members who are very concerned about privacy. Again, as a former member of that committee, we did a lot of work around the world. Somebody mentioned Shoshana Zuboff and many of our other colleagues globally who care about this issue. This simple, nonchalant approach the government has with people's privacy and data is illustrated in the decisions it is making an…
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Mr. Speaker, tonight we are debating Bill C-8 and another tax-and-spend bill by the current Liberal government, which does not seem to understand a lot of things. The Liberals do not seem to care about people's privacy. They do not seem to care that there is record inflation in our country. We hear the Deputy Prime Minister go on about it not being a big deal, and that it is not the government's f…
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Mr. Speaker, I bring forward today a petition from people who are concerned about the Liberal Party of Canada, as promised in its 2021 platform, denying charitable status to organizations that have convictions about abortion and that the Liberal Party views as dishonest. Further, this may jeopardize the charitable status of hospitals, houses of worship, schools, homeless shelters and other charita…
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With regard to the impact of border closure and border restrictions related to COVID-19 on the hunting and outfitter tourism industry: (a) what are the government's estimates on the loss of revenue for the hunting and outfitter tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; (b) what specific measures will Destination Canada take to promote hunting and outfitter tourism to an international audience…
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Madam Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I am bringing forward a petition brought to the House by Canadians across Canada that deals with international trafficking in human organs. Specifically, as mentioned by my colleague for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, it would amend the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to prohibit Canadians from travelling abroad to acquire human organ…
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Madam Speaker, I really did not want to get up to speak, but after those comments from the NDP I would point out that petitions are not just from us as parliamentarians. We are representing our constituents, who are bringing their petitions to us to present to the House. It is their way to connect themselves to the House. I would just reiterate that and commend our member who brought that voice fo…
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Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition from many Canadians today on the issue of organ harvesting, especially as it relates to Canadians travelling abroad to participate in it. It is terrible, and we need to stop it.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, in recent years, Russia has refurbished and built over 30 Arctic bases, 14 operational airfields, 16 deepwater ports and over 50 military icebreakers. Further, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, also recently warned Canada that all the resources beneath the melting ice in the Arctic sea belong to the Russian government. When is the Liberal government going to stand up to thi…
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Madam Chair, we have heard a lot of words from the minister. We have not heard once about whether she has actually shown up in the Arctic and asserted our sovereignty as a minister. When will she do that? I think all Canadians are expecting her to do it soon.
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Madam Chair, frankly, talk is cheap. My colleague from Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman stated in a recent article: “The Russian government is opening military bases in the Arctic and the Chinese Communist regime is expanding its Arctic naval fleet beyond the capabilities of Canada and the United States combined,”.... The article continues: [The member] slammed the federal government’s “naïve and dangero…
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Madam Chair, the minister just referred to speaking with her Russian counterpart, but I have not heard about her Chinese counterpart. When will that be?
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Madam Chair, what is the Minister of Foreign Affairs doing to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic physically?
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Madam Chair, I will be splitting my time tonight with the member for Calgary Nose Hill. It is about priorities, and Arctic sovereignty is a priority for our party. We talked about a recent buildup of Russian presence in eastern Europe tonight, as was mentioned by my colleagues from Wellington—Halton Hills and Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, but we have also seen a rise in Russian ambitions in the Arcti…
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Madam Chair, to which countries specifically has the minister reached out to assert our claims?
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Madam Chair, one thing I will say about our previous Conservative government is that we showed up. Our previous Conservative prime minister went to the Arctic many times to assert our presence physically in the Arctic. What is the Minister of Foreign Affairs doing to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic diplomatically?
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Madam Chair, we are not only being affected by our Russian and Chinese colleagues across the way, it is also affecting our relationship with our North American colleagues, namely the U.S. In another article, dated December 1, 2021, U.S. General Glen VanHerck stated: The commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command says China and Russia are developing new ways to attack the continent a…
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Madam Chair, six years is a long time. If it is a priority, why has the government not got to it sooner? The minister is talking about getting to it. When is she going to actually do it?
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Madam Chair, in an interview, a senior Canadian Armed Forces officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the changes were long overdue. The significance of this announcement is just another example of Canada's irrelevance internationally. Does the minister think we are irrelevant internationally?
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Madam Chair, what is the minister going to do to make Canada relevant again in the Arctic?
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Madam Chair, I would like to thank the member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier for sharing his time with me tonight. Actions speak louder than words, and that is a theme I am going to get to. The lack of a softwood lumber agreement has affected my riding greatly. We are in northern B.C., where lumber and forestry are what we do. I want to take us to the time of Obama and the Prime Minister, back in 20…
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Madam Chair, I would do one better than that, just like what similarly happened when we had the agreement before and $4 billion was returned to Canadians as a result of that deal. My hope would be that those tariffs that have been collected in the past get returned to Canadians in this deal, which will be inked hopefully very soon. Am I confident that is going to happen? Not very. I am hopeful, ye…
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Madam Chair, I respect the member from Quebec, who is my former colleague on the natural resources committee. All I would say is that the industry originally wanted an agreement back in 2006. They wanted it in 2015 as well. Much of our industry, as the member well knows, and mills from my area, Mackenzie, are moving south. Good Canadian companies are moving their mills south of the border because …
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Madam Chair, I will commend the minister and our member as well. Our member from Saskatchewan has been working on the U.S. file for many years. I will give credit where credit is due. At least it is happening now. We hope some good things can happen, but I will remind the member that we had great fanfare when we had a sitting president and a prime minister who shook hands. In the first hundred day…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I want to recognize my great Conservative colleague from Quebec. The Liberal member across the way who has criticized the member does not seem to understand what he is asking, which is why the Speech from the Throne did not recognize our natural resource sector and the people who are employed in that natural resource sector. They are looking for a government to defend them and defen…
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Mr. Speaker, the government continues to assure Canadians that negotiating a new softwood lumber agreement with the U.S. is a priority, yet just a few months ago the U.S. trade representative, Katherine Tai, was quoted in Reuters as saying, “In order to have an agreement and in order to have a negotiation, you need to have a partner. And thus far, the Canadians have not expressed interest in engag…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I want to give a shout-out to everybody tonight who really have made the debate about the people of Abbotsford, the Lower Mainland up to the Fraser Valley and in the interior. It is really about the people and getting the people the help they need. That is what we are talking about tonight. As my colleagues from Abbotsford and Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon have mentioned so many tim…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, community leaders throughout my riding are alarmed by the lack of genuine consultation around caribou and other closures. The recent release of the province’s draft winter motorized recreation management plan in South Peace is a direct result of the caribou partnership agreement signed by the current Liberal government in 2020. The B.C. Snowmobile Federation, the Concerned Citizens fo…
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Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The petition calls upon the Government of Canada to recognize the service by Canadians in the regular forces, reserve military forces and others who have taken an oath and sworn to defend our nation and who have completed 547 days or 18 months of uninterrupted honourable duty in their service to Canada from September 2, 1945 to the present day, a…
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from over 55,000 individuals. Community leaders throughout Northeast B.C. have expressed grave concern over the lack of consultation with regard to the proposed caribou recovery plans. The petitioners call upon the provincial government to further consult users, stakeholders, businesses and local government, immediately begin economic and socio-economic impact s…
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Madam Speaker, I have an article in front of me entitled “Heritage minister ignored his own officials over controversial Bill C-10, documents reveal”. It says: Months before the Liberal government removed a section of Bill C-10 in a controversial amendment [the] Heritage Minister...was told by officials within his own department that it was an “important limitation” on regulatory powers. What does…
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Mr. Speaker, I asked the minister a question again in the House on the topic of Bill C-10, unfortunately not dealing with the subject of Bill C-10, but dealing with the issue of ramming it through the House. Recently, we saw the government guilty of trying to ram through a bunch of amendments, much to the surprise of many of us here who respect the process, respect committee work and yet again, we…
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Mr. Speaker, the Pacific salmon strategy of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is nothing but more empty promises. The Liberal government has been in power for six years and, once again, it has failed to listen to our B.C. fishers to develop and implement an effective plan to conserve and restore Pacific salmon. We do not need any more studies. We do not need any more stall tactics. We have expe…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has claimed that science and evidence must always underpin the decisions made by any government. However, evidence acquired by BCWF's Jesse Zeman shows that the DFO assistant deputy minister's office altered a key scientific report to downplay the threats to endangered steelhead. Even DFO scientist Sean MacConnachie warned that this interference “continues to compro…
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade has repeatedly assured our forestry sector that negotiating a softwood lumber agreement with the United States is a priority. However, U.S. trade rep ambassador Katherine Tai was recently quoted as saying, “In order to have an agreement and in order to have a negotiation, you need to have a partner. And thus far,…
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Mr. Speaker, the International Grand Committee brings together parliamentarians from around the world to discuss the issues surrounding the role social media platforms play in our democracies. As one of the committee's founders, I have always stressed the importance of ensuring our fundamental right to freedom of speech is protected. It is why I am so deeply disturbed by Bill C-10. As former CRTC …
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to speak in support and recognition of today being Red Dress Day. It started with the REDress art installation project by Jaime Black. Red dresses hung in public spaces are a visual reminder of Canada's missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. It has grown into a national day of awareness. It is a day dedicated to remembering and honouring the precious lives that…
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Mr. Speaker, last week, I had a disturbing phone call from Ben who just returned to Canada after doing paramedic work overseas. Gabriela, his pregnant wife, and 11-month-old daughter had to stay at one of the government's quarantine hotels. After paying thousands of dollars, the hotel refused to provide food for their baby daughter only offering her oatmeal and then suggesting his wife share the d…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her comments and kind words. The most important thing would be to recognize privacy as a fundamental right or a property right. It needs to be recognized with that significance. The rest comes from that being at the top of the pyramid, because if that fundamental ideal is not there many other reasons can be made not to legislate appropriately. Howe…
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Mr. Speaker, there are many provisions that might be legitimate, given that, between a bank and a person who deals with that bank, there are agreed-upon arrangements. However, there is an exception in place, where it says the organization may collect or use an individual's personal information without their knowledge or consent, if the collection or use is made for business activity described in s…
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to speak to Bill C-11 and data privacy. Many in Parliament know of the previous work that has been done by the access to information, privacy and ethics committee. We dealt with this in 2018 around Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. We came together in London for the first meeting of the International Grand Committee, which represented nine nations and close to half a bil…
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Mr. Speaker, I do share those concerns. In my work as the former ethics chair, I have gotten to know our Privacy Commissioner professionally, and I really heard the case for having stringent protocols around data. Again, this bill is supposed to deal with those concerns, and I listed the exceptions, even for the requirement to consent. Members can use the analogies they want, but a truck could dri…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, looking ahead to the upcoming fishing season, our B.C. public fishery is facing an uncertain future. I have met with countless members of the B.C. fishing community who are gravely concerned that if the Minister of Fisheries continues to ignore sound science, their futures are at risk. The science tell us there are over 110 million hatchery chinook annually entering our Pacific waters…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the planned layoffs at the air traffic control towers in St-Jean, Windsor, Sault Ste. Marie, Regina, Fort McMurray, Prince George and Whitehorse: (a) how many air traffic controllers have received layoff notices, broken down by each airport; (b) does the Minister of Transport agree with the decision to lay off these air traffic controllers, and, if not, has he asked Nav Canada to re…
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