Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to ask a simple question of the member. This legislation deals with changes to the Canada Labour Code and changes to the Criminal Code, two very separate pieces of legislation. I believe, as many members would agree, the bill should go through different committees. Would the member agree that both aspects of the legislation should be examined separately rather than lumped tog…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, absolutely, we called for and continue to call for increased health transfers to the provinces. Again, as I mentioned, in northern Ontario, and I am sure in northern and rural Quebec it is a similar situation, there is underfunding. There are not the appropriate resources considering the distances that people have to travel and considering the unique situations that northern and rural…
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Mr. Speaker, we all appreciate the thoughtfulness and willingness of the member for Winnipeg North to engage so often in this chamber and share his thoughts on a number of topics. He definitely has a great respect for this institution. That is a good question, but it is a bit hypothetical. I suppose the quick answer would be yes. It definitely could be something that the provinces could look to an…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to join the debate on Bill C-3. Although this is not my first opportunity to rise in the 44th Parliament to give a speech, this is my first opportunity, not just in this Parliament, but since I was elected in 2019, to deliver a speech with my fiancée, Danaka, watching live. I wanted to acknowledge that and acknowledge Danaka for her continued love and support, espec…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the fact of the matter is that the status quo is simply not working. The government members continue to say that they have raised this issue. They continue to say that they are disappointed with the decision by the United States. What is very unclear at this point is what the government is actively doing to address the situation, and when Canadians can expect to see results. The wor…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, less than a week after the Prime Minister went to Washington to meet with President Biden, the U.S. announced that it would be doubling tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber. The Prime Minister was also unable to win concessions on agriculture, pipelines, threats to our auto industry and, really broadly, the U.S. administration's damaging buy American policies. This has raised serious…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in Canada 50% of women have been victims of sexual or physical violence. Last year, on average, a woman or girl was killed every two and a half days, with indigenous women being disproportionately targeted. The vast majority of identified perpetrators are men, and in many cases are current or former intimate partners. As we mourn the losses, we must direct our efforts into preventing …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, one issue that is very important to the people of the riding of Kenora and right across northern Ontario, and that I do not believe was mentioned once in the throne speech, is access to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet. We know that this is no longer a luxury. It is essential, especially as more Canadians attend school or work or even access government services from home. In …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I appreciate the speech from the member opposite. I just want to bring this back to the workers, those on the ground whose lives are impacted by this, because this is something we have seen in the Kenora riding throughout the course of this dispute. Just a couple of years ago, Kenora Forest Products had to lay off over 100 workers when its parent company filed for bankruptcy, citing t…
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Mr. Chair, my colleague from Kelowna—Lake Country mentioned how important the industry is to British Columbia, and the local impact. An aspect we cannot stress enough is that these are jobs, these are livelihoods. It is more than just the overall economy that is at stake here. I am wondering if she can expand more on the local concerns, some of the things she has either heard from those in B.C. or…
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Mr. Chair, I appreciate that the member mentioned the environmental benefits of forestry, especially Canadian forestry. We have one of the greenest, most environmentally friendly industry in the world. I wonder if he would comment further on the benefit of supporting Canadian forestry from the perspective of fighting climate change.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate a lot of the sentiments that the member for Winnipeg North shared. Of course, those in the riding of Kenora and across northern Ontario are looking for more than that. They are looking for results and they are looking for action. A question had been posed to the minister, a couple of times I believe, and she has not been able to answer. I wonder if the member could answer…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, one thing the throne speech makes note of is the importance of reconciliation. Of course, in the Kenora riding and across northern Ontario, that is a very important issue. A big aspect of it regards boil water advisories on reserve. The government, despite some very positive progress, failed to meet the timelines it set in, I believe, the 2015 election. The Minister of Indigenous Se…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I appreciated the speech from the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. Something that has been talked about this evening, and I believe the member for Winnipeg North mentioned it, is that, as the government is dealing with this softwood lumber issue, it is concurrently looking at new markets for Canadian softwood lumber. I wonder if the member has any thoughts or comments on that approach…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, it is an important question. The most tangible measure we need is a result. We need an end to the dispute, and we need the minister to come back from Washington with some good news for this House and for all Canadians. That is the bottom line. I know the government has talked a lot about its strategy, of how it wants to do it and how it does not want to push too hard. The government h…
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Madam Chair, I am very pleased to see that the minister is travelling to Washington. I am also pleased to see that our shadow minister on the file is on his way as well. It is great to see that we have members from all across the aisle wanting to work together on this to get to a resolution. I have had the opportunity to meet with many stakeholders in my riding and across northern Ontario to talk …
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Madam Chair, it is a pleasure to join the debate tonight on such an important topic. It is fitting that my first speech of the 44th Parliament is on a topic that is so dearly important to people in the Kenora riding and right across northern Ontario. The forestry industry is so important to Canada as a whole, and to Canada's economy. This sector contributes nearly $24 billion annually to our GDP a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I appreciate the comments of the member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay on how this has impacted his region and his province. I know he did not have a lot of time in the debate tonight and I want to give him the opportunity to add any points he may have missed, because it is such an important discussion. I want to ensure he is able to get his points across.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, the brief answer is no, I do not, because I am not on the government side. It is a very important question. I would just say, to the comment the member made about the responsibility Canadian forestry producers have, that it speaks to how strong our industry is from the environmental side and the social side, and why we need to continue to support our Canadian industry.
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the topics the member spoke on. He talked about quite a few different topics. One was housing, which is very important for people in the Kenora riding and across northern Ontario, specifically with addressing the housing supply. It seems to be an issue that is impacting people across income levels and at different places in their life. In the last election, our party pu…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, the member mentioned climate action. I know that climate change is very important to her, but I note that the government is leading the G7 when it comes to emissions. I understand that it has not reached a single climate target thus far, despite its attacks on Canadian industry and Canadian energy in particular. I know the member is new to the government side, but I am wondering if …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I have heard from a lot of people in the Kenora riding and across northern Ontario who are feeling the crunch because of the cost of living. Inflation has been skyrocketing. It is important that the government spends responsibly, controls spending, and pays down the deficit in order to help address that. The deficit and the debt were clearly not priorities in the throne speech. I wo…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his election. I am looking forward to getting to know him and I look forward to working with him, going forward. My colleague mentioned child care, as many members of the government have been doing throughout the last couple of weeks. I would like to note that the Liberals have been promising child care longer than I have been alive. That just shows ho…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, the member opposite spoke a bit about reconciliation, which is very important to me, to the people of the Kenora riding and to those across northern Ontario. Of course, a major component of reconciliation is ensuring that all first nations have clean drinking water on reserve. Despite some very good progress through some great work by the Liberal government, it has failed to meet th…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech was very enjoyable. One of the things he mentioned was inflation and the cost of living. That is a very important issue in northern Ontario and across the country. Does the member agree that it is time for the government to stop printing money, get spending under control and ensure it is doing what it can to address inflation?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his thoughts on this bill. I would like to once again congratulate him on his re-election. In northern Ontario, in the Kenora riding, one of the greatest economic issues we are facing right now is a severe labour shortage. I do not believe there is much, if anything, in this bill that would address that. I would like to ask my friend across the way if he feels…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your position. As well, I would like to offer my congratulations to the hon. minister not only on his appointment, but also for his election. I am looking forward to working with him for the first time in this upcoming Parliament. I appreciate a lot of what the minister had to say about tourism, considering that northern Ontario is home to many tourist operators and…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last week the Prime Minister visited Washington to meet with President Biden, and this week the U.S. has announced plans to double tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, threatening jobs in northern Ontario and across the country. Either the Prime Minister does not care to stand up for Canadian workers or he is incapable of delivering results. The government has said that it has raised …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate you on your re-election. As this is my first opportunity to rise in the 44th Parliament, I want to thank the people of the Kenora riding for once again placing their trust in me to serve in this chamber. It is an honour to be in this position, and I am thankful to everyone who helped our team make it possible. During the last campaign, I heard from countless individuals…
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