Government Orders
Madam Speaker, first of all, let me thank the member from Edmonton for her work and support on these files. I certainly have heard her throughout the last Parliament advocating for this. I will be very, very quick. We do not all start off with an equal playing field. We do need to make sure that we invest in ways that can respond to the individual needs of the people and not a cookie-cutter approa…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Beauport—Limoilou. We had the opportunity to work together before this past election and I truly appreciate her wisdom. We agree on the basic premise of her question. We want to reduce mandatory minimum penalties, so I commend her on that. We also want to increase funding for the community groups that help these people; we do not want to needlessly incarcer…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to speak to Bill C-5. This bill was introduced during the previous Parliament. It is very important for all Canadians, but especially for Black Canadians and indigenous people. It is also important for the safety of Canadians in general, because Bill C-5 seeks to address two problems with our system. First, it is important to do away with minimum ma…
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Madam Speaker, first I would like to congratulate my colleague for being elected to the House of Commons. From the comfort of our living room at home, wherever we might be in Canada, we believe that incarcerating people and toughening sentences will magically make Canadians safer. However, that is just not true, as the data collected over a generation has shown us. We need to focus on another appr…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her excellent speech. I have a simple question for her. Minimum sentences have been in place for more than a generation now, and in that time we have seen an increase in the use of guns and in the incarceration of Black and indigenous people. Is it time for something new? Should we try a new approach to really address the problem?
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Mr. Chair, I would like to thank you for allowing me to participate in this session of the committee of the whole of the House of Commons. In the recent federal election, Canadians made it clear: Housing affordability is one of their top issues. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and worsened Canada's serious housing challenges. Far too many Canadians cannot afford an adequate and affordable place …
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I think it is important in my riding of Hull—Aylmer. It was very clear that we needed to make sure that businesses were able to keep their doors open and that the government had their back. We said we would do anything necessary to do that. Opposition members have said they would not have supported Canadians through this pandemic. I find that very troubling, because programs like the CRB, the CERB…
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Madam Speaker, again, I want to thank and commend my friend from the Bloc Québécois. I can easily answer his question: The answer is yes. The government is already doing that. We are working with the Taliban government to ensure that we can safely repatriate these Afghans who want to leave and settle in Canada. These discussions are currently under way.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Milton and commend him on the quality of his French. He has worked very hard these past two years, and I congratulate him for the progress he has made. As members of Parliament, we have an obligation to deal with this issue in a non-partisan way, especially when discussing matters of life and death. The best way to achieve this objective is to…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague from Vancouver is asking an important question. I do not have an answer for her at this time, but I can assure her that I will raise her question to get that answer. We all want the same thing: to provide help to the Afghans swiftly and effectively.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to acknowledge my friend from the opposition, with whom I had the opportunity to work on a private member’s bill. He asked a very simple question, but life is rarely so simple, and simplistic solutions rarely work in complex situations. We saw a very unusual situation with the fall of the Afghan government and the return of the Taliban, which very few serious people saw…
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Madam Speaker, I just want to mention that I will share my time with the member for Scarborough Centre, a colleague I respect deeply, like very much and have had the pleasure of knowing for six years now. Before I begin my speech, I would like to congratulate you, Madam Speaker, on your appointment to the position of Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons. I appreciate the dignity and wi…
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Mr. Speaker, my question will be brief, but I imagine the answer will be long, and I would like to stress the nuance. Could my colleague tell us about what happened in the past when Mr. Harper, Mr. Duceppe and a third person, whose name I forget, found a way to study such a file?
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, the great William Faulkner wrote, “The past is never dead. It's not even past.” Unfortunately, we see that reflected in the scourge of slavery. Today is the United Nations International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. Slavery still exists today. Its modern forms include sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced marriages and the recruitment of children in armed conflict. Slavery wa…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I would like to begin by congratulating the member for North Island—Powell River on her re-election. In answer to her interesting question about oceans, I would say that I am proud to be part of a government that has its own oceans protection plan. When we took office, very few of the oceans around Canada were protected. However, we have already managed to protect 20%, and we have a…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Kenora on his re-election. I have had the pleasure of visiting his riding a number of times. I am particularly proud of our record on reconciliation. When we were elected in 2015, there were 105 boil water advisories on reserves. By 2021, this problem has been addressed in more than 110 of these communities. My colleagues are probably wondering how w…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons. Once again, it is an honour to work with you, as well as with all of the members and my colleagues in the House. Before I start my remarks, I would like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Steveston—Richmond East in British Columbia. He became a…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague from Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques on his re-election and thank him for his question. I know he supports diversity. It is very simple. First, I would like to congratulate the Prime Minister for having the courage to admit that unconscious discrimination, systemic racism, exists in all institutions, whether in government, the priv…
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Madam Speaker, before I speak for the first time in the House in this 44th Parliament, I would obviously like to thank my constituents and congratulate all the members. I also congratulate you, Madam Speaker, along with the new members. To them I say welcome, because this is the experience of a lifetime. My question is for the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. Over his career, whic…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, approximately 3,000 families in Canada are affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Every year, 1,000 Canadians die from this disease. Sometimes, we can put a human face on these statistics. That was the case five years ago when we lost our dear friend and colleague, Mauril Bélanger, to ALS. It sadly became the case again for me this past weekend when my friend Daniel Rousse…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I had technical difficulties and could not complete my S.O. 31 as a result. I would ask for unanimous consent to do it now.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
I would be happy to retract that, Mr. Speaker.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Sarnia—Lambton for her question. Concerning the transparency and availability of the data, which, as I mentioned, is available on GC InfoBase, it is very important for parliamentarians to have the means to do a proper analysis and ensure that the government is accountable for its spending. It is very important for members of Parliament, especially those mem…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am thankful for this opportunity to speak about the government-wide main estimates for 2021-22. As members know, on February 25, the hon. Minister of Seniors tabled, on behalf of the President of the Treasury Board, the annual departmental plans and the main estimates, 2021-22. These main estimates have been studied and last week the President of the Treasury Board put forward the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from British Columbia for his question. The government has been there from the beginning to support Canadians during this health crisis and the resulting economic crisis, the likes of which we have not seen in 100 years. That is why we created the CERB, to support Canadians during this very difficult period. That is why we also created a program to help business…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have had the pleasure of serving with the member for Northumberland—Peterborough South for the past year on the public accounts committee, where we have had an opportunity to really review in-depth, and I believe in a very non-partisan way, the expenses of the government and to make sure Canadians are getting a full accounting. Details on that specific pointed question will follow…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would also like to commend my colleague from Calgary Midnapore, whom I had the pleasure of getting to know better through our interactions here in Canada and abroad. The reason I wanted to present an overview of this government spending to my hon. colleagues today is that the presentation by the next parliamentary secretary or minister will certainly deal specifically with the bud…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the forestry industry is one of Canada's main economic pillars. We recognize the huge contribution made by the more than 200,000 forestry workers who play a key role in Canada's production of high-quality wood products, which are prized around the world and generate economic spinoffs for all Canadians. I want to start this morning by unequivocally stating that the tariffs on softwood …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my hon. colleague, she is wrong. Canada has always vigorously defended the Canadian softwood lumber industry, and it continues to stand up for our forestry workers and our communities in every way possible. Our government raises the softwood lumber file with the United States every chance it gets. We firmly believe that a resolution is in the best interest of b…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I did indeed hear the message from my hon. colleague's constituent. Canadians can rest assured that public servants will have the government's unconditional support. We believe in and support all of our federal public servants, including retirees. Retired public servants like my hon. colleague's constituent deserve a retirement free from financial worry after spending their careers se…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, first, let me say that the government has the greatest respect for its dedicated and hard-working public servants, both retirees and those who are currently employed. All current and former public servants deserve to be paid in an accurate and timely manner for their work on behalf of Canadians. We recognize that the implementation of the Phoenix pay system had direct and indirect imp…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, before I begin my remarks, I would like to take a moment to congratulate you on your distinguished career in Parliament. You are an honourable man. You have conducted yourself with great dignity as a member here and you will be greatly missed. It is a pleasure for me to answer the question from the member for Mégantic—L'Érable about the harm the Phoenix system caused to retired federa…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, TBS released the new “Directive on the Prevention and Resolution of Workplace Harassment and Violence”, available at https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32671, in December 2020 in line with recent changes to the Canada Labour Code that apply to all federally regulated workplaces. The comprehensive directive requires organizations to better prevent and respond to harassment, …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Privy Council Office undertook an extensive preliminary search in order to determine the amount of information that would fall within the scope of the question and the amount of time that would be required to prepare a comprehensive response. It was concluded that producing and validating a comprehensive response to this question would require a manual collection, and careful anal…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, I rise this morning to acknowledge a remarkable man from Gatineau, Paul Mercier. Paul is a bit of an icon in my community, not because he seeks recognition for his many contributions to civic life, but precisely because he works tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to ensure that everyone has a shot at a decent life. Born in Ottawa in 1945, Paul quickly made a name for himself in th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the prorogation of Parliament in August 2020, on February 16, 2021, the deputy secretary to the cabinet (governance) and the Canadian secretary to The Queen and director of policy, machinery of government from the Privy Council Office, PCO, appeared at the procedure and House affairs committee, PROC, and provided information responsive to these questions. On October 28,…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, yesterday Muslims in Hull—Aylmer celebrated the end of the month of Ramadan. This religious tradition gives believers an opportunity to reflect on values such as peace, harmony, forgiveness, and many other values that we all hold dear whether we are Muslim or not. Yesterday evening, many people observed Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of this sacred month despite the difficulties brough…
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Mr. Speaker, the response from the Office of the Prime Minister is as follows. The recent updates to the Prime Minister’s website, which were adapted from the site created to support the new Deputy Prime Minister, have improved usability for site visitors and provided a fresh code base that is much faster and easier to maintain from an operational perspective. The changes not only help our develop…
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Mr. Speaker, the physical and psychological health and safety of employees remain an absolute priority for the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada continues to be guided by the advice and guidance of public health authorities, including Canada’s chief public health officer, and the direction of provinces/territories and cities. While the COVID-19 pandemic presents ongoing challenges for…
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Mr. Speaker, the Privy Council Office’s systems do not compile the information requested. Information pertaining to royal recommendations appended to bills, and the timing of notice of introduction of bills and of royal recommendations, can be found in House of Commons publications, including the Status of House Business available online at www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/house/status-bus…
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Mr. Speaker, the full and equal participation of women in the economy is not just the right thing to do; it is also good for the bottom line. Canadian women entrepreneurs are key to our economic success as a country, and are critical to key sectors. However, women today still face unique and systemic barriers to starting and growing a business, and these challenges have been amplified by the COVID…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, it is unfortunate that we could not hear the last part of the response by the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. In the time allotted to me, I would like to start by congratulating the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands on convincing the C…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, 2021 has been a tough year for my community so far. We have lost several tremendous citizens. Today, I want to express my great sorrow at the loss of Micheline Lemieux, who died in her sleep on March 21 at the age of 70. Everyone knew her. She was always travelling around Old Aylmer on her bike. Her community involvement was legendary. She was involved in the Aylmer Heritage Associati…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the security categorization of documents and the disclosure of documents are addressed through separate policies and processes. With respect to security categorization, the directive on security management, www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32614, standard on security categorization, www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32614, requires government institutions to assign security c…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak to Motion No. 36, which seeks to designate August 1 of each year as emancipation day in Canada. Motion No. 36 reminds us of August 1, 1834, the symbolic day when slavery was abolished in the British Empire. However, that critical date in Canadian history also reminds us that slavery did in fact exist in Canada for over 200 years. We know that Black and indigeno…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I apologize for not raising this immediately, but I failed to get your attention and did not want to interrupt the votes. My point of order arises from question period. Mr. Speaker, you rose to remind members about the importance of using parliamentary language, and some unparliamentary language was used by the member for Lakeland. I have sat in the House w…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Aylmer sector of Gatineau has lost two great women in 2021. A few weeks ago, I rose in the House to recognize former mayor Constance Provost. Today, I rise to pay tribute to Charlotte L'Écuyer, who represented Pontiac in the Quebec National Assembly from 2003 to 2014. She was very connected to her community and was passionate about access to health care. Charlotte dedicated her en…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to promoting a positive and respectful culture based on integrity and ethics within the public service. We need to ensure that public servants understand what constitutes wrongdoing and how they can report it. Whether it is by actively encouraging whistle-blowing, making public servants aware of the importance of a diversity of viewpoints, fostering a very …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Black history is Canada's history. For more than 417 years, Black people have lived in this land that we now call Canada. For nearly 187 years, Black people have been free from slavery on this same land. For 66 years, Black immigrants have not been discouraged from settling in Canada. For 38 years there have been no racially segregated schools in Canada, and for 25 years we have been …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to Constance Provost, a great lady from my region. She passed away on January 9 at the age of 96, surrounded by her four children. Ms. Provost was a woman of vision and character. In 1983, she was the first woman to be elected mayor of the City of Gatineau. The extraordinary Ms. Provost was warm, energetic and a unifying force. These qualities helped her win thre…
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