Government Orders
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, 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, 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, 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.
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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…
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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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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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 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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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 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 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, 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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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…
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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…
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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…
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, 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, 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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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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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 appreciate the discourse from the member from the Bloc Québécois, but unfortunately I do not think he really understands British Columbia and what British Columbians want. British Columbians are the most environmentally conscious people in the entire country. That is a statistical fact. We love our rainforests. We love our natural environment. However, the majority of British Colu…
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Madam Speaker, I have a few points to discuss on the MOU regarding collaboration. The MOU states that the Government of Canada is going to collaborate with British Columbia. Under Bill C-5, the government has granted itself powers to exempt the federal government from following other existing legislation. How is the Minister of Natural Resources going to square that with the anti-energy, anti-priv…
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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, forgive my cynicism today, but my riding of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford is one of the most trade-exposed regions in all of Canada. We are the breadbasket of British Columbia. We have one of the most diverse economies. Four years ago, we suffered the most disastrous natural disaster caused by climate change in the history of Canada. Where has the Government of Canada been on securing …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the second petition I would like to present is on behalf angered parents who are again calling upon the Government of Canada to enforce its agreement with British Columbia and not allow for a safe consumption site across the street from a school track. Parents are calling for the Government of Canada to cease all funding to BC Housing until it comes to its senses and finds a more suit…
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Mr. Speaker, today I rise to present three petitions. The first is on behalf of residents in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford regarding the gun confiscation program that will cost Canadian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. They feel it unfairly targets law-abiding firearms owners, and the petitioners note the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates the cost to compensate firearm owners alone wil…
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Mr. Speaker, third, I would like to present a petition today on extortion. Petitioners are concerned about daylight shootings, murders and violence, which underscore a broader public safety issue. The 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 pre…
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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 …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise today to respond to my colleague's deeply moving remarks about Bill C-231, the friends of David act. First, I commend him for having the courage to share such a personal story in the House. My colleague's words remind us that behind the statistics are families, communities and broken dreams. The story of the member's son David is not only heartbreaking, it is a call to action…
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition I would like to present today is on behalf of angered parents who send their kids to Abbotsford Traditional School. The parents are calling upon the Government of Canada to cease all funding to BC Housing until it comes to its senses and stops its plan to put a safe consumption site across the street from the school track. Parents are worried about their children's…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he should be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Perhaps he should be careful what he wishes for. Grocery prices are climbing, families cannot afford the basics and 85% of Canadians say food costs are their top concern. “Canada's Food Price Report” says that, next year, families will pay $1,000 more for groceries. When will the Liberals cut the…
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Mr. Speaker, there are eight million kids in Canada, and last I counted, the national food program is not even feeding two million of them. While families struggle with soaring grocery bills, small businesses are also being crushed by those same inflationary policies and the loss of the purchasing power of Canadian families. Canada has 100,000 fewer entrepreneurs today than it did in the year 2000…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today 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 Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland. Daylight shootings, murders and violence underscore a broader public safety crisis. These residents call upon the Government of Canada to reinfor…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The member is indicating something I did, in fact, not do in the chamber. Let the record stand that I did not speak up when—
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Madam Speaker, the reason we are here this morning is that the justice committee is asking for the opportunity to hear from Canadians, and to travel to do so. A travel motion before the House of Commons is, in fact, very rare. At the heart of why we need this travel motion is section 319 of the Criminal Code. I would like to ask the member for Winnipeg North if he could clarify, in good faith, the…
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Mr. Speaker, we are here today because we put forward a motion to travel and discuss Bill C-9. At the heart of the request to travel is the agreement between the Liberal Party and the Bloc Québécois on paragraph 319(3)(b) of the Criminal Code, which provides an exemption, “if, in good faith, the person expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opini…
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Madam Speaker, I rise, again, on behalf of angered parents who are concerned about the horrible actions of BC Housing, which is proposing a safe consumption site across from the high school track at Abbotsford Traditional School. The petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada to enforce its agreement with the Province of British Columbia, which does not allow for hard drugs to be done i…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise today to address Bill C-241, which proposes the creation of a national strategy for flood and drought forecasting. While the intent to improve coordination and data sharing is commendable, the bill risks becoming yet another Ottawa-driven exercise in paperwork rather than delivering real solutions. Canadians have seen first-hand the devastation of floods and droughts, from Ab…
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Mr. Speaker, there is a correlation between government regulations that limit resource development and extraction in Canada and the number of small businesses. If we ignore the portion of our economy that actually generates wealth and creates income for Canadians, we are going to see a precipitous decline in the number of small businesses. In the Fraser Valley, the heartland of agricultural produc…
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to have previously represented many of the regions this member now represents in the Fraser Canyon. Indeed, in 2021, the federal government promised billions of dollars to help rebuild British Columbia. The government talked about the impacts of climate change. We have seen them more specifically than any other region of Canada. Why does the government not believe in cli…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today on behalf of the great people of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford. I come from a very entrepreneurial riding. Right now in Canada, small businesses are under real pressure: rising costs, persistent inflation and complex regulations. Across Canada, 30.5% of small business firms with fewer than 20 employees reported lower revenues last year and over 20% worry abo…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not even think $350 million would address the pump issues we are facing on Sumas Prairie. The former prime minister, Mr. Trudeau, made a promise to the people of Abbotsford, and to all regions of British Columbia that suffered the most catastrophic floods four years ago, that the government would have their backs. Yes, we did receive $5 billion in the 2021 fall economic statement…
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