Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I wish the minister would actually answer the question. I asked a specific question about whether the government would decriminalize personal use so that we can save lives.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, PNE, the 110-year-old institution in Vancouver East, employs more than 4,000 part-time and seasonal workers at its peak. Its local economic impact is over $200 million each year. Unlike other large fairs, it is unable to receive the wage subsidy. I already brought this up to the minister's attention last year, but nothing has been done to date. Will the minister fix this so the PNE can …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, 58% of young people have felt the negative impacts of the pandemic. That is why the NDP has called for the elimination of federal student debt: up to $20,000 per student. Could the member tell us if he supports reducing federal student debt, or would he rather the federal government make a profit on the backs of young people?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as the member has indicated, the climate emergency is urgent, and action and leadership are desperately required from the federal government. British Columbians actually do not want the Trans Mountain pipeline. We want to stop that expansion, so we are in agreement there. However, if we really want to address the crisis, would the member agree that we also need a jobs guarantee for th…
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Madam Speaker, during the pandemic, inequalities have increased. The ultrarich are becoming richer, while those in need of help are still struggling to get by. We have learned a lot about the Liberals in the last few years. They talk a good game, but time and again we see they have little intention of walking the walk when it comes to taking bold action. The Liberals choose to continue to give the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is shameful that the Liberal government has left seniors out. It promised seniors during the election that it would support them, but of course after the election it forgot all about that promise. Then, in the face of the pandemic, what did the government do? On the eve of another election, the Liberals said they will give a bit of support to seniors who are 75 and older, to enti…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say they want a she-covery, yet they were silent when Pacific Gateway became a federal quarantine hotel and 140 long-term workers were terminated, nearly two-thirds of them immigrant women. Hilton Metrotown has locked out its workers and terminated 97 workers, the majority of them racialized women. A feminist government would not tolerate the firing of women to replace th…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, racism and structural inequity existed even before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has shone a light for many on the serious inequality in our country. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been public actions and calls against anti-Asian violence and racism; mass public protest movements against police violence, and to say that Black lives matter; rallies to call for justice f…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, May is Asian Heritage Month. This is the second Asian Heritage Month to take place amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and rising anti-Asian hate. To the Asian community, let this be a month to strengthen our connection to our heritage, history and community to find the strength, resilience and love that we need to fight against racism and hate. Let us hold each other in solidarity and car…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member on one hand is saying that the government should not spend so much on programs, that we need to be mindful of the debt and that we cannot spend in these difficult times. On the other, she is saying that we should assist Canadians who need help during the pandemic. We really cannot suck and blow at the same time. The truth of the matter is that Canadians need help during thi…
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Mr. Speaker, one of the issues in my riding when it comes to elections is the mobile polls. This is particularly important for seniors and people with disabilities, who are less able to move around. Especially in the face of a pandemic, this becomes even more critical. I know that there could be reliance on the mail-in ballot, but for some that could be difficult as well. Language could become a b…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that student federations have fought hard to have polling stations on campus, and this has increased voter turnout of students by 10% since 2010. Does the member support maintaining polling stations at campuses to provide students with safe and accessible voting?
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I am curious. If Line 5 is shut down, what is the Liberal government's plan to help the thousands of Canadians whose livelihoods would be impacted?
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, earlier there were comments about Enbridge and its reputation, and of course Enbridge has a poor record on pipeline breaks, including the massive 2010 Line 6B rupture, which spilled almost a million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River. Hence, we find ourselves in this situation. As well, we are talking about a very old pipeline. In the event this pipeline is indeed cancelled, wh…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, in light of the timeline and the urgency of the situation, I wonder whether the government would invoke the pipeline transit treaty?
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the government did not even know until recently that the visa application centre operating in Beijing is owned by the Beijing police. The Liberals keep on saying, “Don't worry, be happy”. It does not matter that the information never gets into the system or that the information is wiped clean after 30 days on the network. The fact of the matter is that a prospective applicant's situ…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it has been brought to light that Canada's visa application centre in China has been subcontracted to a Chinese state-owned company run and operated by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. The company that was awarded the contract, VFS Global, has confirmed at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration that the Canadian government knew right from the beginning th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the PBO and housing policy experts like Steve Pomeroy have repeatedly criticized the affordability criteria in the largest part of the Liberals' housing strategy. For instance, they announced a project in Ottawa providing 65 units at only 21% of median income. This makes the housing sound affordable, but in reality, it is $1,900 a month, nearly 50% higher than Ottawa's average market …
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Madam Speaker, speaking of mistakes, Canada once had a publicly owned pharmaceutical company that could have made a difference in the current COVID-19 crisis, except that Connaught Laboratories was sold by the Conservatives. Not only do we no longer have Connaught Labs, but Canada is relying on the private sector to provide medical innovations that the universities are funded to produce. Will the …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the issue is that we do not have enough vaccines for the provinces in the vaccine rollout. That is the crux of the issue. However, no matter what the Conservatives say in setting timelines, the government will not be able to meet them. Would the member support the re-establishment of a public drug manufacturing facility here in Canada to ensure that Canada is never again caught out …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-291, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to introduce an act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. I would like to thank my colleague, the honourable deputy leader of the NDP, for seconding this proposed legislation and for his tireless advocacy for families longing to reunite with their loved one…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely correct to say that bringing in back-to-work legislation has ramifications beyond this moment in time. As I indicated earlier, it poisons the well going forward; it is not a good path forward. On Labour Day, the Prime Minister released a message saying, “And thanks to the hard work and advocacy of unions, we’ve taken action to protect collective bargaining r…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there were ramifications when the Liberals were in government in B.C. for 16 years. They stripped workers of their rights, particularly in the Hospital Employees' Union, or HEU, and the British Columbia Teachers' Federation. It was devastating for the community. I will use the example of the HEU. When the then B.C. government came in, it relegated many of the workers to dangerous work…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there is no question that the Liberals and the Conservatives are much more alike than one would think. At every single turn, we have witnessed the Liberal government bringing in back-to-work legislation. Even in my short time around the House of Commons, we have seen this. The postal workers are an example, when we went well into the night debating that back-to-work legislation. Befor…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague, the member for New Westminster—Burnaby. At the heart of this back-to-work legislation today is the issue around workers' rights. The right of workers to free collective bargaining and the right to strike are rights guaranteed in law. Since we are talking about workers' right tonight, it would be appropriate for me to note that today is also…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives say that they support labour and union workers. If that is the case, I know that they will agree that a fundamental tenet of labour rights is free collective bargain. Back-to-work legislation tips the scale, as the member acknowledged, for the employer, and essentially robs the union of any chance of free collective bargaining in a fair way. We still have a chance to…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, many low-income seniors across Canada depend heavily on their GIS as a core part of their income. Any interruption to this important benefit would cause dire hardships, so I really urge the government to extend the income tax deadline for them. Of course, seniors are not the only people experiencing problems with CRA. There is another situation being faced by my constituents, whereb…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, my constituent, a busker, applied for the Canada recovery benefit. He submitted his annual income tax return for the last two years along with his City of Vancouver street vendor permit as proof of income and employment. CRA did not accept these and wanted to see receipts and bank statements indicating deposits made. It is, in my opinion, unreasonable to expect buskers and street mu…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the housing parliamentary secretary admitted that Canada is “a very safe market for foreign investment but...not a great market for Canadians looking for choices around housing”. He also said that Canada's housing market is “driven by speculation”. The cost of housing in Canada has increased by 31% over the last year alone. This 1% vacant homes tax for non-Canadians living outside of …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the ultrarich are becoming richer, while the people who need help continue to struggle. Budget 2021 failed to bring in a pandemic profiteering tax or a wealth tax. It continues to subsidize the oil and gas industry. My question to the member is this. When will the government do the right thing, stop the expansion of the TMX pipeline, stop the subsidies for the oil and gas industry, …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the government’s contracting of visa application services: (a) on which dates did Public Works and Government Services Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada each become aware that Beijing Shuangxiong is owned by the Beijing Public Security Bureau; (b) since learning of the ownership structure of Beijing Shuangxiong, what reviews have been conducted in response to this in…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to housing: (a) since 2010, broken down by year, how much insured lending did the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation approve for rental financing and refinancing to real estate income trusts and large capital equity funds; (b) of the insured lending in (a), how much is associated with the purchase of existing moderate-rent assets; (c) broken down by project receiving funding in (a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to loans approved by the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation (CEEFC) under the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility, broken down by approved loan for each borrower: (a) what are the terms and the conditions of the loan in terms of (i) dividends, (ii) capital distributions and share repurchases, (iii) executive compensation; (b) for the terms and conditions of the loa…
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Madam Speaker, students are faced with crushing debt loads. Nearly half a million Canadian students turn to student loans each year to cover their student costs. An average undergrad student's debt is over $30,000. The offer of waiving the interest is not enough. Would the member support forgiving at least part of the loan, say $20,000 per student?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, a “for indigenous, by indigenous” urban, rural and northern housing strategy has been in the minister's mandate letter since 2019, yet in budget after the budget the Liberals fail to deliver. The minister's lame excuse is that they are studying it. The chair of CHRA's indigenous housing caucus said that the absence of such a strategy in budget 2021 is a disgrace. The president and C…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals were elected, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 1%, and we are the only G7 nation that failed to meet the Paris target. On the first day of Biden's presidency, his first act was to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline. In Canada, the Prime Minister went and bought a pipeline. Today, on Earth Day, his Holiness the Dalai Lama and 100 other Nobel laureates…
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Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for New Westminster—Burnaby. I am very pleased to speak to budget 2021, a long-awaited budget, but I want to first congratulate the child care advocates for their years of dedication. I remember attending rally after rally, and participating in campaign after campaign organized by the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, the YWCA and m…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I cannot agree with the member regarding the need to bring in the Emergencies Act to help out the situation in Ontario. The situation in Ontario is dire and it needs help. I think Ontarians would welcome the help. The Premier of British Columbia has been calling for interprovincial travel restrictions for some time now. While there seems to be some noise to say that we are moving in t…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech was factual and helpful. With respect to priorities for the government to act on with the list of suggestions he made, what would he say is the number one priority now to get things under control? Is it the Emergencies Act?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am very concerned with the budget. The CRB would be reduced from $500 a week to $300 a week. We are well into the third wave and some people are even talking about the fourth wave. This is a huge concern. People are very worried about how they will make ends meet if that should happen. In addition, on the issue of disability, the budget put off the throne speech commitment for a d…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, if the Liberal government sees the people in the Downtown Eastside and the organizations that work every day to support the community in need, will it then provide them with core funding and stable funding so they do not have to scramble around from program to program to provide the supports that are so necessary in the community? Will the government then provide resources to the fa…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, one year ago, my riding was shaken by the tragic news of a newborn infant found deceased in a portable toilet in the Downtown Eastside. That horrifying incident was followed by a horrendous video where a woman was violently assaulted in broad daylight and nobody did a thing to help. Community advocates believe that there are numerous factors that led to these tragedies, some of whic…
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Mr. Speaker, regarding Bill C-11, the Privacy Commissioner has stated that he is concerned with the government's new definitions of commercial activity and consent rules. The current bill actually has much less protection of privacy than the previous definition. I wonder whether the member could comment on that. Does he share those concerns? Should the government be making amendments in this regar…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am actually going to focus on the bill itself. Of course, for Canadians, privacy rights are an important part of life in the digital age, and there are many platforms and many ways in which people's privacy could be breached. Facebook and Google often use Canadians' personal information in ways that have nothing to do with the service, under the guise of helping a small business, fo…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition about the situation in Chile. The petitioners are Canadians who care deeply about what is happening in Chile. They observe that the social uprising in Chile, which started in October 2019, has led to massive detentions and other human rights violations in Chile and has continued during the pandemic. Several independent international bodies have investigated and…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on global travel and migration. Canada’s immigration system came to a grinding halt. Families awaiting reunification, as well as workers, students, caregivers and refugees alike are all deeply impacted. My office continues to hear from an increasing number of frustrated PR applicants who have been in limbo for months, with their ap…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to say congratulations to the parliamentary secretary. I look forward to working with him. I have to say, though, that caregivers deserve landed status now. To create better efficiencies for IRCC, what the government can do to free up resources is simply automatically renew and provide extensions of current work permits, study permits, visitor visas, expired PR documents, expir…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we are well into the third wave, and we are in a situation where many small businesses and Canadians on the whole are very worried about their economic future. The small business community is calling for the extension of the wage subsidy and the rent subsidy, to be extended until the end of 2021. Is that something the member will support? Further, would the member support sector-spe…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the Auditor General's report clearly shows that the federal government's pandemic response failed Canadians. Issues were flagged as far back as 1999, and emphasized after the 2003 SARS and 2009 H1N1 outbreaks, yet the Public Health Agency of Canada failed to address these long-standing problems. It is inconceivable that Canada used risk assessment tools for domestic outbreaks when i…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the Liberal members keep saying they do not want to call an election in the middle of a pandemic, and of course the Prime Minister has that right. He can actually not call an election if he does not want to do so. The truth of the matter is that in the middle of a pandemic, we should not be having an election. Will the member support that no election would be called unless there is …
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