Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I find it so ironic that a bill about communication, about streaming, about communicating with each other is not allowed the proper time for communication in this chamber and at committee. Why does my colleague suppose that the government would release a policy directive in the previous iteration, Bill C-10 in the previous Parliament, and refuse to do so at this point?
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's insights. I want to add to the comment from my hon. colleague across the way that the other option would be that the bill could also be improved. My hon. colleague from the NDP referenced the fact that she was looking for some changes at committee to incorporate some of these indigenous languages. What is her perspective on this very motion that we a…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise and bring the voice of Chatham–Kent—Leamington to this chamber. I want to thank my colleague for splitting his time with me. I am pleased to speak to Motion No. 16. Actually, I am not pleased to speak to it, but I am honoured to have this opportunity on Motion No. 16, the programming motion on Bill C-11. Canada is home to some of the best talent in the …
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Madam Speaker, this legislation has not been updated for 31 years. There was an attempted update in the last Parliament, and the very same flaws that we saw in Bill C-10 are being brought again to this chamber and again to this committee. Why were adjustments not made? We have seen time allocation moved at every stage of this bill, rather than the genuine debate that I think my colleague in the ND…
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Madam Speaker, I think the direction to update the Broadcasting Act is supported by all organizations and all sides of this House. That need is clearly understood. What I have been hearing is that in the process of updating and attempting to gather support to update the bill, there has been overreach. We have seen that too many times. Those are the concerns I am hearing about. I am hearing about t…
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Madam Speaker, I actually articulated the specific areas that needed addressing. Those same areas were articulated and brought forward with Bill C-10, and again there were closure motions rather than serious dialogue around those changes. That is what we experienced. I do not sit on that committee. I cannot speak specifics to that, but I certainly can speak to which motions need to be clarified in…
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Madam Speaker, it has come up in several debates this evening that there would be exemptions for the sport shooting community. We have heard the term “expert sport shooters”. One becomes an expert by practising. Will the exemptions be carved out for those who are attempting to represent Canada on the international stage in that community, or is this bill a means to an end?
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, about 17 minutes ago, I entered my seventh decade of life. I turned 60 about 17 minutes ago, so I am going to ask the Government of Canada, through the parliamentary secretary, to consider giving me a 60th birthday gift, which is an answer to the questions I just asked. Why, as the industry has called for, can the fiduciary responsibility not be transferred over to Global Affairs? W…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise and bring the voices of Chatham-Kent—Leamington to this place, even if it is about 10 minutes after midnight. I also appreciate the opportunity to follow up on the question I posed on April 1, with respect to Canada's obligations under the 1956 Great Lakes treaty with the United States. My understanding specifically on the funding shortfall is that Ca…
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Madam Speaker, in comments earlier, the hon. member across the way made it clear in her comments that the desire is to remove guns from our streets and have fewer guns in circulation. There are parts of Bill C-21 I agree with and my caucus agrees with, and we made the good-faith offer to split this bill, address those areas, get them through committee and get them enacted into law. Why did the gov…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, a year ago, a constituent Brian married Daniela, a Colombian national. They applied for a visa for her seven-year-old daughter, Sophie. Nine months later, they have had no communication and no updates, just “We are processing your application”. In frustration, they reached out to my office. We were told that on September 9, an IRCC system change delayed applications made before that…
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Mr. Chair, what measures is the minister taking to mitigate the impact of invasive species already in our Great Lakes?
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Mr. Chair, what is the current status of the Walpole Island and Kettle and Stony Point first nations' interests with respect to indigenous fishing, either for sport or for commercial purposes?
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Mr. Chair, how does the minister intend to alter ballast regulations to minimize the amount of invasive species now being released through ballast water?
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Mr. Chair, does the minister believe that it is acceptable to delay the passing of the budget for the Great Lakes Commission due to Canada's lack of payment?
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Mr. Chair, the payments have been increased to meet our obligations that we agreed to. We were behind for seven years, so when will the $9 million that was just committed in this budget be paid? That same commitment was made in 2017.
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Mr. Chair, when did the minister become aware that we were behind on our payments?
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Mr. Chair, was it to ensure that this obligation was met?
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Mr. Chair, why was Canada behind on our obligation to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement?
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Mr. Chair, how can you then justify supporting such a tax if you do not know if it will apply to businesses? How will you ensure that this will not apply to rental yachts, aerial tour planes, or limousines, or can you justify that the impact of this tax will be positive for Canadians and the boating sector?
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Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for Kelowna—Lake Country. Is the minister against people owning cottages to relax as a family and/or for their mental health?
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Mr. Chair, cottages are outside the affordability of almost everyone. What is the difference between owning a cottage, or going to a cottage, and owning a boat, if that is how families choose to spend their leisure time?
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Mr. Chair, there are vacant positions on the Great Lakes Commission board of directors where candidates have been put forward by Ontario. Why have these positions not been filled?
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Mr. Chair, will the luxury tax apply to vehicles that are just for business purposes?
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Mr. Chair, the PBO has estimated that about $600 million will be lost in sales and has estimated about $176 million of taxes might be recouped by 2023. Does the minister feel that this is good value for Canadians?
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Mr. Chair, what does the minister then say to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which says that the luxury tax does not hurt the rich but rather the employees of this sector?
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Mr. Chair, I am going to ask her to repeat that. Did she say that she is not in charge of her ministry and that the Prime Minister makes those decisions?
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Mr. Chair, does the minister support the transfer of governance of this commission from DFO to Global Affairs, as the industry has called for?
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member just concluded by stating that we need to use every tool in our tool box to fight climate change. The previous parliamentary secretary stated that Canada's emissions are counted by all of the fossil fuels burned here in Canada. I assume that includes our imported fossil fuels, as well. Can the hon. member explain then why the price on pollution applies to Canadian-ge…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, there was a failure of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority's Hydro One conduit project. Three independent engineering firms have confirmed that the failure was due to the lead engineer, CIMA, which was both the design engineer and the bridge consultant. We are told that CIMA was allowed to continue as the lead consultant on the failure review of which they were the subject. Why were …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is always a privilege to rise in the chamber and speak on behalf of the residents of Chatham-Kent—Leamington and, indeed, on behalf of agriculture across Canada. I am also pleased to speak to my colleague from Huron—Bruce's private member's bill, Bill C-234, which affects so many constituents, including our own family farm. The bill seeks to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pri…
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Madam Speaker, I respectfully ask for a recorded division.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his comments. I do not always agree with members on the other side, but in today's debate I find myself in agreement. I have to ask myself why the Bloc would be bringing this question to the House when there are perfectly legitimate channels. I am not dismissing the legitimacy of the question, but of the process. Could my hon. colleague comment …
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's raising the request for the guidance documents. I met with representatives from CropLife Canada this morning. They, too, have been looking for them since December 8, so I hope he has the opportunity to encourage the minister to release them very soon. I want to ask the member more specifically about the price on pollution for fuels, particularly for …
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Madam Speaker, I appreciated my hon. colleague's comments about agriculture. I would like his opinion on the different approach we are taking to the carbon tax on farm fuels. The government is proposing that the farmers act as the bank account for the government. This is setting aside the fact that $1.73 per $1,000 of expenses does not come close to covering the cost of the carbon tax. What would …
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Madam Speaker, early on in my hon. colleague's speech he described Bill C-8 as delivering support where it is needed. I am wondering if he could comment on whether he agrees with the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who described this bill as delivering support that was not needed. Would he agree that it is feeding part of our present inflation rate?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, given that Canada signed a treaty in 1956, and given that we have had an awfully hard time living up to the terms of that treaty, and given that the government budgeted funds to fully live up to the treaty in 2017, would the member opine whether transferring the responsibility for that treaty from DFO back to GAC, from whence it came, would help the government's ability to honour ou…
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Madam Speaker, early in my colleague's comments he referenced the robust economy that Canada was experiencing just prior to the pandemic, and later on he referenced that the budget was getting the debt and the deficit under control. I am wondering if he could comment on the wisdom of having the government add $112 billion to this country's debt prepandemic, and then how this budget gets our presen…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from the Bloc for the passion that he brings to his work in this chamber and at committee. I would ask him to clarify some of his comments regarding the AgriStability program. If I heard him correctly, he is suggesting that improvements can be made, which I would support, with provinces that agree to move ahead. Is he suggesting that the Canadian governm…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague across the way for his fine speech. I have the opportunity to serve with him on the agriculture committee, which I appreciate. He mentioned Nova Scotia wine. I will also inform him that I completed a project with him last night. I finished the final sip of a very good bottle of Nova Scotia wine. He did not have the chance to complete his thoughts re…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, U.S. representatives on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission have delayed the passage of their 2022 budget because of Canada's long-standing appropriations shortfall in meeting its treaty obligations. In the fisheries committee, the minister agreed with my colleague for South Shore—St. Margarets that the best decision for Canada would be to pay its bills and not allow invasive species…
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With regard to the government’s broadband internet strategy: (a) what is the timeline for providing complete broadband internet availability to Pelee Island; (b) will the deadline be adjusted for lost time due to slow rollout after the announcement; (c) what is the total amount of funding to date to complete broadband internet availability on Pelee Island; and (d) what are the details of how the f…
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Mr. Speaker, the United Kingdom implemented a properly structured grocery code of conduct after trying the Australian model and failing. U.K. consumers are now experiencing lower food costs at the grocery shelf because their supply chains operate more efficiently. Here the potential CP Rail strike triggered threats of fines from our retailers to our national food suppliers three weeks prior to eve…
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague just began to answer the question I was going to ask. I have heard the questions talking about the far right and the far left in response to his discourse. In the member's opinion, where does the Parliamentary Budget Officer stand in that spectrum between the far left and far right, and what were the PBO's comments on $71 billion of additional spending and its relati…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, in many ways Ukraine is us and we are Ukraine. Canada has the largest Ukrainian community outside of Ukraine and Russia. We are one in our opposition to illegal invasions. We are one in our shared value that democracy and freedom best serve a country's citizens. We should not describe what is happening there as a war, because a war implies two aggressors. Russia alone has illegally in…
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Mr. Speaker, labour shortages in agriculture and food processing have caused over $3 billion in lost sales. In Chatham-Kent—Leamington and right across this country, farmers and food manufacturers use temporary foreign workers when Canadians do not apply to fill these vacancies. The industry asked for an emergency worker program, which builds on existing programs, requires no new spending and no n…
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With regard to the government's decision to allow Zijin Mining Group to acquire Neo Lithium Corporation: (a) what specific concerns or issues about the transaction did the government consider when reviewing the purchase; and (b) for each concern or issue in (a), why did the government determine that it was not significant enough to stop the transaction?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague and indeed my neighbour, and I congratulate him for introducing this private member's bill. We have talked a lot in the House about labour and labour shortages, and it is a no-brainer to link a potential change here to addressing that. I would like to give my hon. neighbour the opportunity to comment on how he feels the impact of the bill would play out on …
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Madam Speaker, all four of my grandparents were born in Ukraine. I have visited three times and sunk my hands into that rich soil. Ukraine feeds much of Europe. I listened to the last two speeches, and a commenter from the previous speech stated that pipelines do not deliver fertilizer. A century ago, our nitrogen sources for crop production came with the warning “store high in transit”. Today's f…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, I join this debate with great sadness and disappointment in my heart this morning. Please make no mistake: It is always an honour to be the voice of the residents and citizens of Chatham-Kent—Leamington in this chamber, but I am sad because of the toll that the current situation continues to have on Canadians and the fact that so much of this is unnecessary and avoidable. The fundam…
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