Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to first congratulate a fellow British Columbian on her election, but also thank her for participating tonight. The NDP has made its points today with regard to it. It also has the ability to raise its own opposition day motion specifically, because sometimes political parties are going to say where they see the main problems being. It is not to say there are not other …
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Madam Speaker, I want to debate with the member for Winnipeg North around one specific point. He is misrepresenting the motion before us. In the previous election, we said that we would like to review “the extensive real estate portfolio of the federal government – the largest property owner in the country with over 37,000 buildings – and releasing at least 15 per cent for homes”, while improving …
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Madam Speaker, on a point of order, during the previous engagement we had a member walking around the chamber without a mask on. I would just like us all to be mindful of each other by wearing masks in the House.
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Madam Speaker, it is certainly an honour to rise on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola to debate this very serious topic. I will be splitting my time with the member for Bay of Quinte. I am very proud to say that. I suspect every member of this place knows of the housing affordability crisis many Canadians are facing. We all know it, and we certainly know the Prime Mi…
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Madam Speaker, I certainly appreciate the member's contribution, for her service and for being part of the debate tonight. I certainly hope she gets to ask that question from this side of the House in the future. When I first became a parliamentarian, in the 41st Parliament, one of the things I remember is speaking to the previous minister responsible, Diane Finley, about this. She had worked out,…
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Madam Speaker, I attended, along with the member for Edmonton Riverbend, the FCM meeting in Quebec City. One of the things I attended was a forum on affordable housing, and the B.C. housing minister at the time, Selina Robinson, who now happens to be the finance minister, was asked about the national housing strategy. She responded that the government had come to the table, but it had yet to inves…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the government is just not listening. One of my constituents, Allan, crossed the border with his wife to attend a matter in Washington state and returned an hour later. The government announced a 72-hour exemption, but despite being fully vaccinated, Allan and his wife, because he does not use a smart phone, were told their documents were not acceptable and they would have to quaranti…
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Mr. Speaker, some areas in my riding, such as the Kelowna General Hospital and the Penticton Regional Hospital, have been built up to the footprint of the road, and there is not a lot of space. Again, I am very supportive, as is the member, of freedom of expression and the ability to share one's political views regardless of what they are. We are a free and open society, but let us bear in mind th…
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Madam Speaker, in British Columbia, the NDP government has already introduced a five-day sick leave regime. Obviously, the federal one is 10 days. I would like to ask the member whether he believes the B.C. NDP's five days is too low, or the federal one is too generous.
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Mr. Chair, I certainly do appreciate the member for Davenport, but, realistically, she said that things were going well with the United States. We have issues with electric car batteries. We have buy-American provisions. We have softwood lumber issues. This is all going horribly wrong. We all may be on team Canada, but when the manager is not doing a good job of managing the team, the manager gets…
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Mr. Speaker, let me give some context. In my riding, the Merritt Tolko mill has closed, and Tolko has closed in the Kelowna—Lake Country riding. The company is not leaving forestry. It is leaving British Columbia, and opening up in places like Louisiana. The member says they should be able to open up other places. On May 29, 2021, in a story by Lance Lambert in Fortune magazine, headlined “Biden a…
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Mr. Chair, I would like to congratulate the member for his speech. When the Liberal government was elected in 2015, there were a lot of problems with the mandate letters that the government released. In fact, I remember asking the government to prioritize softwood lumber in the mandate letters in 2015. It was the first thing I said when this chamber came back after the election. Would the member a…
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Mr. Chair, I would love to ask the member about Crown copyright, but that is a discussion for another day. We are seeing more and more investment shifting southward. That is bad for workers who want to put their skills to use and who want to put food on the table for their families. It is bad for those communities, specifically for those communities that rely extensively on forestry for that emplo…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, it is lovely to be here. I would like to thank the member for a great presentation. I am sure his voters are very proud of what he has to say. The member has struck on a number of points when it comes to the government's need to prioritize. The Liberal government, even before the pandemic hit, found difficulties when it did a cost-savings analysis and it said it needed to spend more…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the Prime Minister's presence here today to share with us his response to the Leader of the Opposition. Canadians want to see a little more statesmanship when it comes to the big issues they have. I must confess, and maybe it is the smallness on my side and my character, but I found the Prime Minister's speech today very partisan. Actually, maybe it is for the best, bec…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, for years we have been saying that the Liberals are all talk, no action on climate change and now we have proof. The environment commissioner has confirmed that the government has been a total failure on reducing emissions. Canada is number one in emissions in the G7. Is the minister proud of being number one?
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Mr. Speaker, Liberals are number one in the G7 on emissions and number one in this place for blaming others for their lack of action. Now, the government has declared war on the oil and gas sector. Despite that, emissions are continuing to rise. Liberals pick fights, make enemies and kill jobs, but still emissions do not decline, so if it is not to lower emissions, why is the government so focused…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister just does not get it. My region and province have been suffering for years due to the inaction of the government on the softwood lumber dispute, yet when the Prime Minister promised hope and met with President Biden, the American leader said their relationship was easy and then jacked up the tariffs on Canadian wood. Why did the Prime Minister not get a deal on softwood l…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, obviously this has been quite a debate, and I would say that all sides have been supportive of British Columbia. I want to thank the minister for being part of that. One thing we have heard, whether it was in the election or since then, is that the government seems to have large ambitions but not many achievements. It is something the Leader of the Opposition said earlier. There are…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his passion and his productivity, and for giving the ministers the message that we need help. That was incredible. In his speech tonight he talked about the challenges that many small indigenous communities have had and the gaps they are falling through. It is tremendously important that we try to help out those communities that need that support…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, you know there is no such thing as a brief answer from me, but I will try. The leader of the official opposition was very wise in appointing, as his shadow minister for emergency preparedness, our member from Alberta. If we hearken back to the tornado that hit Ottawa, there were concerns around the lack of cellphone coverage, part of that being because of the infrastructure that run…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, first of all, I am delighted, and I congratulate the member for her election. I am also delighted that her children get to see her in action. I feel badly that they had to see 20 minutes of me to get to that. Most important, there are so many challenges at an individual household and community level that this is where we really need to come together. The member for Abbotsford said i…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my fellow British Columbian for his participation here tonight and for sharing some of his knowledge and expertise. The community of Grand Forks, as he said, went through quite a process, and we are going to see the same things happen here. We are going to be running into it. Right now, I hear from people who are saying that, if they are insured, they are being told …
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Madam Speaker, I certainly appreciate the member raising the issue. Again, the mayors who requested that this be looked at really do not care if the 40% is coming from the province and the remainder is coming from Ottawa, or vice versa. They are just saying that they cannot afford this but they have to proceed with these repairs. They have to protect their communities. They have to get these thing…
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Madam Speaker, I asked the question of Michael Reeve from Q101, stationed in Merritt, because he was continuing to do his job as a journalist to make sure the public was informed of the policies and guidelines that were being taken, and he was evacuated. The difficulty with dealing with these kinds of cases is that we put journalists, first responders and local officials in such difficult situatio…
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Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today. As this is the first opportunity I have had to thank the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola for their continued support, I would just thank them all. It is a big honour. Let me begin by also congratulating all members on their election to this new Parliament. While there will undeniably be things we disagree upon, let us be mindful tha…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, my neighbouring member of Parliament and I, as British Columbians, stand together and appreciate the fact that we have an emergency debate to discuss these issues. At the tail end of his speech, the member did talk about the experience of Grand Forks. I was wondering if the member could please give us a little more background on exactly what happened and also how the community is doin…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, it is a certainly a pleasure to rise. I would like to thank my colleague from Quebec for her sympathy with British Columbians who are going through a very difficult time. While the focus of this debate should be on that, she did bring in a bit of a wider scope. Before I ask my question, I want to say that I agree with her. The government, in the throne speech, talked about an adaptati…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I want to salute my fellow British Columbian for her comments today and her sympathy for all those who have been affected by the flooding in our great province. The hon. member talked about needing to do things differently. Tonight, I know that we are going to debate lots of different ideas and I do hope we hit some big ideas. For example, I have heard from small municipalities about …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to thank so many members of this place and their constituents who have reached out and passed on support to the good people of Princeton and Merritt, along with the many small indigenous communities in the Similkameen and Nicola valleys, who have been devastated by flooding. While there has been some positive news that some residents can return home, the …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, first let me say that it is always a pleasure to rise in this august chamber on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. I wish it was under different circumstances. To all of the parties that supported the creation of the Canada-China special committee, I thank them. It has opened a door into a world that we often have failed to see. There are a number of thi…
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Mr. Speaker, as the defender of all our rights and privileges here, I know it is not an easy task. However, part of the way this institution works is that if members experience where their privileges have been violated, it is incumbent upon those members to immediately raise it with the Speaker at the earliest opportunity. Obviously with the clock being what it is, it is a principle that the Speak…
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Madam Speaker, the minister said in the House at second reading of Bill C-12 that he was willing to work with all considerations from other parties. We asked for industry representation on the advisory board and he said he was open to that. Then he said that the Liberals were open to working with all parties regarding amendments. He also said that the Liberals supported a Bloc motion to have parli…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank my fellow British Columbian. I know why he is so uptight and upset. My speech has revealed the true face of the NDP in this Parliament. It has enabled the Liberal government and its rhetoric instead of taking real action. I was in favour of this bill very early on, to the surprise of the member and I am sure of many in his caucus. However, the minis…
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Mr. Speaker, I know the member is disappointed, and I know that the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands was extremely disappointed, not just with the product but with the process. When in government, no party will win everyone over, but for goodness' sake, we should at least have a clean process. More than anything, that is where members, like the member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith and the member for Saanic…
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Mr. Speaker, I am really pleased that the member for Essex listened to my speech. Had he listened to the whole thing, he probably never would have wanted to talk to me again. However, I will speak specifically to the one part of it. The Conservatives believe in a whole-of-government approach. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach to climate change. That is the only way we are going to be able to d…
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Mr. Speaker, we live in a democracy, so it is up to citizens to decide who will champion their cause. If we look at Bill C-10, for example, the Liberals have sided with the Bloc, the NDP and the Greens to jam a bill through that quite honestly most Canadians do not understand. When they find out that their right to freedom of expression, as laid out under subsection 2(b) of the charter, is at risk…
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Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded division.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's contribution tonight. Obviously, she saw much of what we saw during the committee process when a number of witnesses come forward who were unhappy with the government's bill. Could she point out what she believes is fundamentally missing from the government's legislation? Does the environmental community she has heard from feel this is the best bill that coul…
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Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded division.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her support for a Conservative amendment to Bill C-12, which would deal with issues around electrification and transport. I know the member cares deeply about that. In fact, she was able to get an electric vehicle study from which I learned quite a lot. Both the Liberals and NDP made a number of amendments, but most of the amendments already fell…
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Madam Speaker, I certainly appreciate the member, being a fellow British Columbian, and I know that he is quite passionate about this issue and cares deeply about his constituents. I also appreciate his efforts on the environment committee to reach out, as he said. One of the things that the member spoke about earlier was carbon budgets. The reason I raise carbon budgets is that this is a subject …
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Madam Speaker, I certainly appreciate the member's intervention, being a fellow British Columbian. In the amended Bill C-12 after committee, there was a clause put forward by the NDP on basically using the term “independent” to make the advisory body independent. Does he think that is the case? The minister said tonight that there was a milestone for 2025-26 included because of the co-operation be…
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Madam Speaker, I am curious. From the member's tone, body language and speech, he seemed to be pouring it on pretty thick on the government for all of its failures and its wrongness in its approach, yet the member and his party are supporting it. I would ask him to reconcile the two.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud my fellow British Columbian for the work that he has done in terms of the all-party credit union caucus. He raised the profit-taking by certain companies, particularly the large banks. I would also point out that many small credit unions, unlike the big ones, like Vancity, already do so much. Valley First credit union in my area does Feed the Valley. Interior Savings…
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Mr. Speaker, let me say, and not in a back room in a private conversation, that you are awesome. Thank you for your service. To the member for Kingston and the Islands, the demographics in this country are getting older, and we know that means there will be less of a tax base for governments, both provincial and federal. We also know that there has been criticism, even from the member's own party.…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. Let me inform you, Mr. Speaker, that you will have a much more enlightened speaker because I plan on sharing my time with the member for Elgin—Middlesex—London, who, I am sure, will do a fantastic job. From a parliamentary perspective, we live in dangerous times. I say that because I would li…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously small family wineries, small craft breweries and artisan distillers are hurting. The foot traffic is gone, tourism has dropped, people are not buying from them and they are often going to liquor monopolies, so this is a big issue. My Bill C-260 deals with trying to get around provincial liquor monopolies. I will let the member know that the leader of the official opposition …
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Mr. Speaker, this is one area where the government continually talks a game about innovation and skills. Kevin Page, former parliamentary budget officer, is now heading up the University of Ottawa's Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy. It is a think tank that analyzes these issues. When the government first came to power, it was presented with a report from the think tank that showed that fo…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. There seems to be a bit of a sense of electoral urgency in the air, so let me just say that I have always appreciated the honour to be their representative, and I will always keep fighting for their interests. I am thankful also to my family, who allow me to continue that work. If we h…
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