Government Orders
Madam Speaker, Bill C-2 is being promoted as a crime and border security bill, but it includes sweeping measures that touch on Canadians' private lives. In a data-driven world, it is of utmost importance that governments, citizens and companies have the fundamental right to privacy protected. The issue with Bill C-2 is that it touches on so many details without enough language or safeguards in pla…
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Madam Speaker, I do not believe I need to correct any facts about the consequences of how the bill is written and the implications I sought to draw attention to. In our caucus, we have a former Crown prosecutor, the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, who spent his career combatting sexual exploitation. There are many other things we could do in the justice system, which the Liberals have had 10 …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Surrey Newton for outlining some of the key provisions in Bill C-2. One aspect of the bill he did not touch upon is access to online data, the impact this would have on privacy regulations in Canada and the fundamental right that our party believes all Canadians have access to, which is a fundamental right to privacy. I believe this bill would undermine that …
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Madam Speaker, according to Statistics Canada, total sexual assaults have risen 74.83%, 90% of which are against women. Why has the Liberal Party enacted policies that have done so much to hurt and damage women? Do the Liberals not respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the right of women to live free of the fear of being hurt in our society?
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Madam Speaker, in the last Parliament, there was considerable debate on the fundamental right to privacy. The legislation never did see the end of the day, and the New Democratic Party did work with the Conservatives to push forward our concerns about the usage of data and about the provisions being put forward by the Liberal government under the former prime minister. Will the member agree with t…
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Madam Speaker, in many cases, Quebec makes a strong case about protecting its jurisdictions under the Constitution. In fact, sometimes I believe British Columbia could learn a bit from Quebec and assert its provincial authority as well.
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Madam Speaker, as it relates to money laundering, I have been up in the House talking about the Peter German report and about the implications it has had for British Columbia probably more than any other member. What I find so ironic today is that the Liberals, for the very first time in my six years in this chamber, are actually speaking about protecting Canadians for a change. Under their watch,…
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Madam Speaker, before Parliament rose for the summer, I shared the heartbreaking story of the Lehmann family from my riding in Mission. They lost $300,000 to extortion. Their lives were completely destabilized, yet the criminal never spent a single day in jail, only nine months of house arrest and probation, while the Lehmanns lost their retirement income. Since I raised that question, more devast…
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Madam Speaker, I recently met with the chief of police of Abbotsford, and he mentioned nothing about cash transactions. In fact, in my conversations with the police forces in the Fraser Valley and in the greater Vancouver region, they were mostly concerned about bail. They want to see bail reform right now. That is what they want to see.
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Madam Speaker, in good faith to the member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, I have a couple of follow-up questions. How many Canadians were convicted of extortion in the last year? When will the government bring forward legislation on tougher sentences? Finally, the member referenced new tools to address these challenges. When will we see those new tools? I am pleased to see the member outline the …
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Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of petitioners in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford who are opposed to the drug policies in federal institutions. Correctional officers in particular are calling for an end to the prison needle exchange program and corresponding programs that give free illegal drugs and paraphernalia to convicted felons in Canadian federal institutions.
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With regard to Canadian counter tariffs: (a) how much money has been collected through the Canadian counter tariffs that came into effect on March 4, 2025; (b) how much of the money collected has come from small businesses; and (c) how much of the money collected through these counter tariffs has been allocated to small business programs in total and broken down by program?
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With regard to the Prison Needle Exchange Program: (a) how many federal institutions across Canada are currently participating in the program; (b) are there plans for additional institutions to implement the Prison Needle Exchange Program in the future, and on what date will each institution implement the program, broken down by location; and (c) how many inmates have (i) applied to, (ii) been acc…
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With regard to the $5 billion in funding through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements to British Columbia, committed in the 2021 Fall Economic Statement, in response to extreme weather events: (a) how much of this commitment has been delivered to British Columbia to date, in total, and broken down by specific project funded; (b) when will the outstanding amount be delivered; and (c) what…
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With regard to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, since January 2016, broken down by year: (a) how many individuals applied to the program with the National Occupational Classification codes (i) 31102 (General Practitioners and Family Physicians), (ii) 31100 (Specialists in Clinical and Laboratory Medicine), (iii) 31101 (Specialists in Surgery); (b) of the applicants for each National Occupationa…
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Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the point I am raising. It would bring into legitimacy the ability of Canadians to uphold the integrity of the existing laws. The Elections Canada Act also provides the right for every Canadian to vote. I do not believe there would be the necessary provisions under the Canada Elections Act to prevent this from happening, and that is why I raise that point.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my wonderful constituents in Canada's number one riding, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford. It was a great summer, and I appreciate all the feedback I received from them. I am motivated to serve on their behalf and to fight for the things that were discussed during the election, namely addressing the affordability crisis, the cost of living challenges that young families are facing, …
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Mr. Speaker, I will say one thing, which is that I have dealt with lost Canadians and the struggles they faced. I am glad that the bill includes the provisions from Bill S-245, which is very important. I want to see those people made whole, and I want to see that passed. However, in general, there is a lot of pressure on my staff to deal with people in very precarious situations. It is the tempora…
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Mr. Speaker, to be very brief, I am concerned about two-tiered citizenship being created as a result of the bill. I hope that, if it moves forward to committee stage, the minister can come clean and outline, and listen to the positive feedback Conservatives have been providing in the House today to strengthen the provisions in response to the Ontario courts.
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Mr. Speaker, this is the first opportunity I have had to speak on Bill C-3. It is maybe the second day of debate we have had on the bill in the 21 days of Parliament in 2025. I would encourage the parliamentary secretary to listen to the words of the Prime Minister this morning when he spoke about all of the great women elected to the Liberal Party of Canada. Unfortunately, they do not get the opp…
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Mr. Speaker, today I rise to present a petition on behalf of my constituents, who are alarmed about the increase in repeat violent offenders being released on bail. . The petitioners have witnessed a sharp increase in car theft, gang violence and drug-related deaths. Violent crime has increased by 50%; violent gun crime has surged by 116%, and in 2022, 256 Canadians were tragically killed by peopl…
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Mr. Speaker, extortion is up 357%. Let us take, for example, the Lehmanns in Mission. Last year, they lost $300,000 to this heinous crime. While their lives were completely destabilized, the criminal never served a day in jail but got nine months of house arrest, and probation. The Liberals rejected our common-sense extortion bill in the last Parliament, which would have reinstated mandatory minim…
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Mr. Speaker, extortion is obviously illegal, but it was the minister and the Liberal government that removed the mandatory sentences for these dangerous crimes. The sad reality is that the Lehmanns will probably never get their money back, and not only were they traumatized by this crime, but they were also forced to remove the $300,000 from their business account, and now that money is subject to…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for Kapiskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk on his first speech in the House of Commons. He mentioned that he had worked in the forestry sector. What measures could we take to support the forestry sector in Canada through Bill C-5 or other initiatives here in the House of Commons?
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I do not believe, after we have taken a vote on a matter, that it is appropriate for a member to refer to the comings and goings of the Prime Minister.
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Madam Speaker, in the Fraser Canyon and Fraser Valley region, we are seeing a huge number of first nations entrepreneurs who want to build projects on their traditional lands. They want to bring economic prosperity to their people, and they are pushing ahead faster than the Government of Canada is able to move with more projects. First nations want to see barriers eliminated for that work. They wa…
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Madam Speaker, there were multiple questions and points made by the member, and I congratulate him on his entry into the House of Commons. I will note that I am supporting this bill because I believe there is an urgency. I just believe that the Prime Minister's Office is going too far and is lacking transparency in its approach to the second part of the bill before us today. If the member would li…
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Mr. Speaker, during the election, the Prime Minister made many references to the legislation before the House today. The expectation in British Columbia is that after this bill is passed, British Columbian farmers will be able to sell their wine in every other province and territory in Canada. Can the leader of the House for the government state clearly today whether all trade barriers for the dis…
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North has not. Frankly, in his riding, the Filipinos are very upset with him because he made that promise, and he cannot deliver on it. Conservatives proposed a blue seal program that would allow health care workers to transfer their skills easily across provinces and the establishment of a national competency body, similar to the Red Seal programs for trade. B…
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Mr. Speaker, while I appreciate the sentiment of the member from Mississauga, I am worried about the details in the legislation before us today. Can the member confirm if the breakdown of interprovincial trade barriers will allow B.C. wine producers to sell their goods, without any federal rules in place, to any other province or territory? Second, why has forestry been excluded from projects of n…
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Mr. Speaker, today I table two petitions on behalf of voters in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford. The first is in respect to the prison needle exchange program. Drugs and drug paraphernalia are considered contraband in prison, yet the Liberal government is forcing our correctional officers to simply turn a blind eye and allow dangerous drugs to be used inside our prisons. These correctional officers are…
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition is on behalf of Seabird Island First Nation. On June 23, 2022, Bill C-28 received royal assent, which allowed for extreme intoxication to be used as a defence for violent crimes such as sexual assault, where a reasonable person would not have foreseen the risk of a violent loss of control. Residents are very concerned about this provision in the Criminal Code and a…
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Mr. Speaker, while I have spoken many times in committee of the whole, while presenting petitions and when asking questions during question period, so far in this parliamentary session, I have not participated in Government Orders. To that end, I would like to thank the voters in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford for giving me an overwhelming majority to represent them in the people's House of Commons in…
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Madam Speaker, with respect to the question from the member for Winnipeg North, there would have been a federal licensing body. Let us turn to page 2 of the Liberal platform, which states, “Unleash free trade in Canada by Canada Day by tabling legislation to eliminate all federal barriers”. We are not getting that. The platform continues, “Achieve mutual recognition of credentials with provinces a…
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Mr. Speaker, small businesses fought for five years to receive the carbon tax rebate. Now that the money has been disbursed to small businesses across Canada, they are seeking clarification as to whether or not the Canada Revenue Agency will treat it as a taxable benefit. Can the Government of Canada clarify this today? Yes or no, are carbon tax rebates taxable?
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Mr. Chair, does the Government of Canada condemn BC Ferries' decision to purchase ferries from a state-owned enterprise in Communist China?
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Mr. Chair, is the minister aware that Abbotsford was impacted by floods in 2021, one of the most costly disasters in the history of Canada? Is the minister aware that in the fall economic statement of the previous Parliament, over $5 billion was allocated to disaster recovery efforts in the province of British Columbia?
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Mr. Chair, the Liberal Party's platform promised additional funding for disaster mitigation and recovery. What is the total, and how much will B.C. receive?
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Mr. Chair, does the minister agree that the federal government has a responsibility in aiding communities that have suffered from a natural disaster and need additional infrastructure funding?
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Mr. Chair, does the minister agree that Abbotsford plays a critical role in B.C.'s food security?
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Mr. Chair, what portion of the $16 million of the supporting climate resilient infrastructure initiative will British Columbia receive?
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Mr. Chair, would the minister agree that Abbotsford should be aided by the federal government to rebuild its infrastructure to account for natural disasters and climate change?
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Mr. Chair, will the Government of Canada continue its $30-million subsidy of BC Ferries?
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Mr. Chair, does the minister acknowledge that CN Rail, CP Rail, an international airport, Southern Railway, a border crossing and Highway 1 are all present in Abbotsford and are critical to Canada's natural interests and the operation of our supply chains?
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Mr. Chair, will the ferries from China be subject to tariffs like Chinese EV tariffs put in place by the government?
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Mr. Chair, can the minister please outline to the House which government program Abbotsford should apply to to receive its portion of the main estimates being debated here tonight?
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Mr. Chair, table 176 of the main estimates outlines $2.4 billion in transfer payments to the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. What portion will be allotted to British Columbia?
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Mr. Chair, in table 176, $440 million is allocated to the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund. How much will British Columbia receive?
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of British Columbians who are facing repeated closures of hospital emergency rooms. In my riding, some of those closures took place during the Chilcotin landslides, on the hottest day in 2024 and on many days since. While hospital closures are regularly blamed on staffing shortages, delays in recognition of foreign-trained health care worke…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Spadina—Harbourfront on her first remarks in this House of Commons. We share one thing in common: We are both former parliamentary interns. I welcome her to the House of Commons. I would encourage her to use her voice in this chamber. The Liberal Party has a tradition of allowing the member for Winnipeg North to disproportionately take up all the time. Th…
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