Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, one of the first issues I raised in Parliament six and a half years ago was about the outdated technology system for the employment insurance, CPP and EI model through Employment and Social Development Canada. Unfortunately, the Government of Canada continues to face these horrible situations because the Treasury Board guidelines for technology employees specifically have not been m…
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Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition on behalf of the residents of Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley, who are highly vulnerable to flooding due to low-lying geography adjacent to the Fraser River and tributaries. Recent severe flood events have caused widespread damage to homes, businesses, agricultural lands and critical infrastructure in the region. Flooding disrupts critical supply chains and tr…
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Mr. Speaker, since 2009, Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa and armed Fulani militia have carried out sustained attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria, causing mass killings and widespread destruction of churches and villages. Despite the scale and duration of this violence, there have been no meaningful prosecutions, and international rights organizations report persistent failures by Nigeria…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians the strongest economy in the G7. Instead, Canada now has the only shrinking economy and the second-highest unemployment. We have lost over 100,000 jobs since January of this year, and many of our small businesses are going to the United States. Other countries are dealing with the same problems and the same global pressures. Will the Prime Ministe…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think the gravity of the situation is hitting the government appropriately. In the last two decades, Canada has lost 100,000 entrepreneurs, but our population has gone up by 10 million people. Since 2019, there has been a 19% increase in business exits, with only a 5% increase in new businesses. Nothing the government is doing is helping our entrepreneurs, our job creators. W…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, last week we had another serious flood warning in the Fraser Valley. Today I plead with the government to listen to the concerns of our region, a key national economic corridor. On November 24, 2021, in the House, I was promised that the Liberal government would be a partner in rebuilding Abbotsford for a stronger future. We are still waiting for action. The government has signalled t…
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Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition on behalf of constituents in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford who are deeply concerned about proposed changes to the salmon allocation policy that would decimate regular recreational fishing opportunities for coho and chinook in British Columbia. Recreational fishers fully recognize conservation in first nations' constitutionally protected food, social, ceremonial an…
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Mr. Speaker, I will say it has been great getting to know the member from Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, and playing hockey and building bridges amongst the political parties. In good faith, I really have enjoyed getting to know him. However, we do fundamentally disagree on approaches to secularism in Canada. I will note as well that my constituents are very concerned about the contex…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of constituents in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford to table several petitions, for the very last time, on the Liberal-Bloc amendment to Bill C-9, which would remove the good-faith religious exemption from the Criminal Code of Canada. This could criminalize clergy, educators or individuals for expressing sincerely held religious beliefs or for quoting sacred texts. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, the member has used that example in good faith, and that is one single interpretation. The justice committee has heard from hundreds, if not thousands, of people and organizations that feel that the government is going down the wrong path and that it has steered away from what it intended to do in the legislation originally to get it passed in a way that they wanted and in the time fr…
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is an insult to the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who are concerned right now. The script reads like a movie. The Minister of Canadian Identity makes these comments before he is in cabinet. He erupts, people get angry all across Canada, and then the Prime Minister appoints him to cabinet. Then the Liberals make an agreement to amend Bill C-9. Canadians are right to be …
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Mr. Speaker, before I begin my formal remarks, just over a week ago, an old folks' home in my riding, the Chartwell residence on 7th Avenue in Mission that is located right beside the church, burned to the ground. It was my church, St. Joseph's, that organized help for all of those displaced seniors. It was community members, the Mission Gurdwara and other faith groups that came forward and helped…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition on behalf of constituents in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford who are deeply concerned about the proposed expansion of medical assistance in dying to individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness. My constituents fear that expanding MAID in this way risks normalizing suicide as a response to mental illness. They believe instead that Canada should…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always amusing listening to the speeches by the member for St. Catharines. In 2015, in the Niagara Region, the average cost of a home was about $270,000. Today, it is about $600,000. The same experts that the member referenced, and I will acknowledge they are experts and do a lot of great work in our community, also endorsed the plan in 2015 that was supposed to make housing aff…
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Madam Speaker, my question is very simple. Why would the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure think it responsible to develop a new government agency, with the use of taxpayer dollars, without set targets and timelines to outline to Canadians how many homes would actually be built?
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Mr. Speaker, when our institutions work as they should, people feel safer, victims know where to turn, investigations can move forward, and communities can stand strong in the face of intimidation and violence. Unfortunately, due to the changes Liberals have made over the last 10 years, that is not the case in Canada right now. We know what we need to do. The motion before us today is a step in th…
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Mr. Speaker, we have already had the debate in this chamber between Bill C-2 and Bill C-12 in good faith. The Liberals' attempt to bring up another issue that was not related to their election platform in the amendments they made in Bill C-9 disrupted a lot of good work that we could have done collaboratively on behalf of Canadians. Instead, when it was right before Christmas, in December, the Lib…
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Mr. Speaker, all I have to say in response to the member for Winnipeg North is that it is time for the Liberals to stop playing politics with the lives and security of Canadians. I will offer him the opportunity to clarify his earlier statements on Bill C-16 and how he misled Canadians with his false statements on what is included in that legislation. I will take no lessons from the member. Again,…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously the member for St. Catharines is very disturbed. Maybe he needs a cup of coffee. I am surprised the Liberals let him speak today. Normally, it is only the member for Winnipeg North. I feel bad for him. In respect—
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Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of hot air in the chamber this afternoon. We have not heard the member for St. Catharines lose his mind for quite some time. I am actually quite disturbed by what I heard and how much anger and confusion he seems to have as an individual member. I can see why the Liberals have not let him speak for quite a while. That was just an egregious example of what a member of Pa…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of the residents of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford regarding the gun confiscation program, which will cost Canadian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. They feel it unfairly targets law-abiding, responsible and licensed gun owners, while doing nothing to address public safety and rising crime rates. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that the cost to …
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Mr. Speaker, in response to the member for Richmond East—Steveston, who spoke earlier, I would just like to clarify some comments on Bill C-16 that I heard in the House. Bill C-16 would not change the offence of extortion itself and would not create any new mandatory minimum sentences for extortion. It would add extortion as an explicit aggravating factor. It would not redefine extortion. It would…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing a surge in violent extortion that is shaking communities across the country. Families and small business owners in my own community are living with a level of fear they have never known before. Extortion has risen by 330% since the Liberals were elected. In British Columbia it has climbed more than 480%. In B.C., 14 accused extortionists have paused removal by claimin…
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Mr. Speaker, what can Parliament not do that is contained in Bill C-10? My concern with the bill is that it is simply an admonishment that Parliament has not been doing its job holding the executive accountable already. What is to stop the existing standing committee from issuing a report or conducting an audit? Parliament already has these powers. Why do we need another officer of Parliament to d…
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Mr. Speaker, in reference to the debate that just took place, I do not believe the Liberal government has passed very many treaties in the last decade. It is almost as though the Liberals are slapping themselves on the wrist for not doing their job. Today, I rise to oppose Bill C-10, an act respecting the commissioner for modern treaty implementation. The stated aim of the bill is better accountab…
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Mr. Speaker, I will note, as I did in my speech, that there are many reports from the Auditor General outlining the issues we have had with implementing treaty rights for indigenous peoples of Canada. They have never been followed through on. The argument I was making throughout my speech is that we do not actually enforce the mandate of the executive of the Crown to fulfill treaty obligations. I …
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Mr. Speaker, what lies behind my opposition to this is that we, as individual members of Parliament, have so much more power than I think almost any of us even attempt to exercise. If this bill is successful, all the powers outlined in Bill C-10 for the actions of the commissioner, the officer of Parliament, would be for what we as members of Parliament already can do. If we care about seeing trea…
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Mr. Speaker, I wish I were standing here today and the Minister of Indigenous Services was before Parliament saying that they had signed multiple treaties that were going to empower young indigenous Canadians to start businesses, have access to their resources and have better certainty for home ownership. However, we are not there, and we have not seen any of that in the last decade. That is unfor…
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Mr. Speaker, I oppose the establishment of another officer of Parliament because it would degrade the work we should be doing as members of Parliament and would not take concrete action to hold the minister accountable for their responsibilities to sign treaties. There is no consequence for not signing treaties in this bill.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise today in good faith and in the spirit of collaboration to get things done, to move Canada forward, and I believe that Bill C-230 can help us do that. Bill C-230 is an act to amend the Financial Administration Act and to make consequential amendments to other acts by establishing a public registry of large debts and obligations that have been waived, written off or forgiven. A…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, small businesses are paying the price for the Prime Minister's economic inaction. In January, 52,000 private sector jobs were lost and $39 billion in investment fled to the United States. Canadian businesses are delaying expansion and workers are losing their livelihoods. The Prime Minister promised the fastest-growing economy in the G7, but growth is flat and not a single anti-develo…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a petition on behalf of constituents in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford who are seeking certainty for funding for the salmon enhancement program beyond the current budget end of March 31. The salmon enhancement program is a great educational tool in the province of B.C. that teaches biology and the salmon cycle to many youth. This program is administered by the Pacifi…
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Madam Speaker, on behalf of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, I would like to present a petition about Bill C-9. The Liberal-Bloc amendment to Bill C-9, passed at the justice committee, would remove the good-faith religious defence clause from the Criminal Code of Canada. Bill C-9 would allow the state to prosecute people who express deeply held religious beliefs the government finds offensive. Therefor…
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Madam Speaker, the last petition I would like to present today is on behalf of citizens of Abbotsford, in honour of Darshan Sahsi, who lost his life a few months ago. These residents are calling upon the Government of Canada to reinforce the process of public reporting so Canadians can clearly see how federal, provincial and local governments are working together to prevent further increases in vi…
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Madam Speaker, the third petition I would like to present today is about GST and HST in the context of physical education, specifically dance education, which provides significant physical, mental and emotional health benefits, including improved fitness, self-confidence and resilience, contributing to the overall well-being of Canadians. The petitioning Canadians are calling on the Government of …
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Madam Speaker, the second petition I would like to present today is on behalf of residents of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford who are deeply concerned about the proposed expansion of medical assistance in dying to individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness. My constituents fear that expanding MAID in this way risks normalizing suicide as a response to mental illness. They believe t…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present petition e-6753, which was signed by 7,175 Canadians who want the GST and HST removed from massage therapy services. Registered massage therapy is recognized as a medical service by health care professionals, and registered massage therapists are licensed and regulated like other health professionals but still not exempt from GST and HST under the Excise Tax Ac…
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite, the parliamentary secretary, said that the Conservatives do not talk about climate change. A government scientist said that the disaster that happened in my riding in December was related to climate change. I have been in the House for many years, beating my head against the table, asking the government for a response in order to protect the breadbasket of Briti…
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition I present today is calling for an alternate location to a supportive housing project planned for Martens Street across from the Abbotsford Traditional School. Throughout the process, there has been a lack of transparency, public input and considerations of alternate locations, nor has a disclosure of plans been provided by BC Housing. The petitioners are calling on…
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Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford to table two petitions. The first is in memory of Mr. Darshan Sahsi. Daylight shootings, murders and violence underscore a broader public safety crisis in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland. Residents are calling on the Government of Canada to reinforce the process of public reporting so Canadians can clearly see how federal, prov…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, extortion cases are exploding and it is a full-on crisis. In Surrey alone, police are responding to more than one case a day. Families and small businesses are terrified, truckers are feeling the heat and people feel abandoned by Justice Canada. After years of Liberal promises, the results speak for themselves. Crime is up and criminals walk free. Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 strip mandator…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, communities across the Fraser Valley and the interior are under evacuation orders as rising waters threaten homes, farms and critical infrastructure. The border is shut, highways are closed and supply chains are disrupted. The 2021 floods taught us hard lessons, yet today we find ourselves confronting the same vulnerabilities. Our roads, dikes and drainage systems remain inadequate to…
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Mr. Speaker, nearly one in four British Columbians is food insecure and food bank usage is soaring. The Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by grocery prices. Well, the verdict is in. Under the current Liberal government, food banks are not just for emergencies anymore. They are now an entrenched lifeline of support. When will these Liberals stop their inflationary spending and cut the hidd…
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition I present today is on behalf of angered parents who are concerned about the actions of BC Housing and its attempt to install a safe consumption site, or drug den, across the street from the school track at Abbotsford Traditional School. Angered parents are calling upon the Government of Canada to cease all federal funding to BC Housing until it comes to its senses …
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Mr. Speaker, that member should be ashamed of outlining fiction and fantasy in respect to the challenges of British Columbians in feeding their families. The 2026 food price report says grocery prices will keep climbing to $1,000 more next year, forcing families to compromise on healthy food and to rely more on food banks. Farmers in my riding, the breadbasket of British Columbia, tell me they are…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition on behalf of residents of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford who are frightened by the ever-increasing levels of organized violence, extortion, shootings and intimidation across the Lower Mainland. Daylight shootings, murders and violence underscore a broader public safety crisis. These residents call upon the Government of Canada to reinforce the process of public …
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Mr. Speaker, one reason we are in such a quagmire as a country is that, for nine years under Justin Trudeau, the Government of Canada ignored every opportunity to build additional resource infrastructure. In fact, when the German chancellor came to Canada, the Prime Minister said no. The Japanese president came to Canada, and the Liberal government said no. The Dutch government came to Canada. The…
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Madam Speaker, I am scared. I am scared for the future of my children, because the Government of Canada is not doing good enough. As the member mentioned in her remarks, we turned down three major natural resource deals, which would have lifted children out of poverty and lowered global emissions, yet the Liberals said no. When I was a staffer, the Liberals put forward the most divisive and burden…
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Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe it is under the Standing Orders. This is a misrepresentation of the way Conservatives feel about Canadians. We do not, in fact, believe Canadians are stupid—
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Madam Speaker, I think my colleague missed the amendment that we put forward to the motion today, which talks about the Conservative commitment to indigenous ownership, partnerships and benefits, and engaging with British Columbia in a trilateral discussion. There has never been a prime minister in the history of Canada who has had a more favourable social climate to build projects than the Prime …
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