Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his kind words. Indeed, I would welcome him, and all members of this House from all parties, to come to Alberta this summer. Let me know. I would be happy to host. Members could spend some time talking to people in our province to understand some of their concerns. These are precarious times, but youth unemployment is very high here compared to in peer…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my best wishes for the summer to all colleagues from all sides. We have fought hard for our constituents, for our convictions and to advance the common good of this country. I want to share my best wishes with all colleagues, as well as the various staff and people in this institution who support the important work that we do. In addition to thanking and wishing best …
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑290, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (theft of property of cultural or religious significance). Mr. Speaker, today I am tabling a new private member's bill, an act to amend the Criminal Code regarding theft of property of cultural or religious significance. Canada's current laws on theft are based primarily on economic notions of value. Stealing an item worth …
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Mr. Speaker, given that there has been some inconsistency, I would like to request unanimous consent to be able to present my private member's bill, which has been waiting for weeks on the Order Paper.
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Whitby is saying, “perfect”. This is what Liberals want. They want to shut down debate. This would not just be closure of debate at a stage. It would be shutting debate down at all stages, with no possibility for committee study or amendment. This is just an unconscionable attack on the processes that are supposed to defend the rights and liberties of Canadians and to d…
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Mr. Speaker, during question period, I asked a question about the government subsidizing the companies responsible for hiring illegal workers. The minister described it as a conspiracy theory. I wonder if there would be unanimous consent to table Order Paper question response—
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Mr. Speaker, first, I would put to the member that the Orthodox Jewish community and the religious leaders within the Jewish community are overwhelmingly opposed to the removal of the religious exemption. I would encourage the member to take their concerns seriously. Moreover, the idea that a statute that denies religious freedom and attacks freedom of speech is not a big deal because the charter …
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Mr. Speaker, in response to what the parliamentary secretary just said, it is important for Canadians to know that there is a big difference between using closure or time allocation at one stage of a bill in the House and shutting the bill down at every stage so there is no possibility of committee study. On Bill C‑5, we moved it forward, but we had detailed committee study and amendments from the…
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Mr. Speaker, we have a Prime Minister who is really eroding the foundations of our parliamentary democracy. He is never here, yet he is imposing some of the most draconian measures on parliamentary debate. The motion before the House would impose on Bill C-26 that there would be one more speaker for each party at second reading, and then after the vote at second reading, it would be deemed adopted…
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Mr. Speaker, in the midst of a very tough job environment, the government repeatedly chose to give public subsidies to a company responsible for firing Canadian workers and hiring illegal workers instead. Despite being found guilty, the subsidies kept rolling in. Can the fisheries minister tell us if Ichiboshi L.P.C. is still eligible for public subsidies from her department, yes or no?
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Mr. Speaker, the member is blowing that off. I will ask the minister a simple question. This motion is going to pass; they have their majority, so it is going to pass. Will the minister agree to come to the human resources committee, even for one hour, to talk to us about the bill? The human resources committee is supposed to be studying housing. We have two studies going, one on housing starts an…
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Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent that my vote on the previous vote, on the subamendment, be considered a yea.
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Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded division.
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Madam Speaker, I want to follow up on the issue of the trades. In 2006, Stephen Harper brought in grants for trades workers. In 2009, the same Conservative government brought in completion grants. One of the first acts of this Prime Minister was to cancel grants for trades workers and completion grants. The government also pulled student grants for students studying at vocational institutions. Now…
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Mr. Speaker, as we approach the end of the parliamentary session for this spring, it is important to highlight the ongoing jobs crisis facing young people, and the constructive measures that Conservatives have put forward. We are here in Parliament working late, but we are blessed to have the opportunity to work on behalf of Canadians. Meanwhile, there are many talented young people with skills an…
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear from that response that the government has nothing new to offer. The parliamentary secretary spoke about programs that have existed since the 1990s and their rebranded Canada strong program. Here are the facts: Conservatives introduced grants for trade workers in 2009 and 2006: 2009 were the completion grants, 2006 were the other grants introduced for trade workers. The Li…
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Mr. Speaker, next I am tabling a petition drawing the attention of the House to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, persecution that includes forced organ harvesting. Petitioners want more action by the government to combat the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. No doubt, petitioners are also concerned about the attacks on arts and culture by the CCP that are evident throug…
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Madam Speaker, the so-called “recession crowd” is literally the analysts at Statistics Canada. Here is the fact: Canada is in a recession under this Liberal Prime Minister. Let us talk about youth unemployment. The pre-pandemic average for youth unemployment was 10.8%. We are 2.5 points above the pre-pandemic average. The question for the government is this: Is this the new normal? It should not b…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to table four petitions. I am, first off, very pleased to be tabling a petition in support of Canada's energy sector. Petitioners highlight that Canada holds vast reserves of oil and gas that could stabilize global markets, support our democratic allies and power Canadian paycheques, but only if these resources can reach tidewater and diversified world markets. They highlight t…
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Madam Speaker, under this Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. We are glad to see that more Canadians are working this month than last month, but we are down over 20,000 jobs since the beginning of this year. We are still expecting negative growth, and we have the second-highest unemployment in the G7. Simply put, we are comparing to a worse baseline. This should …
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Madam Speaker, I want to be clear that it is good news that more Canadians are working this month than last month, but we have to be honest about these numbers, because the government House leader is eager to cherry-pick. We have 24,500 fewer Canadians working today than were at the beginning of the year. Compared to pre-pandemic averages, unemployment is up by 0.6% overall and over 2.5 points for…
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Mr. Speaker, the final petition I am tabling today draws the attention of the House to concerns about risks to young people online. Petitioners highlight that smart phones give Canadian children direct access to harmful online content, with children getting their own devices at increasingly young ages, and that algorithm-driven social media platforms are designed to keep users hooked, harming yout…
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Mr. Speaker, next I am tabling a petition drawing the attention of members to very concerning comments made by Mr. Louis Roy of the Quebec College of Physicians and Surgeons, calling for the expansion of euthanasia to “babies from birth to one year of age who come into the world with severe deformities and very serious syndromes”. Petitioners highlight their belief that infanticide is always wrong…
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Mr. Speaker, persecution based on religious belief is a significant and growing problem around the world. Women and girls from religious minority communities are increasingly at risk of a kind of double persecution known as gender-specific religious persecution, where they are targeted for both their faith and their gender. Gender-specific religious persecution can include abduction, sexual assaul…
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Madam Speaker, we face serious economic problems now as a country. We are the only G20 nation in a recession. One in four Canadians is living food-insecure. We have seen a doubling of food bank use since 2020, and we are in the midst of a worsening unemployment crisis, particularly affecting Canada's young people. We have been repeatedly calling on the government to implement a plan to respond to …
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Madam Speaker, there are many things that are very strange about this response. Let us be clear. In 2006, in the first Conservative budget of Stephen Harper, Conservatives brought in grants for trades workers. We brought in completion grants in 2009. The current government cancelled them under the Prime Minister, and then, with much fanfare, announced they were bringing them back. Of course, we su…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, we are seeing the tragic effects of Liberal policies on the economy. Liberals want to be judged by their intentions, announcements, illusions and gimmicks, but Canadians will see the effects of Liberal policies in the grocery store aisle, at the gas pump, in the pink slips that are piling up and in the real numbers reported by Statistics Canada. The reports are in: Canada is the only …
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Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary does not know what he is talking about, which is often true, but it is especially true in this case. Just to pick one example, the member says that Conservatives did nothing on the trades program and to look at the Liberals because they brought in these completion grants. However, the Conservatives brought in completion grants for the trades in 2009. We i…
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Madam Speaker, I would have been happy to speak for three and a half hours on the bill myself, there is so much in it. I am sure members across the way would have enjoyed that opportunity. The government is using its majority in pernicious ways right now, and we have seen it. The previous reality of a minority Parliament was forced negotiation among parties, and we got a lot done under minority co…
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Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to address the House on the budget bill today. It is also a pleasure for me that my second daughter, Lilly, is on the Hill today. It is great to have her here with us, and having my kids with me always reminds me how blessed I am. My kids really are the perfect combination. They have my wife's beauty, my wife's intelligence and my wife's personality. That is …
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Madam Speaker, that question did not relate to the specific budgetary policies that I discussed in my speech at all. I will just say in response that government members are eager to congratulate themselves at every turn. Canada is in a recession right now. We are the only G7 country in a recession. I would like to see a little more humility from government members and their taking stock of the fac…
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Mr. Speaker, stats show that a very large number of 9-, 10-, 11- and 12-year-old boys are accessing violent, sexually explicit material on the Internet. Exposing children to sexually explicit images is a form of child abuse. The proportions of this abuse make early exposure to pornography the most underdiscussed crisis in our nation. It is at the root of so much sexual violence, family breakdown a…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think the member has well understood the debate about the sovereign wealth fund. I will explain it simply by analogy. If I open a savings account to save my money, that is a good idea. If I have no money, so I open a savings account then take money off the credit card and put it in the savings account, that does not make a lot of sense. The issue is not the existence of the a…
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Finally, Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition in support of Bill C-260, the care not coercion act, on which I understand people can find more information by visiting www.carenotcoercion.ca. This is an excellent private member's bill tabled by a member of Parliament I know well. Petitioners note that many reports, including media stories and evidence received by parliamentary committees, indicate a…
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Next, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition in support of families dealing with bereavement and loss who want to see reforms to the employment insurance system that allow for the continuation of certain benefits with as little red tape as possible in the process. Later today, we are going to be debating a private member's bill that goes partway there. The petitioners are highlighting furth…
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Mr. Speaker, as we talk about the situation of the economy, one thing I often hear from young people is about how difficult it is right now for young people to start out in life. Youth unemployment is extremely high, at 14.3%, and we have very low workforce participation as well. Homes are extremely expensive. All these challenges make it more difficult for young people to start out, to start a fa…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is now the only G7 country in a recession, and it is getting harder and harder for young people to start and grow a family. Parents are struggling to afford homes and balance the pressures of competing careers. Conservatives are proposing to make life easier through significant reforms to parental leave: more flexible leave, freedom to learn while on leave and the ability to ea…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to start by acknowledging it is great to see you in the chair today. I know this is an issue that you have spoken out on, in terms of your own experience, with great courage and significance. I know the parameters of being Deputy Speaker limit your ability to give speeches on bills now, but I thank you for giving aid and confidence to other families who are confronting similar …
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Mr. Speaker, respectfully, I will just state the obvious. My question was about parental leave reform. That response did not even attempt to mention the issue of parental leave reform. Canadian parents have been waiting long enough with a parental leave system that is inflexible and poorly aligned with the realities of modern parenting. Modern parents want the flexibility to work in different ways…
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Prime Minister will be meeting the foreign minister of China today. I appreciate the opportunity to present a petition that highlights a number of concerns of Canadians that he might want to take up in the context of that meeting. The petitioners note that credible reports have documented the use of forced labour in China, particularly involving Uyghurs and other…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister of labour has repeatedly claimed that she forced flight attendants back to work to prevent a health crisis in which essential supplies would be disrupted. She claims she was briefed of this risk, but her department has no record of this briefing, and the senior officials responsible for briefing her were not aware of it. Confession is good for the soul, and we in the oppo…
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Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to address the continuing, worsening youth unemployment crisis. The youth unemployment rate now is at 14.3%. We recently asked the finance minister about the youth unemployment crisis in this country. He would not agree in the House that we face a youth unemployment crisis, and he was not even able to state the youth unemployment rate. That is from the finance mi…
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Madam Speaker, it is really incredible listening to the way the government talks about the youth unemployment crisis, because fundamentally it seems that it does not understand the task. The task is to address the youth unemployment rate. It is to address the fact that we have a high and climbing youth unemployment rate. It is to address the fact that youth employment is at one of its lowest point…
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Mr. Chair, again, there were no answers. Does the minister believe that the immigration policies of the government have contributed to youth unemployment?
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Mr. Chair, I am happy to be focused on the youth unemployment issue, but he is not focused on the youth unemployment issue. He did not even know the rate of youth unemployment in this country. He has not answered a single question for me. He has not answered a single question all night. Again, I want to ask if he agrees or disagrees with the recommendation, from the all-party report from the human…
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Mr. Chair, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has operating expenses of over $1.7 billion. It has an average of over half a million dollars in compensation per employee. I wonder if the minister expects the so-called Canadian sovereign wealth fund to have similar operating costs and expenses.
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Mr. Chair, that obviously had nothing to do with the question, unfortunately. I now want to ask about youth unemployment. It is a deep concern of mine and for many Canadians. I wonder if the minister agrees that we are facing a youth unemployment crisis in the country.
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Mr. Chair, of course, we are always concerned about this issue, but these are not normal times. I wonder if the minister can confirm that he knows what the rate of youth unemployment is right now in the country and whether he thinks we are in a youth unemployment crisis.
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Mr. Chair, clearly the minister was not aware. The number is 14.3%, according to the latest StatsCan numbers. That is a very high youth unemployment rate, including against international peers. I am sorry that the minister is not willing to acknowledge tonight that we are facing a youth unemployment crisis. He should acknowledge that, and he should support the necessary actions to address it. In p…
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Mr. Speaker, finally, before we recessed, there was a very large group of young people from Newmarket—Aurora. My colleague from Newmarket—Aurora has convened a very large and active youth council that has been organizing its own petitions, responding to concerns that exist in that community. I want to commend my colleague from Newmarket—Aurora for her incredible work with young people in her commu…
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