Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague here for her excellent leadership. I know I have learned a lot from her in our time together in Parliament, from the deep expertise she brings as a city councillor and her understanding of some of the mechanisms around some of this work. It is true that there is real urgency, and in terms of this funding, I know the builders and some of the developers…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg North. I rise today in the chamber in support of Bill C-26, an act to authorize certain payments to be made out of the consolidated revenue fund for the purpose of improving housing supply. At its heart, this bill is intended to make it easier for Canada to build more homes and the kinds of communities where people can truly live.…
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Mr. Speaker, I think this is a really important opportunity to show that kind of collaboration between the provincial government and the federal government, and to get the communications and clarity around the policy decisions that we need. We have set targets for our housing pieces. I know that last year in Toronto we actually took back some of the funding because the city was not meeting some of…
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Mr. Speaker, when we talk about rurality and the need for housing, we know that this is a challenge not just in downtown Toronto or in downtown Vancouver; it is a challenge across our country. However, one of the things that I have learned about, in terms of the new investments that we have been making, is an initiative in Nunavut where we will be building modular housing and building that in the …
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Mr. Speaker, the eyes of the world are on Canada today as the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off. This tournament is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. My downtown Toronto riding of Spadina—Harbourfront is set to host matches, the Canadian FIFA World Cup opening celebration and the FIFA fan festival at the Bentway. Toronto is proud to welcome the world. Can the Secretary of State for Sport tell us wha…
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Madam Speaker, last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the 14th Canadian Screen Awards right in my riding of Spadina—Harbourfront. This annual celebration recognizes the very best in Canadian film, television and digital media. The industry gathered together to cheer on Canadian legend Mike Myers, who received the show's Icon Award. The Toronto-born comedian has made us laugh for decades her…
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Mr. Speaker, centering the experiences and voices of survivors is critical to getting this right. It is how we move forward and ensure that there is real justice for women who have suffered.
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Mr. Speaker, one of the testimonies we heard earlier this week at the status of women committee was about the concept of restorative justice and finding other approaches to respond to these challenges. We live in a patriarchal society in which there is a whole host of really challenging views around the place for women, women's safety and women's role in our society. We are thinking about other wa…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in strong support of Bill C‑16, the protecting victims act. I do so as a woman and as someone who has spent years listening to women, survivors and frontline advocates describe the gap between their lived realities and the protections our laws have provided. When I was 13 years old, I was given a rape whistle. It was a quiet but unmistakable signal that my presen…
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Mr. Speaker, I have just become a member of the status of women committee. I am really thrilled that we are working at a systems level to start to address some of these challenges that we are seeing in the laws and to hearing from some of the folks who are doing the work on the front lines to identify some of these challenges. I cannot speak to the question that the member brought up specifically,…
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Mr. Speaker, I was recently in Strasbourg as part of a parliamentary delegation, and one of the issues that we were exploring was around gender violence and the need to take more explicit actions. I am very proud to be part of a government that has recognized femicide as part of the wave of violence that women experience in our communities. What we are achieving here with this legislation, alongsi…
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Mr. Chair, I am pleased to rise today to speak to Canada's refugee and humanitarian commitments, and how Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's 2026-27 main estimates will support this work. Immigration is one of the great acts of nation building. It is how we meet labour shortages, reunite families and respond to persecution and displacement. It is also how people born elsewhere come to c…
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Mr. Chair, I would like to ask my dear colleague, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, about these main estimates. It has been very good to have the minister come and see some of the incredible work being supported in my riding of Spadina—Harbourfront. We had a chance to see first-hand the work of Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto, where they have a legal clinic, medical servic…
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Mr. Speaker, that is certainly a hot topic of conversation in our communities. I have recently hosted a number of town halls and had conversations with residents. Right now, I will say that I have not seen the plan, in terms of how the expansion might go forward, and I cannot speculate on something that I do not have the details on, but I do know that we are looking right now to think about how we…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for the fantastic question on how we think about diversifying our economy at this really challenging time. We have a phenomenal organization in our riding called the Toronto Region Board of Trade. Its home is actually in Spadina—Harbourfront. They are doing some very important ecosystem work right now to help prepare companies and small businesses to pivot…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are living through a moment of real uncertainty. Families are feeling the pressure of rising costs, communities are anxious about economic instability and people want to know the government has their back and is prepared to step up and invest in the future of our country. At a time like this, we cannot afford to pull back from our cities. We need to invest in them. This is e…
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Mr. Speaker, one of the pieces of the groceries and essentials benefit that I really love, in terms of a policy measure, is that we are having the conversation about a national food strategy. This means that we are not just doing the immediate piece, but we are actually thinking about how we invest in a food system that works for the country. I think that is really critical when we are addressing …
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Mr. Speaker, I believe our government is stepping up in the ways that it is best suited to. We can invest the capital that is required to build these massive projects. I spoke about waterfront east transit. That is a project that I am very excited to see come online. It is years overdue. In this work, our role as a federal government is to work alongside other levels of government to ensure that w…
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Mr. Speaker, from food banks and employment training to health services and community support, Canada's non-profit and charitable sector supports people every single day. When families need help, when young people need opportunity and when communities need connection, this sector is the first place that Canadians turn to. Canada's non-profit and charitable sector generates $244 billion in annual e…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the occasion of World Theatre Week, organized by the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and celebrated around the world, culminating in World Theatre Day on March 27, 2026. Spadina—Harbourfront and Toronto's downtown are home to a vibrant theatre community, including Jumblies; Factory Theatre; the Mirvish theatres, the Royal Alex and the Princess of Wales; a…
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Mr. Speaker, my riding has a lot of multi-unit residential buildings, and I am wondering if my colleague could talk a bit about how we are looking toward the future and to future-proofing the auto sector by thinking about what we need in terms of moving toward electrification.
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Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago for International Women's Day, 12 students from McGill University walked up to Parliament to shadow and learn from women parliamentarians. Yesterday, we welcomed 85 students from McGill, Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Ottawa to this chamber to shadow women parliamentarians across party lines. Women in House has now welcomed more than 5,000 young wom…
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Mr. Speaker, as we welcome the Lunar New Year, I send my warmest greetings to the Vietnamese Canadian community and to everyone celebrating across my riding of Spadina—Harbourfront. The year of the horse calls us forward with energy, renewal and perseverance. It is a time to gather with family, honour our elders and reflect values such as resilience, generosity, learning and service. In recent wee…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of Bill C-227, an act to establish a national strategy on housing for young Canadians, introduced by the member for Sackville—Bedford—Preston. I represent Spadina—Harbourfront, one of the most densely populated ridings in the country and one of the youngest. In fact, I want to thank my youth council, which is meeting for the first time this evening back in th…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of Bill C-222, the relieving grieving parents of an administrative burden act. First, l would like to acknowledge and thank the hon. member for Burnaby North—Seymour for bringing this bill forward. The loss of a child is one of the most devastating experiences a parent can face. lt is a loss that reshapes a family forever. ln those moments, parents deserve co…
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Mr. Speaker, gender-based violence remains a serious concern in communities across Canada, including in my community of Spadina—Harbourfront. Survivors have been clear about the need for a justice system that better understands the realities of coercive control, intimidation, harassment and repeat harms. The protecting victims act, Bill C-16, responds directly to these concerns. Could the Secretar…
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Mr. Speaker, last week I joined hundreds of residents from across my riding to celebrate the magic of the holiday season with the lighting of our 33-foot tree in the community square at Harbourfront Centre. Harbourfront Centre and the public spaces around it are vital gathering places. They bring people together and create a sense of belonging in vertical neighbourhoods like mine. Even in a fast-p…
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Mr. Speaker, today is Giving Tuesday, a global day of generosity and community, an opportunity to reflect on local needs, support important causes and give through donations or volunteering. Volunteering is how we learn about ourselves and the world. It is woven into who we are as Canadians, and we are people who care. According to the “World Giving Index”, Canada ranks 11th for generosity, yet Vo…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-225, the private member's bill sponsored by the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola. The bill aims to confront one of the most heartbreaking and pervasive crises facing families and women across this country: intimate partner violence. Addressing intimate partner violence is a shared responsibility, and today we have an opportunity to demonstrate that w…
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Mr. Speaker, last month, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's business data lab, commissioned by Business/Arts in partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts, released a report confirming that the arts are far more than cultural expression; they are a key economic driver. In 2024, the sector generated $65 billion in GDP, nearly $130 billion in total economic impact and over $7 billion in tax re…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague for her phenomenal reflection on this extraordinary budget. I will ask her to elaborate a little more, given her deep experience as a municipal councillor, on the challenges we are seeing at other levels of government. What are some of the strengths you see in the proposed budget?
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-15, the budget implementation act. It is a budget for a moment of profound global change. This is not a routine budget; it is a blueprint for generational transformation, a plan that would define Canada's future for decades to come. We are laying the foundation for a modern, secure and competitive Canada in the 21st century, future-proofing our economy while …
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Mr. Speaker, last weekend was a defining moment for sport in Canada as the Northern Super League, our country's first professional women's soccer league, held its inaugural championship final at BMO Field in my riding of Spadina—Harbourfront. Can the Secretary of of State for Sport share with Canadians how our government is investing in women's sport, including with the recent $5.4-million commitm…
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Mr. Speaker, with our new government, the choices we are making are about protecting the social infrastructure and the core pieces I know my residents in Spadina—Harbourfront talk about as really key to securing their future: the programs and the social infrastructure. These are the choices we are making as a government to continue to support Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague's question is a very thoughtful one. Our government has taken a very prudent, smart and responsible approach to how we are delivering the budget, our first budget under the Carney government. We are making choices—
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague for her question. I know that the work of local democracy and local journalism is critical for storytelling and for the information ecosystem we need in this country. That is why we have committed $37 million to the local journalism fund. That kind of investment will strengthen democracy and ensure that Canadians have access to high-quality local news tha…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague's question about what is needed in urban centres was a very thoughtful one. I certainly have a very urban and dense riding in Spadina—Harbourfront. Something I know Canadians care about and Torontonians care about deeply is how we move around the city and how we invest in transit mobility. The infrastructure investments we are making as part of the $51 billion are investm…
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Mr. Speaker, November 15 marked National Philanthropy Day, recognizing Canadians whose generosity strengthens our communities. From food banks and shelters to arts, conservation and youth programs, philanthropy fuels essential work across this country. Spadina—Harbourfront is home to the national chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and organizations such as Eva's Initiatives, t…
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Mr. Speaker, the government was elected with a decisive mandate to keep violent repeat offenders off our streets. While the Leader of the Opposition was attacking the brave men and women of the RCMP, calling them “despicable”, the Minister of Justice was working with provinces, territories and law enforcement to develop solutions-focused bail and sentencing reforms. Today, the minister has tabled …
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Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday, we celebrated the 96th anniversary of the Persons Case, when the Famous Five fought to have women recognized as persons in Canada. Their courage reshaped democracy in this country. Across Canada, women are transforming government, business and public life. We are delivering on the national $10-a-day child care program, a national action plan to end gender-based vio…
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Mr. Speaker, as somebody who has worked in the gender violence space for many years, I know there is distrust of our systems among survivors, and there is work to be done in all of our legal systems to build back trust. There are some very strong elements in this bill that are based on the strong recommendations coming out of the reports from both justices that give us a pathway for that.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the much-needed modernization of the Canadian military justice system and the transformation of the culture within the Canadian Armed Forces. Bill C-11 is an important step in renewing the Canadian Armed Forces and ensuring that our military institutions reflect the values of justice and dignity that Canadians and CAF members both expect and deserve. Canada…
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Mr. Speaker, I will confess that I am not able to speak to that; I do not have the answer, unfortunately.
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Mr. Speaker, it is really important legislation to pass so that survivors can feel safe. One of the other elements in the legislation that I think is really important is the annual reporting. The measures there are best practices in this space, and I think this is an opportunity for us to do the right thing.
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Mr. Speaker, from my understanding, this bill would allow us to establish and move forward on the particular requirement that was noted.
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Mr. Speaker, why is this important? Part of what surfaced in the reports was the existence of the chain of command and it being a challenge in the culture of the military. The bill would allow for a different approach to justice, which was one of the recommendations put forth very strongly.
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Mr. Speaker, in June 2026, the FIFA World Cup is coming to Canada. All six Ontario matches will be hosted on the vibrant waterfront in my riding of Spadina—Harbourfront. Toronto has a proud record of hosting international sporting events, from the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup to the 2015 Pan Am Games. Time and again, we have delivered unforgettable moments on and off the field. Toronto's waterfront co…
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Mr. Speaker, every September, the streets of downtown Toronto in my riding of Spadina—Harbourfront come alive with the magic of cinema. The Toronto International Film Festival is the world's largest public film festival, showcasing over 300 films and drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from Canada and around the globe. This year, TIFF celebrated its 50th anniversary. I was honoured to attend…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian steel and aluminum are the best in the world, and our workers in those vital industries are second to none. However, we know that these vital sectors are facing very serious threats as a result of unjustified and illegal American tariffs. Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue update the House on how the government is supporting our wo…
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Mr. Speaker, I wanted to ask my hon. colleague about some of the elements of the bill, some of the progressive pieces there that he wanted to speak to in terms of the criteria around nation building and how he thought that might advance the opportunity to build a strong Canada.
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