Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, in my time today, I want to talk about two specific issues. One is foreign interference in the context of the Hogue commission, and the second is my own experience in the 2015 election and my previous nomination contest at the time. Let us start with the Hogue commission. What did the Hogue commission say about foreign interference? It concluded that foreign states are actively attemp…
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Mr. Speaker, I will note that Kenny Chiu, a former member of Parliament for Richmond, was the member for one of those ridings in question. Kenny Chiu was originally born in Hong Kong. The PRC targeted Richmond as a result of his statements about the human rights activists in Hong Kong at that time. That is a fact. That was outlined by the Hogue commission as well. We have the case of Joe Tay and a…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition from Canadians concerned about the closure of the organic and regenerative research program at the Swift Current Research and Development Centre. The petitioners note that this was the only dedicated organic research initiative within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It supported critical long-term work on soil health, crop rotation, pest management…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. However, I do not agree that the public should be subsidizing political parties through a per-vote subsidy. My reason in opposition to that is that we already have very robust Elections Canada returns, which are in fact subsidies already. I believe our political parties are best served when grassroots members are willing to put forward their own dollars, with…
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, the Hogue commission does outline that. Again, my personal belief is that democracy is best served when we have to be accountable to the people. The best way to be accountable to Canadian citizens is to convince them that we are good enough that they can open up their chequebook, especially in this time of an affordability crisis, to say, “I believe in you, and I'm going to gi…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. In preparation for my speech, I thought about it, but the fact is that in 2015 we could not verify one way or the other. Many of those people might have been permanent residents without a Canadian passport and using their Indian passport. That is a fact, and that absolutely happened. However, I think what Elections Canada and this place would need to do, if p…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the member for his thoughts in more detail about why the government has failed to enact the foreign registry. The government outlined during debates in the last Parliament that it was an important and necessary tool. It was partly in response to the Hogue commission, yet here we are. On three or four occasions, the government changed the timeline. Why is it being s…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the most concerning thing is the requirement for blanket metadata retention. Under the bill, service providers could be forced to store vast quantities of Canadians' digital footprints for up to a year, regardless of suspicion and regardless of wrongdoing. I know in some cases that metadata can be utilized for nefarious purposes, and we need to make sure that the proper protoc…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-22 is the federal government's attempt to finally establish a Canadian lawful access regime after years of inaction. There is no doubt that law enforcement and national security agencies face real challenges in the digital world. Criminals involved in organized crime, child exploitation and human trafficking increasingly use encrypted services, burner phones and foreign-based p…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, in December, I asked the Minister of Jobs and Families why the Prime Minister was increasing industrial carbon taxes during a cost of living crisis. These costs do not stay with large emitters, but are passed down the supply chains, raising the price of groceries and transportation, and stunting economic growth. Lower fuel costs would reduce the price of shipping, building materials a…
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Mr. Speaker, petitioners in my riding note that the federal government recently gave $64 million to a new recreation centre in Brampton, $20 million for the Somali Centre in Toronto, $15 million for a Montreal North athletic centre, $7 million for an aquatic centre in Qualicum Beach and $6 million for a new aquatic centre in New Brunswick. Petitioners from the Wolverines field hockey club are wond…
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition I would like to present today is on behalf of the recreational fishing community in British Columbia. They are very concerned about access to coho and chinook. They note that the federal government did not consult with them in advance of its proposed changes, and they are pleading, in good faith, with the Minister of Fisheries to maintain access for all British Col…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I really do enjoy debating with the member for Vancouver Quadra every single time. I will point out, in disagreement, that the suspension of the fuel excise tax proves the argument I was making, that increased regulations and carbon taxes in Canada do impact our cost of living, and that is why, indeed, the government listened to the Conservatives, in good faith and constructive parlia…
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Mr. Speaker, I have multiple petitions to present today. The petitioners in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford recognize that the total cost of regulation to Canadian businesses has reached $51.5 billion, with $17.9 billion of that for red tape alone. Small businesses have spent an average of 735 hours per year complying with regulatory requirements that provide little or no public benefit. Small business…
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition I would like to present today is on behalf of residents of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford who are raising concerns about individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a listed terrorist organization in Canada. The petitioners warn that such actors threaten national security and may be operating within Canada. They also note that sanctions and the closure…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what I am seeing today from the government is a government pursuing a policy of confusion that has the whole province of British Columbia upset. Earlier today in question period, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations said that the government will pursue all legal options. Can the minister clarify for British Columbians whether that includes an argument to protect the private prop…
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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, 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 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, 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 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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Madam Speaker, the member from the Bloc asked an excellent question about Taiwan. Indeed, Canada has a long history and a growing economic relationship with Taiwan. I think that is where we need a strategic partnership by recognizing its sovereignty in standing up to Chinese ambition, which may lead to a global conflict in the next 20 years. We need to be on the side of Taiwan, not on the side of …
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Madam Speaker, one of the great honours I have in being a member of Parliament is that I get to meet with incredible entrepreneurs across Canada. They have heard the words of the Prime Minister and have been hopeful, but that hope is running thin. It is time to act. It is time to see shovels in the ground. It is time to use the advantages that we have been gifted in this country to our economic su…
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Madam Speaker, I want to build on my colleague's excellent speech. The Prime Minister has spent a great deal of time travelling abroad, signing memorandums of understanding and participating in high-profile international events. While international engagement certainly plays an important role in advancing Canada's interests, it cannot come at the expense of the pressing priorities we face here at …
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Madam Speaker, the member for Québec Centre's question was a great one. In fact, I think he is a great member of Parliament. I wish he were still in cabinet, because I believe he could make some real reforms for the public service that are not taking place under the Treasury Board Secretariat right now. I will address the member's point. What I was outlining in my speech is that we are not focusin…
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Madam Speaker, I listened intently to the member for Winnipeg North speak about the Canadian pork industry. I think he raises some valid points, but unfortunately he left out the real and pressing issues that Canada has with the United Kingdom as they relate to non-tariff and trade irritants specifically for the exportation of pork. The Library of Parliament outlines that Britain exported 5.6 mill…
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition today on behalf of the Mission Self Advocacy Group. Its members state that Canadians with disabilities face disproportionately high rates of poverty, and existing federal income supports, including the Canada disability benefit at $200 per month, are insufficient to meet basic living costs. Individuals with permanent and lifelong disabilities such as …
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition I would like to present today is on behalf of the streamkeepers on the Miami River in Harrison Hot Springs. Streamkeepers throughout the province of British Columbia are committed volunteers who deserve certainty for funding and support from the salmon enhancement program beyond the current budget end of March 31, 2026. The salmon enhancement program collaborates w…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the problem is that the Liberal government misled Canadians when it made the promise that interprovincial trade barriers would actually be eliminated in Canada by 2025. The CBC reported in January that interprovincial trade is still like a 9% tariff on the Canadian economy, accounting for $210 billion of lost goods. I will ask the question again. Can the Prime Minister provide a speci…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like the minister to acknowledge today that by including the removal of the religious defence clause, his actions have actually sown more fear and division in Canadian society. This was a bill on which there was broad consensus when it was first brought forward. With the inclusion of the removal of the religious defence clause, he has diminished public support for the position…
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Mr. Speaker, despite the Prime Minister's promising to eliminate all federal barriers to interprovincial trade by Canada Day 2025, that promise has proven to be an illusion. In many cases, it is still easier for British Columbian distilleries to sell their products to Washington state than to Nova Scotia. Can the Prime Minister provide a specific date when it will be easier for British Columbian d…
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Mr. Speaker, petitioners in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford are concerned about Bill C-9, which would amend the Criminal Code to address hate propaganda and hate crimes. The Liberals are proposing an amendment to remove the religious exemption from the Criminal Code that protects good faith expressions of beliefs based on religious texts. Therefore, the petitioners and permanent residents of Canada cal…
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Mr. Speaker, petitioners in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford are concerned about the recreational fishery, specifically related to coho and chinook. They are imploring the Minister of Fisheries to listen to both Conservatives and Liberals, scrap her policy proposal and maintain recreational access for all British Columbians.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have created an immigration crisis that is straining housing, health care and jobs. As of January, non-permanent residents outnumbered unemployed Canadians, and the Liberals are expanding immigration streams that push our young people further away from employment. Six million Canadians cannot find a family doctor, but taxpayers are now spending $1 billion per year to cove…
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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, which would decimate recreational fishing opportunities for coho and chinook in British Columbia. Recreational fishers fully recognize conservation and first nations' constitutionally protected food, social, ceremonial and com…
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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, 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 …
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, 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, 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…
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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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