Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Bloc Québécois for his question and his intervention. In this section, there is a 1% tax on vacated homes. I would use as an example, in the province of Quebec, perhaps the city of Montreal, where housing prices are in the millions of dollars. With no disrespect to the 1%, that could be into the tens of thousands of dollars. I would argue that it does n…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will say two points on that. Number one, it is one thing to monitor and track pricing, pricing changes and the correlations between them. There is a difference between that and our proposal, which would have lowered the price and taken the GST off fuel as an option, particularly when prices at the pumps are very high. It would have been a tangible, direct way to give back. That is…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise tonight to follow up on my question period topic from a few weeks ago on the issue of housing and the crisis our country finds itself in. Having only 35 seconds to ask a question in question period is not the easiest to summarize a major national issue. I hope this 10-minute back and forth tonight will be a bit more helpful. I hear repeatedly across my riding, wheth…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the reply, and I will summarize again what I said in my intervention. We are five years in and halfway through the $72 billion that was promised. The Auditor General said that the Liberals actually did not spend what they said they were going to. Actually, I am kind of glad about that, because if they had spent more than they already have, we would be further …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to participate in the adjournment proceedings tonight. I will start with a candid comment that I have said to several constituents over the course of the last few weeks when we have debated the many issues facing the city of Ottawa specifically and our country: I cannot wait until we can come to the floor of the House of Commons and not talk about COVID …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I apologize for any hiccups, but it was relatively relevant to the topic. The Emergencies Act is an example of something that we were confronted with as Parliament in the past few weeks. I will just say this to my hon. colleague. We are now into year three of the pandemic. The light at the end of the tunnel is here. It is not politicians that are saying that out of turn. We are hear…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, the speech by my colleague from across the aisle was a personal one in connection to what we are seeing unfold in the world today. I am with him in saying that I believe this House is united, that the parties are united, that Canadians are united. It has been wonderful to see the number of countries around the world calling out this horrific invasion and the tactics of Putin for what …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, my hon. colleague was referencing in her previous intervention the economic pressures that we can put on Russia. We have seen that from the global community in the last couple of days. I believe, in the coming days, we are going to see even more pressure and more success through that. I would like my colleague to take the opportunity to talk about some of the economic measures that ha…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I want to build on the comment from the NDP member and talk about that. I mean, the line is the logistical challenge of Canada providing, for example, natural gas to Europe, but the other logistical challenge we have, and that Europe faces, is that they are reliant on Russian energy at this point. Part of the opportunity, as we look at the perspective we have as Canadians, is the atte…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as the member for the Green Party mentioned in his comments today, there has been support for this legislation going through. There have been some issues of process, which have been the challenge and making sure that Parliament has the appropriate time to discuss and debate exactly what he spoke about today. This is to fix a problem we should have fixed a very long time ago. I think…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that was well put by my colleague from the Bloc. One thing that I want to focus on when we talk about this legislation is something I have heard several members speak about. Yes, we are dealing with legislation that created undue hardship for seniors and needs to be corrected. I think there is agreement on that, but when we deal with pieces of legislation like Bill C-12, I have hear…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I know my committee colleague from the NDP has risen several times in the House to advocate specifically on the legislative change that we are seeing. I want to pick up on the point of timing and she raises a very good point. We started to hear a lot of confusion when CERB was rolled out about the impacts it would have in July in that renewal period. Those with busy constituency off…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, today Canadians are awaiting the vote on our Conservative motion calling for a plan and timeline to end all federal mandates and restrictions in Canada. For over two years, Canadians have done what is asked of them. They followed the rules. They did what it took to get us to a point where we can finally see the end of this pandemic. Other similar countries around the world have given …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we are one of the most vaccinated countries in the entire world. That should mean that at this point in the game, with the science and the data that are available to us, we should be opening up and getting back to normal. People should be getting back to work. What people see is a deliberate strategy to politicize the pandemic, to give fear, to stigmatize people, to make it appear tha…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to respond to the government's economic update, formally called Bill C-8. I have had the opportunity over the last few weeks, since the House came back, to address a few of the important economic situations that I feel is putting our country under enormous strain right now. I will use my time to talk about two key themes that I am hearing about repeatedly, over and o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from the Bloc for that intervention and comment. I agree with him. I laughed in the House the other day as we were talking about this legislation. A member on the government benches said they had had 35 meetings with premiers across the country in the past couple of years. The premiers' number one ask for the entire time was a permanent increase to health …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I was involved in municipal politics for years and I know that housing supply is a municipal and provincial jurisdiction. However, I agree wholeheartedly that we need to increase housing supply in this country. That will help with affordability. We hear NIMBYism all the time: We need to get stuff built, just “not in my backyard”. I also say part of the challenge that we need to tackle…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, sadly eastern Ontario provides a perfect example of how the Liberals have mismanaged the housing file under their watch. In five years the average price of a home in the Cornwall area has doubled to over $400,000. The Liberals boasted their plan is working, but the problem is only getting worse, not better. A realtor told me that one house in Cornwall recently had 13 offers in just fo…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Myles Lynch, a vibrant young man from St. Andrew's West, who used his lived experience to advocate organ donation. Myles battled cystic fibrosis and made history when he became the first Canadian to receive three double lung transplants in his lifetime. However, I am sad to say Myles passed away at the young age of 24 on December 31. Myles was what I wou…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, there is a growing frustration among Canadians about the Prime Minister's lack of leadership to end this pandemic. We want to see an end to the protests and lockdowns. We denounce all forms of hatred and violence. The comments they last heard from the Prime Minister were earlier last month. He said we need to “hunker down” over the winter and hope for a better spring. Canadians are lo…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to executives at the Canadian Infrastructure Bank receiving bonuses during the COVID-19 pandemic: for the 2020-21 fiscal year, how many executives received bonuses in excess of (i) $100,000, (ii) $250,000?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to privacy breaches that occurred since March 1, 2020, broken down by department, agency, or other government entity: (a) how many breaches have occurred; and (b) what are the details of each breach, including (i) the date, (ii) the number of individuals whose information was involved, (iii) the summary or description of the incident, (iv) the government program or service that was imp…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the VIA rail station in Cornwall, Ontario: (a) what are the details of all capital investments which have occurred at the station since 2010, including the (i) date of the investment, (ii) project completion date, (iii) project description, (iv) amount of the investment; (b) what was the daily train schedule, including the (i) numbers and times of all stops at the station, since Jan…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we talk about delineating things in the bill. The government is talking about help for opioids and addiction and is lumping everything into this bill that would not address that. There is a massive difference between a simple drug possession of a minor nature and somebody committing robbery, arson, kidnapping of a child and so forth. There need to be serious consequences. The governme…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, let me start with this. Someone who is battling an addiction does not need a jail cell: they need treatment. They should not be judged. They should be helped. I think there is universal acceptance of that statement. There is not a Canadian or a member in the House who does not know, by a degree of separation, somebody who has been impacted by battling addiction. Here is the sad part o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Kingston and the Islands does like to pack a lot into the question. Appointing a minister to say that the government is going to do something is not a result. We hear this time and again. There are so many examples of the government saying that it is spending x number of dollars on this or that they have appointed so-and-so to study this. Nothing happens in terms of …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, Riley's Bakery has been an institution and a must-stop spot in downtown Cornwall for over a century. For the past 32 years, Robin and Ana Curran have worked tirelessly to grow its legacy as an anchor along Pitt Street. When we talk about the pride we as Canadians have, and the hard work and dedication of small businesses in Canada, the Currans are a quintessential example. The coupl…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, everybody in the House wants a safe blood supply in this country, and everybody wants to end the discriminatory blood ban. These two issues are not incompatible. Yes, I know the minister has not received the package yet. However, he knows it is coming. There needs to be an urgency. There needs to be something of dignity to show that men who have sex with men can walk and chew gum, as …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, 17 years ago, I went to the Joel Steele arena in my hometown of Winchester, excited to donate blood for the first time. Little did I know, until I got to the questionnaire and it asked if I was a man who had sex with a man, that I would be disqualified from doing so. I told Canadians, through a video earlier this year in some advocacy I have been trying to do to end the discriminatory…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, our community is mourning with yesterday's news of the passing of former Liberal member of Parliament and mayor Bob Kilger. A pillar of the local sports team, including time as head coach of the Cornwall Royals, Bob also spent time as an NHL referee. He served for 16 years as a member of Parliament in our community and later two terms as mayor of the City of Cornwall. People do not wi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House to give my first speech in the 44th Parliament. I want to start off by thanking the wonderful people of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry for returning me to the chamber once again. I am very grateful each and every time I come to the nation's capital and into the chamber to represent my community at a federal level. It is an honour and a privilege a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as I just outlined in the 10 minutes that I had here in the chamber, there are a lot of questions left to be answered about the details of this bill as we propose billions of dollars more in new spending. What measures are in there to actively address the problems that I have just outlined, with respect to organized crime and abuse of process? I do not have that answer today. I am her…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we talk about that as well. Hospitality, tourism and travel were some of the first impacted sectors when it came to COVID, and unfortunately they are going to be some of the last to recover. I have had many meetings and attended delegations not only with local groups but ones at the national level as well. Unfortunately, here we are at the end of November dealing with these things whe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have another opportunity to practise my French in the House a little more. The cultural sector is important in Canada. In my riding, there are many examples of the problems in this sector resulting from COVID-19. I am thinking in particular of the Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall and the Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg. Many cultural institutions are having problems because of th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, after years of delay, Canadian Blood Services has finally announced its commitment to end the discriminatory blood ban. It is a step in the right direction, yes, but questions remain. Health Canada still needs to approve its submission. The government was told back in June that this submission would be coming. If the Liberals care about ending this discrimination with the urgency it d…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry, but that was absolutely shameful as an answer. You have always known this was discrimination. You have known for six months that this submission would be coming, yet you cannot give a date. You cannot outline what that process is. To the minister, people are watching and waiting. Leadership is about backing up your words with action. Talk and talk and talk. The solution is…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, that was not even close to an acceptable answer. They cannot even get the okay to apply to the universal broadband fund that the minister and the government continue to tout provides better Internet access. One hundred and four heads of council in eastern Ontario are behind this project, and it is valued at $1.6 billion. No more wishy-washy teamwork. Can the minister just give a strai…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was World Blood Donor Day. Here is how the United Kingdom celebrated it: For the first time, all donors will now be asked the same questions about their sexual behaviours in a gender-neutral manner, meaning that gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can donate blood and make a difference for the first time. Israel's new coalition government, on day one of its new …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise for the second time in the chamber to debate Bill C-10. I had the opportunity to debate it back in December at second reading. I will be splitting my time with the member for Carleton. Bill C-10 will be remembered as an iconic piece of legislation if it is passed, but not for the reasons the government would want. We have seen over the course of the last seven…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague and fellow eastern Ontarian is a former mayor and we have worked together doing previous work. The people who will probably be the most happy with this legislation are the lawyers, who will get rich off this in the coming years through CRTC decisions. I have spoken in the House on numerous pieces of legislation. In this case, the government does not properly define and gi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, to assure the member, when we talk about Canadian content, that includes anglophone and francophone content in every part and every region of the country. I have to give the members of the Bloc Québécois a bit of a shot. At different times today, and over the course of the last few weeks, they have criticized the process and said that the government really bungled this, that it did no…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's interventions here in the chamber. They are always well said and well researched. She mentioned the process in response to the last question, about the committee work about what has been done or, as a matter of fact, what has not been done in terms of accountability. Michael Geist is one of the experts. I know many of us have quoted him in this House. Thank…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the decision announced by the government on the evening of April 22, 2021, to ban direct flights from India and Pakistan: (a) when did the government make the decision; (b) did the government inform the member from Surrey—Newton about the decision or pending decision prior to making the announcement public, and, if so, when was the member from Surrey—Newton informed; (c) did the gov…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my fellow eastern Ontarian for that question from the government side. It provides an opportunity for me to again state the principles of UNDRIP. The overwhelming majority of the declaration is not an issue. However, for far too long and in far too many examples in our history, we have not seen the proper parliamentary work and consultation to get some of the details…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, to my Bloc colleague, I think it was a summary of what I had illustrated. It has been 2,100 days since the TRC report was released, and it has been 2,100 days of dealing with Bill C-8: call to action 94. As I mentioned, and as the member alluded to, the discovery last week was a wake-up call for millions of Canadians. The families of those impacted are looking for closure and answer…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, 13 years ago next week, the chamber of the House of Commons was filled with tears and a lot of raw emotion. Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the apology for the treatment that residential school survivors experienced at federally funded schools across the country. It marked a milestone in the healing and reconciliation process for former students. One of those former students is…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I do not know where to start with those comments from the parliamentary secretary. Canadians are expecting leadership from the government, which said it would get rid of the blood ban. That answer was an absolute slap in the face. As a proud gay man, about 17 years ago I went to donate blood, only to find out that I was disqualified simply because I am gay. Let me tell colleagues that…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the late show here tonight to follow up on my questions to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health on ending the blood ban in Canada. This is timely, and this has been said in many speeches today, as tomorrow marks the beginning of pride month. It is the second year in a row we will be celebrating pride month in a different forum. We are not g…
Read full speech →