Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Bill Makinson, a well-known local media personality and civic leader in Cornwall and surrounding communities, who announced that after volunteering and working with YourTV in Cornwall since 1976, he will retire on Friday. While Bill has spent numerous hours in the studio, his commitment to volunteerism has been matched by only a few people over the years…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would agree with my colleague from Sarnia—Lambton with respect to our natural resources sector. I have spoken in the House many times about the importance of our natural resources not just for those in Alberta and Saskatchewan but for our entire country. We are lucky from the east coast to the west coast in a wide variety of jobs and industries. When we look through the budget, th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague from the NDP knows I have a great deal of respect for him. We do agree on some issues here and there. On his comment about that, I will go back to my comments before. We need to have supports as people begin to recover. I am frustrated that we have to offer CERB as we go into this summer, because parts of our country will be reopening. We have made it very clear that we…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today in the House to speak to the budget implementation act. This is the first time for me as a new member of Parliament to speak to a federal budget. It is hard to believe I have been here 19 months, but this is our first budget. I am here to speak about what it means for my constituents in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry and for our country. It is very hard…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I think we will agree that the environmental plan presented by the government has not done what it said it would do. Every target that has been set has been missed. To my colleague from the Bloc's point, if she speaks to the oil and gas sector workers, they do not want government assistance, they do not want any subsidies; they want the government to get out of the way and allow the…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary is trying to pivot away, but it is her record. It is the ability of the Liberal government, Health Canada and the health minister that can end it. She just heard how the health minister can end the blood ban right now, whenever the Liberals choose to. The government did not promise to study it, do more research or take six years. It promised to end it bec…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I am waiting for the day the member calls me homophobic or something, but here is the absolute truth about the current Liberal government: It wants the votes of gay men; it just does not want their blood. The Liberals are the first people to show up to a photo op or attack a premier or somebody else, but it is their record that is under scrutiny because of their virtue signalling an…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, in my one minute left, I would encourage the member to come and visit my constituency office and see the hundreds of appointments we had to cancel through our volunteer income tax program. People could not come, because we were in a lockdown. We shut down our office, rightfully so, as we were told to do. However, there are many Canadians who do not go out, who do not have access to …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to follow up on my questions regarding the extension of the tax deadline. I realize the tax deadline has come and gone this year, but my frustration and the frustration of tax preparers and many Canadians in all parts of the country have not gone away. We are going to hear tonight in the government's response, as we have several times, that the government is there for…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the government's response to our ask to extend the tax deadline is absolutely tone deaf. We are not talking about a glitch on a website. We are talking about millions of Canadians, who are being told to stay at home, who cannot complete their taxes by the deadline. They are going to miss out on benefits. There will be gaps and continued chaos. They call CRA and are on the phone for fo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it gives me the opportunity to reiterate that this is not an ideal situation we are in. The message, as I concluded there, for the union workers in this country is that we need to make sure that not just for those at the port but for tens of thousands of union jobs that rely on that port being open and being known as a reliable place to bring products in and out, we need to have that …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, maybe I should put an asterisk on what I was saying about supporting union jobs. I support union jobs being here in Canada, not union jobs moving to New York, New Jersey or Norfolk, Virginia. If there is no access to the Port of Montreal and it could be seen as being unreliable, jobs and operations would be permanently shifted to the United States or other areas. We do not want to see…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have not had the opportunity to speak to the member from Manitoba and the NDP yet in this COVID world, but I think this is the first time I have been accused of gaslighting, for those who know my style. I certainly hope my speech did not reflect that whatsoever. The approach we are taking is not pro-business or pro-union; it is pro-Port of Montreal, and that includes a win for both …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to rise in the House tonight, speaking specifically to the back-to-work legislation for the Port of Montreal. I am pleased to provide a perspective as an Ontario MP, for many of my constituents, businesses and farms that rely on the viability of the port in my part of eastern Ontario. Some parts are only an hour or two away from the port, depen…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, I rise to follow up on the upcoming tax deadline and my continued concern that millions of Canadians are vulnerable to losing the benefits being renewed this July because they have not been able to get their taxes done. The government says it cannot do it, but let us take a look at last year. We were in a pandemic, we were under lockdown and people were asked to stay at home. The go…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, millions of Canadians are at risk of having their benefits cut off this July because they have not been able to get their taxes done by going out. They are not able to do their own taxes at home and they rely on tax preparers. We are talking about seniors, parents, those with disabilities and those on a fixed income. We need compassion during these challenging times. Let me ask a ques…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is good to see my colleague from Saint-Jean, albeit virtually. I do miss sitting with her at committee in my former committee role on PROC. I hear what she says about the details needing to be worked out, but I go back to the same thing. We are better off as a country, as a Parliament with respect to reconciliation if these things are ironed out and if the consultations and resolut…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I certainly agree with my colleague, and I apologize for my wording and my adlibbing. First nations people are not my constituents. They are my friends, they are my neighbours and they are my colleagues, not only locally but across the country. I thank the member for that part of his intervention. We talk about adding rights. Some of the vague definitions and wording in certain parts …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be back in the House today to speak to Bill C-15. I will be splitting my time with my colleague, the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan. This is important legislation and is an opportunity to have a debate in the House about our relationship in Canada with the first nations community. I always try to start off my speeches by providing a local context or ens…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it has been five months since I confronted the health minister in the House of Commons about the government's broken promise to end the blood ban. For far too long, gay, bisexual and trans men in this country have had to live with stigma because of the policies of Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec. The Prime Minister, the health minister and everybody on the government side comm…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have a correction for my colleague. Many of these mandatory minimums were introduced under a Liberal government, going back as far as 1976, the Pierre Trudeau government. When he talks about a Harper failure, that is an attempt at a cheap shot that fails. As I mentioned in my speech, when we are talking about simple possession, we are talking about people who individually have a sma…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be back in the House today to speak to Bill C-22, an act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. This has been an issue. We come to Parliament with different goals and priorities both from our ridings perspective and also from our personal passion. One of my passions has not only been the subject of mental health but has been addicti…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we Conservatives have been very clear in the debate, the speakers the House has heard, that those struggling with addictions should get the help they need. Those Canadians should have access to treatment, not be in a prison cell. We can show more compassion, more empathy and more support for those who truly need it, but I believe we need to maintain tough laws and enforcement for thos…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the message we need to send to those trafficking drugs and preying on the vulnerable in our country is that when we make laws, in certain cases there is a benchmark and for certain crimes that benchmark needs to exist. Judges should have discretion, which we have talked about in different cases, but I look at the message this sends. We are doing the opposite of what law enforcement is…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I know my constituents in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry always appreciate the member for Carleton's interventions here in the House. He spoke a lot, and rightfully so, about the government's intention to try to rush this through. The size of the deficit and the size of the debt limit increase in the Borrowing Authority Act, which will get to $1.8 trillion, warrant time and warrant s…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to individuals entering Canada since April 1, 2020: (a) how many were (i) required to quarantine, (ii) exempted from quarantine requirement; and (b) what is the breakdown of (a) (i) and (ii) by month and by type of entry point (airport, land crossing, etc.)?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Canada Summer Jobs program since 2016, broken down by year: (a) how many applications for funding under the program were rejected or denied due to (i) incomplete or incorrectly filled out application forms, (ii) failure to meet the eligibility requirements, (iii) lack of funding, (iv) another reason, broken down by reason, if possible; (b) what is the total number of application…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the stories we have seen from the BBC, the Washington Post, The New York Times and the Associated Press have documented numerous examples of these personal stories. The people being affected in China, the Uighur people and the Turkic Muslim minority, do not have a voice. We do not need to go into why. We know why they are seeing oppression in China. Here at home, we need to stand up f…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we need to work together internationally to combat this. As I mentioned, China is a powerful force. It has a lot of connections worldwide, but as I also mentioned, we have the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. There are a growing number of countries that share the same concerns. Domestically, those countries are facing the same challenges with China that we are. The mem…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this is not easy for any country to tackle. China is a growing force in the world. It is a world player, and this is economically, socially and culturally complicated. We are facing a lot of different issues. No matter how complicated it is, this is about basic human rights and human dignity. This is about a genocide that is happening, which we must stop. Regardless of financing, rega…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there is a genocide happening in the world. It is happening, it is undeniable, the evidence is there, and this House of Commons is calling it out. There are one million people in detention camps in China. Women are being sterilized. There is forced abortion and slave labour. People are being ripped away from their families, tortured and murdered simply because of their religion. Joe B…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-267, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (increasing the period of parole ineligibility). Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table my first private member's bill in the House. This is the same private member's bill introduced by my colleague, the member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, during previous Parliaments. I am proud to take up this legislation and have him second…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am fully guilty. I did have my phone nearby. I apologize to those who are watching virtually, and I appreciate that they are paying attention. It is great to hear they are listening to my words. I was just ensuring they were on their toes and attentive to my words on this legislation. As I was saying, there is a great cross-section of support from a wide variety of stakeholders, par…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise here today in support of the positive words and well-deserved comments made so far on Bill C-220. I congratulate my colleague from Edmonton Riverbend for his work on this and for garnering support. Hopefully, if we go by the optimism and tone tonight, we can get it to committee to get more feedback and work together on how we can support caregivers and people …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, we are taking a long-term look at this because it is not just starting now. The plans for this should have been done several months ago. Israel has been a fantastic example. The United Kingdom is ramping up. The U.S. is ramping up its planning. This has been months and months in the making. We are seeing them accelerate their plans and grow by the week. The provinces have had to hit…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague from Quebec. She faces the same situations in her beautiful part of the country. I look forward to seeing the Gaspésie region when this pandemic is all said and done, but it sounds like the situation in eastern Quebec is the same as in eastern Ontario and out west. The provinces are not sure when they are going to get the first and second doses. They want t…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I share my NPD colleague from Manitoba's concern about the fate of what is going on with COVID-19 in first nations communities. As I mentioned in my comments, the long-term care home on Akwesasne has had an outbreak, and there have been several cases on Akwesasne, on the island and in the region. I share her concern, and her desire for reconciliation and a better quality of life. Th…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I am quite disappointed with the conclusion the member for Mount Royal drew at the end about being calm and rational. The beginning and end of his speech were totally opposite. In my comments a few moments ago, and in those of my colleagues from the Bloc, the NDP and the member from the Green Party, we called the government out for certain things. I do not think trying to equate our…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure, as always, to rise in the House to represent my constituents in the riding of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry and to participate in tonight's emergency debate on the vaccine rollout. Nonetheless, the fact is we are here tonight having an emergency debate on an issue that I do not think Canadians wanted us to have to have. As we watch other countries around the worl…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to privacy breaches since November 1, 2019, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation or other government entity: (a) how many privacy breaches have occurred; and (b) for each privacy breach, (i) was it reported to the Privacy Commissioner, (ii) how many individuals were affected, (iii) what were the dates of the privacy breach, (iv) were the individuals affected notified th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the promises made in the 2015 and 2019 Liberal Party of Canada election platforms to end the discriminatory blood donation ban for gay and bisexual men: (a) on what exact date will the ban end; and (b) why did the government not end the ban during its first five years in power?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to directives given by the Minister of Canadian Heritage to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission since January 1, 2016: what directives have been given and what was the date of each directive?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, residents in our part of eastern Ontario are standing behind a friend and a leader who has always been there for us. For years, David Murphy has volunteered and raised money for numerous causes in Cornwall and area. Whether in the boxing ring, flipping burgers at a barbecue, or even shaving his head, David's energy has been inspiring. Now David needs us. He needs our prayers and best …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to social media posts that were posted and later deleted or edited on government accounts since January 1, 2019, and broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity: what are the details of all such posts, including the (i) subject matter, (ii) time and date of the original post, (iii) time and date of the deletion or edit, (iv) description of the origi…
Read full speech →