Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the statistics on human trafficking in Canada are truly alarming. About 93% of victims are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and the greatest risk factor is being a woman. Between 2010 and 2020, 65% of police-reported human trafficking incidents occurred in Ontario. Last week, the Mississauga-Erin Mills Women's Council held a panel discussion to address this issue. It brought …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am astonished by the blatant disregard the Leader of the Opposition has shown for the well-being of Canadians. His willful ignorance of critical security threats facing our nation is deeply concerning. Recently, RCMP investigations have shown alarming evidence of agents from the Government of India engaging in serious criminal activity in Canada, including homicides, extortion and t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2023-24 annual report of the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson, entitled “Fair Access to Service”.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate your ruling and for the whole table to have taken into account what has happened. I am sure that as you viewed the videos, you would have seen that my hand was raised not at the point that the question was called but way prior to when it was called. What I have experienced, not just in the public accounts committee but also in the ethics committee and many others, …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, one year ago, over 1,000 Israelis were killed in a terror attack by Hamas. Since then, Netanyahu's regime has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and victimized hundreds of thousands in the region. As long as this continues, so too does the harm in our Canadian communities. Over the past year, our local synagogue has had to ask police for support during Shabbat and this past week…
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Madam Speaker, today I recognize that my beloved hometown, the city of Mississauga, turns 50 this year. From humble beginnings, Mississauga has grown into one of the largest cities in Canada. It is known as one of the most diverse cities, with over 60% of the population a visible minority. At the heart of Mississauga's success are hard-working people dedicated to ensuring our community is vibrant …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I cannot even begin to imagine the terror young kids and innocent civilians feel when they hear the bombs and when they feel the bullets whizzing by. Our foreign affairs minister has spent the past number of weeks and months trying to really get Canadians to disseminate the message to please come home while there is still a chance. I know that our government will do everything possibl…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I think that we as parliamentarians here in the House have an opportunity to express what our constituents express to us. We are representatives of our constituents. The positions of our constituents are no different than the position of the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada is trying to find peace in a very difficult situation for so many different people. Whether it is …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, it is very important that we as parliamentarians, who deal with our constituents and have access to our constituents on a regular basis, do encourage them and their family members who are impacted in the region to come home as quickly as they can. There are resources through the Government of Canada's website and the foreign affairs website, and all parliamentarians have access to tha…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a really heavy heart, but understanding how important it is for us to have this debate today to shed light on what is the living reality of millions of people in the Middle East. As we announce $10 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon and as I watch our government work really hard to try to make sure there is de-escalation and that we are finding a way forward to …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am rising on the same point of order that I raised a couple of days ago. The standing order specifically is Standing Order 116. That standing order was put in place with the express purpose of protecting the rights of committee members to participate in debate on motions before those motions are put to a vote. It does not matter if the chair claims he did not see my hand. The point …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about an issue that is very important to the residents of Mississauga—Erin Mills: the concern of auto theft and its impact on the lives of my constituents. That is why the Liberal government is working across jurisdictions to enact real solutions to crack down on auto theft and make our communities safer. Our national auto theft summit in February led to a nationa…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it seems like people do not really want to hear what I have to say, but we can count apparently. However, I am quite honoured to stand here to speak about this bill, because it is so important to communities like mine and to people like me. As I was saying, another criticism that is made against the proposed hate crime offence is that it is too broad and would potentially apply to eve…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be the voice of reason in the House today. Unfortunately, when we hear colleagues accusing each other in righteous indignation, we have to look at our track record. We have done a lot as a Liberal government to protect children while a lot of slogans have come from that side. There is a lot of politicization of the issue when we should be protecting children here in our country…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order; specifically, it relates to Standing Orders 116(2)(a) and 116(2)(b). This is in relation to events that took place earlier today at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. I understand that the Speaker does not normally become involved with the business of committees, but there are occasions when the Speaker has intervened. I think this may be one of t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, our government created a ministry for mental health, which put in millions of dollars to ensure that youth have access to mental health facilities and resources, to make sure that they are being safe and that they are protected. At the same time, the online harms bill would make sure that youth are not victimized, that they are not sexually victimized. Yes, there is a lot more work to…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I recall serving with the hon. minister on the justice committee and talking about this exact thing. One thing that came to light was how the previous government, the Harper government, got rid of section 13 of the human rights code. Basically, that section created a remedy for those who were being targeted and victimized online. I think that, yes, there is a balance between what is f…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, since I was interrupted twice during the beginning of my speech, I will start from the top. I am here today to talk about this very important bill on online harms and how it conveys what the online world translates into real, lived experiences for so many people across Canada. I was part of the justice committee when it started a study on online harms and hate crimes and how they tran…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will take no lessons about the protection of Canadians from a party that continues—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for this opportunity. I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Oakville North—Burlington. It is with a lot of mixed feelings that I stand here to talk about this bill. A number of years ago, when I was a member of the justice committee, we studied the impact of online harms and how they translate into the reality of the people on the ground. When we see peopl…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying earlier, it is not up to us to decide individual cases. That is up to our law enforcement because that is how our Constitution and our democracy work. However, it is up to us to set the standard of what free speech is versus what hate speech is, as well as to ensure that we are creating a balance so that Canadians are protected regardless of their gender, religion, cre…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am so delighted today to welcome my Mississauga—Erin Mills Women's Council and Youth Council to Ottawa. These brave Canadians are doing phenomenal work engaging with constituents to help me advocate on the issues that matter most to us and ours. Over the past year, they have held events and workshops for health and wellness, mental health, career development, entrepreneurship, food …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to be back in the House after a productive summer in my riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills. Over the summer, I attended more than 100 events and met with 180 organizations and businesses from my riding to discuss the issues most important to them. We welcomed thousands of residents to my seventh annual Mississauga—Erin Mills barbecue. Our Women's Council and Youth Council …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, on Monday, Mississauga voters went to the polls across the city to elect a mayor, and I want to congratulate my dear friend, Carolyn Parrish, the new mayor-elect of Mississauga, on her victory. Mississauga is a city of a vibrant mosaic of people from different religions, ethnicities, languages and experiences, who had their say on the priorities that matter most to them, like housin…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, over these past eight years, we have worked extremely hard to make sure that we are combatting racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism among all of our communities all across the country. We have had so many great achievements, including what is now our anti-racism strategy. We will continue to work with partners in all levels of government, including civil society, to ensure that we a…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak to Bill C-332, an act to amend the Criminal Code on coercive control of an intimate partner. The bill would strengthen Canada's legislative framework addressing intimate partner violence, creating a new offence aimed at better protecting victims of coercive control in intimate relationships. Coercive control involves ongoing conduct that deprives victims of the…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Madiha, Salman, Yumna and Talat. Three years ago yesterday, the Afzaal family, a peaceful Muslim Canadian family, out for an evening walk, were brutally murdered, with their nine-year-old son as the only survivor. This was an act of terrorism, plain and simple. They deserved to grow up and to grow old with their family, go to Jum'ah or school, celebrate the holidays and feel safe in t…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight our government's New Horizons for Seniors program. This federal grants and contributions program for seniors is a truly transformative initiative in the lives of so many seniors across Canada and in my riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills. Let me take this opportunity to highlight just a few of the many awesome organizations in my riding that do so much great w…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I really appreciate you in that chair. As I was saying, Fardeen, who is studying mechatronics engineering in that STEM field has great ideas about innovation and how he is going to build Canada's economy to do better for our next generation. The reality is that the framework and how the Canadian economy is working today is changing. Young people are not following those traditional p…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am splitting my time with the very hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge. I am very pleased to rise today to speak about Bill C-59, which would deliver on key measures from the 2023 fall economic statement to advance the government's economic plan to make life more affordable, build more homes and build an economy that works for everyone. This is an economic statement that is about fai…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that is just it. We have to listen to what people want. When we talk to youth, their main concerns are affordability, housing and climate change. Our policies in the fall economic statement reflect that. I have had hundreds of conversations over this year with my constituents to talk about exactly how we can strengthen our communities. That listening exercise, and then transferring it…
Read full speech →Government Orders
I love that people are heckling. I am trying to get my point across for my constituents. If it is okay, guys, can you just settle down for a second? You will have your time with questions and answers. Is that okay?
Read full speech →Government Orders
A little bit. Thank you. I appreciate that. I was talking about Fardeen, who is an engineering student studying mechatronics—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's raising this important issue, that we do need to build more homes. We are making those investments. In fact, we are on track to ensure that Canadians have the homes that they need in order to live in an affordable community. At the same time, we also need to make sure that Canadians, especially young people, have the living wage and the support systems to ens…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Reform Party member for asking that question. As I said in my speech, and I am hoping that the member would have listened, it is about making investments into our future. It is not about cuts. It is not about austerity. It is not about axing and taxing or whatever those fancy slogans are that are coming out from that party. It is about believing in the ability, the talent,…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this is a time for Canada to grow. We have established amazing international trade agreements. Whether it is with the Pacific nations, the CPTPP, CETA or the renegotiated NAFTA, we have laid the foundation. We have seen the biggest growth of direct investment into Canada, whether by Honda or by so many other organizations that are coming in, such as Volkswagen or Stellantis. Ultimatel…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, as we speak, Rafah, the last place where Netanyahu's regime told Palestinians to evacuate, is being invaded and innocents suffer. Our allies have warned Netanyahu not to proceed with this invasion or they will pause military exports. My constituents have been clear that they want us to do the same. The people of Israel have the support of Canada, but that does not mean supporting Ne…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, budget 2024 promises to deliver a vision for Canada that is fairer and more affordable for every generation. In my riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills, residents, especially younger generations, deserve a fair chance of purchasing their own homes. That is why budget 2024 proposes an ambitious plan to invest into more affordable housing initiatives to unlock 3.87 million more homes by 203…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as members know, politicians rarely have very brief answers, but on this issue, I take the criticism. I understand and appreciate how important it is for us to support the disability community. As I said in my speech, this is a foundation for us to really build upon, and we will continue to build upon it based on the feedback we get from the community. I hope that this really flouri…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have been a member of Parliament for almost nine years now, and the number one thing I try to do is listen to what my constituents want in terms of how we operate here in this House and the resources that we are able to provide to them to make sure they are able to thrive and succeed in everything they want to accomplish. Over these past eight-plus years that I have been a member …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. I am practising my French a bit. I will continue to practise. However, the thing is that we have to work with private companies and to make sure that these partnerships exist. We have to make sure that we are building a community that is effective for our private industries and for research and development, as well as for our soci…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would really appreciate it if the members opposite would work with a team Canada approach to do a lot of the things we all want to do. It is the Conservatives who are actually dragging their feet on this. We are trying to ensure that Canada has food security, whether it is through our grocery rebate or through our carbon rebate, so that Canadians have the support they need in thei…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, secularism does not mean exclusion, and that is why we really need to make sure that we protect Canadians with products that already exist within our financial institutions, in private companies. That is why the government has now announced that it will consult with financial service providers and diverse communities to understand how federal policies can protect Canadians from abus…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, as this week has been National Volunteer Week, I would like to take a moment today to speak about the importance of volunteer work. Each year, the Canada Revenue Agency congratulates and thanks volunteers from across the country, particularly because thousands of them actively help support free tax clinics under the community volunteer income tax program. Last year, these free tax c…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his brilliant advocacy and for his question on behalf of persons with disabilities. The member knows, as does everyone in this place, that protecting and helping the most vulnerable in our society is a fundamental Canadian principle, and it is a fundamental principle of our government. When it comes to people with disabilities, we have invested more money in the…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the member's advocacy. I have a nephew who has severe disabilities. Right now, in his first five years of life, is when he needs the most support to be able to grow and live a functioning life. I completely understand the need to ensure that the disability community has the support it needs so it can continue to flourish and thrive in a community that is barrier-fr…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today, Canadians who filed their taxes electronically on March 15 or before will receive the new Canada carbon rebate amounts. In the provinces where it applies, the Canada carbon rebate will put even more money back into the pockets of most Canadians than they pay into fighting climate change. Affordability is front and centre in everything we do as a government and in this system, w…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, Canada summer jobs is back, and we are ready to help young people gain the skills and work experience they need to succeed. Last year, through the Canada summer jobs program, our Liberal government invested over $285 million in organizations across the country, which created over 74,000 youth jobs. I can tell members first-hand the impact that this program is having in my riding of …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her advocacy on this very important issue. The CRA administers a long list of benefits and credits intended for Canadians on behalf of the Government of Canada. Among these are not only the Canada caregiver credit, but also the Canada child benefit, the Canada workers benefit, and the GST and HST, just to name a few. Last year, the CRA also successfully administ…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have to say that we can use all the buzzwords that we want in the world, “spike the hike” or “axe the tax” or whatever fancy words that we can come up with, but that does not lead to common sense. In fact, I am really thinking about former prime minister Brian Mulroney today. He actually was a common-sense Conservative who wanted to fight climate change. He did what was necessary an…
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