Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as a member from Hamilton, I know it has a very strong activist community that pushed the boundary on a number of issues, as it has every right to do, and I appreciate its contributions. However, in this context, I want to focus in on the member's comments about white nationalists and white supremacy movements growing in Canada. That is something that we have seen in Hamilton. There h…
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Mr. Speaker, some days I do not even know where to start, given the string of conspiracy theories. I am learning so much about this whole other world that most of Canada and most of the world has no idea even exists. It is a whole other language that apparently people need to be plugged into the freedom convoy network to even understand. We have heard about activist networks, ideological enforceme…
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Mr. Speaker, for the record, the bill was introduced over six months ago. It spent over 33 hours of debate in committee. The Conservatives have just engaged, in that entire time, in a countrywide campaign of misinformation and grift. At its core, the bill codifies the definition of hatred as extreme detestation or vilification, and a hate crime as a public incitement of hate or hate against an ide…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate your evaluation of the points of order here. As I was saying, my understanding of what the members opposite are actually advocating for is freedom from accountability. When I talk to clergy and religious leaders in my community, I basically ask them a simple question: Do you advocate for hate crimes on behalf of your religion? They say, “No,” and there is no further discu…
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Mr. Speaker, again, we just have this ongoing misinformation here in the House of Commons. The purpose of the combatting hate act is to protect vulnerable communities from what we are seeing on the ground in municipalities across the country, such as acts of growing anti-Semitism, intimidation and targeted harassment, and white supremacist rallies on the streets, with hate symbols and the enacting…
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Mr. Speaker, throughout this discussion this afternoon, I have been trying to understand what the Conservative objection to the combatting hate act actually is. The best I can tell is that they are asking for freedom from accountability, basically. In the bill, hate is defined as detestation or vilification. We have seen white nationalist rallies, public symbols of hate, the growth of white suprem…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise as the member of Parliament for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas. In less than a year, our government is delivering for Canadians. We have cut income taxes. We have delivered affordable child care and affordability tax credits. We are strengthening buy-Canadian procurement to support Canadian workers and Canadian industry, and we are investing in the infrastructure …
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Mr. Speaker, the despicable behaviour from the members opposite continues. We have had six months of debate on this topic, and the members opposite are now bemoaning the fact that we are finally calling the question on this. It is ridiculous. As for the impact on communities in Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, we have seen an unprecedented rise in anti-Semitism. There have been white nationalist ral…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments from the member opposite, especially those drawing on his experience in policing and the need for clear laws and enforceable rules. These are exactly the requests that the Hamilton police have made in our consultations about the combatting hate act. There has been a 35% increase in hate-related crimes in Hamilton, primarily against Black, Jewish and LGBTQ ind…
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Madam Speaker, I am listening closely to the discussion this morning on the combatting hate act here in the House of Commons, and I have to say that the comments and the approach in the talking points of the Conservative members are absolutely shameful, from the countrywide circus, the show that they are putting on, to the mobilization of communities of faith and the division and hatred. My questi…
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Madam Speaker, I apologize that my question is not in French, but I really appreciated the speech from the member opposite. The combatting hate act was developed in close consultation with impacted communities, with faith communities and with police across Canada. The member made some important points, including that the show, the performance, we are seeing from the members opposite is extremely u…
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Mr. Speaker, it always astounds me when members stand up in the House and have absolutely no clue about what they are talking about on the ground. The member opposite talked about past housing projects. Through the housing accelerator fund, $93.5 million went to the City of Hamilton. That was used to build nearly 3,000 additional homes and housing units and for building growth-related infrastructu…
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Mr. Speaker, I heard the member say that the Conservatives would cut the HST off all new homes, cut development charges and give tax breaks, 35% of the cost of new housing being government fees. It is easy to make those kinds of comments from the opposition benches when you have no plan, but how would you actually pay for that?
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite quoted some lyrics from The Offspring, which I really appreciated. It is also a band from my youth. I am going to quote some lyrics from another band, a hometown band from Hamilton called the Arkells, and its song about cynical people. It goes: If you're the kind with nothing to say, You heard about this party, But you're praying for rain. Now, if you want me to bo…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite brings up an interesting point in the fact that we recognize the need to build more homes faster, and the goal was to double the speed of construction across Canada. My experience is that this takes a cultural shift. This needs to have the government get to a point of yes, and that is what Build Canada Homes would do. It would build a way to get those appro…
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Mr. Speaker, I see the Build Canada Homes Crown corporation as similar to the approach that the City of Hamilton took with its housing secretariat. It would be an oversight agency, to make sure that $13 billion of funding is flowed through to the areas across the country where it is needed most. On top of that, there is another $51 billion in infrastructure, which would offset a lot of those costs…
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Mr. Speaker, I find it embarrassing that the members opposite continuously bring up conspiracy theories in the House of Commons, so I am not going to acknowledge the premise of that question. Suffice it to say, we are taking tangible action to build more housing that Canadians need.
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Sherbrooke. Housing affordability is one of the defining challenges that Canadians face today. Across this country and in my community of Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, families are really concerned about the cost of housing and whether their children are going to be able to afford a home in their community. Build Canada Homes is an import…
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Mr. Speaker, coincidentally, during the constituency week, I toured a prefab housing factory in my riding that is gearing up for production. People there are really excited about the federal investment in prefabricated housing, because they see it as a way, once those factories are at scale, to produce much-higher-quality housing at a lower production rate versus doing it on site. Most countries a…
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Mr. Speaker, for a moment there, I thought I was back on Hamilton city council on the planning committee. Every single time a project comes forward, we hear the exact same rhetoric from retail politicians who want to stand in the way because it is politically expedient. Every single industrialized economy in the world, except for maybe the U.S., whether it is Europe, China or Japan, has a high-spe…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I appreciate the comments from the member for Newmarket—Aurora. I genuinely appreciate the experience that she brings to the House. The member spoke about productivity, competitiveness and the need for economic growth, which we are very much aligned on, and also the need to work together and the importance of our Canadian democratic institutions. My question to the member …
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the general acknowledgement that high-speed rail is a positive thing for Canada as a nation-building exercise, as a transportation corridor and as an economic building opportunity to use Canadian steel, Canadian labour and Canadian skilled trades. I really take to heart his comments about the impacts on the communities he represents. I have worked in construction f…
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Mr. Speaker, I think if Canadians wanted to understand exactly why the Conservative Party lost a 25-point lead in the last election, they could look at the member's speech here this afternoon. Even in Alberta, recent polling is showing a tightening and Liberals being competitive in ridings such as the riding of the member opposite. I do not know if there is anything that they will bring to the tab…
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Madam Speaker, it is very good this morning to hear the comments from the members opposite and their new-found respect for treaties and also for reconciliation. I am just wondering how the member opposite would reconcile that with the comments from her leader that the federal government should override indigenous rights in order to get pipelines built, regardless of the objection of those rights h…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate that the member opposite raised the need for Canada to engage in nation-to-nation consultation, or duty to consult with indigenous nations. She spoke about pipelines and other projects. The Prime Minister and our government have been clear that we need consultation and a better relationship with indigenous nations. Her leader has stood in the House and said that the fed…
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Madam Speaker, there were a lot of interesting points made by the member opposite. In particular, I take her point about property rights and economic stability. She noted, at the beginning of her comments, that the bill on the commissioner for modern treaties was built and developed with the support of, and in consultation with, indigenous rights holders and indigenous communities across Canada. I…
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Madam Speaker, with respect to projects of national interest, we heard over and again from the many witnesses at the natural resources committee that the path forward for Canada is working in reconciliation with indigenous rights holders to get projects built and to share that economic prosperity. Can the member opposite comment on his leader's opinion that the federal government should override t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the United States government has unilaterally started a trade war against Canada. In response, the Prime Minister has committed to doubling non-U.S. trade, with direct measures to help Canadian businesses adapt and grow. Can the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources tell the—
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Mr. Speaker, the United States government has started a trade war against Canada. In response, the Prime Minister has committed to doubling non-U.S. trade, with direct measures to help Canadian businesses adapt and grow. Can the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources tell the House what our government is doing to support Canadian businesses impacted by unjustified American tariffs?
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Mr. Speaker, listening to multiple speeches today, it seems like the main objection is that this creates an additional bureaucracy, but that is ignoring the fact that this is actually built in consultation and collaboration with indigenous leaders and indigenous rights holders. What would the member say to those indigenous rights holders who are asking for this legislation?
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Mr. Speaker, the United States government has unilaterally started a trade war against Canada—
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the United States government has unilaterally started a trade war against Canada. In response—
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague made a key point here: that this legislation was co-developed with treaty partners and indigenous rights holders in order to ensure accountability, oversight and transparency and to build trust. I wonder if the member could elaborate on what the input was from rights holders and how it was included in the legislation that is before us.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, that is a difficult question, because what is a lie is very subjective, and I think the last thing we want to have is the Speaker being a fact-checker. We need to have robust debates. We are going to have different political opinions on things, and statistics or certain facts may be interpreted differently. However, what I would like to see, when it is a blatant lie or an attack aga…
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Madam Speaker, for the record, I was on the receiving end of multiple code of conduct complaints by my political enemies, who used those as a way of retaliation. As I said, Hamilton is a rough place to be an elected official. However, broadly, we could all use a little bit more respect for the House, the institution and our Canadian democratic values.
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Mr. Speaker, the debate is on the Standing Orders, but we are also discussing parliamentary procedure in general, which I am doing. As I was saying, Hamilton is a rough place to be an elected representative, and I am rather used to some rough treatment. I am very proud to say I have served two terms. Before that, I worked for 20 years in heavy civil construction as a structural engineer. In total,…
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I appreciate the reminder, Mr. Speaker. That is actually an important point among the points that I am making this afternoon. As I was saying, some of the biggest risks that we are facing as a country are extremist movements, extremist ideologies and the politics of division, anger, resentment and hatred being directly imported from the United States. That is not on one side of the spectrum; that …
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Mr. Speaker, to start my remarks, I want to thank my family: my wife Dawn, daughter Sadie and son Isaac; our three cats, Tinkerbell, Luna and Max; and our dog Duke. One of the interesting parliamentary rules of order is that if my daughter Sadie happened to be in the gallery today, I would not be able to acknowledge her and say, “Hi, sweetie. Thanks for coming and seeing Dad at work.” I am just go…
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Madam Speaker, as Monica said, “Rules help control the fun.” As someone who has chaired hundreds, if not thousands, of meetings, of course I very much value the rules that control and direct debate to ensure that everybody has a fair opportunity to contribute. With respect to taking photos or selfies in the chambers or the standing committees, as I said in my speech, I do not believe there is actu…
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Madam Speaker, question period is its own thing. As others have mentioned, such as my colleague from Calgary, when we have students here observing question period, it is a bit of a shock. Personally, I would like to see a more forceful intervention from the Speaker in question period. My experience, again working at the municipal level, is that questions have to be on specific topics. I think that…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member opposite's mentioning the RCMP. My father-in-law, Mike Renchko, is a very proud retired RCMP member. Of course, the protecting victims act we are debating today is about protecting people against gender-based violence and intimate partner violence, protecting children from predators, strengthening victims' rights and addressing court delays. If there is anythin…
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Newmarket—Aurora gave a thoughtful speech. She has genuine concern for the families, parents and seniors who are facing affordability issues in their communities. In the city of Hamilton, the average family income is significantly lower than other parts of the province, so this issue is particularly acute in the areas that I represent. A credit of $7,500 over five years…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to remember Private Mark Anthony Graham and to honour the 40,000 Canadians who fought with NATO in Afghanistan. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the United States of America invoked NATO's article 5 for the first time in history, calling America's allies to their collective defence. Canada answered that call. Private Mark Anthony Graham was a Canadian soldier…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we all agree it is a priority for Canada to diversify our economy and increase trade. It was good to hear that tacit support and offer of collaboration from the member opposite. Having greater Canadian access to the eighth-largest economy in the world, certainly on agriculture, seafood and lumber, is great news for Canadians. Focusing in on Ontario, looking at opportunities fo…
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Mr. Speaker, there are a number of areas on which the member and I largely agree, which is really good to hear. I really appreciated his discussion of the need for investment in ports, trade corridors and infrastructure, which is, of course, an important part of budget 2025. In particular, the port of Hamilton has direct access to the Atlantic through the St. Lawrence Seaway, a key export hub for …
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Madam Speaker, following the member's speech, I am trying to understand what it is that the Conservative Party actually stands for. In her speech, she started with anti-immigration conspiracy theories, which undoubtedly will be used to grift and fundraise. Then she blamed immigrants for destroying Canada's social fabric, which frankly is straight-up racist. Then she went into some MAGA-theory talk…
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Madam Speaker, it is good to get the member opposite's perspective. He has been an environmental leader for many years. There are a couple of important things that he mentioned. The first was that becoming an energy superpower includes all forms of energy and that we need to invest in clean energy and invest in jobs in clean energy, because that is where the jobs of the future are. Thinking about …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for working Justin Trudeau and Fidel Castro into his speech. I am sure his “freedom convoy” supporters absolutely love that kind of nonsense. I should be shocked, but am not, by the continuing lack of integrity and by the cowardice shown by the Conservative members opposite. We are inside the House, where they are protected by parliamentary pr…
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Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The member is continuing to make false and defamatory statements against an identifiable member.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague is a strong advocate for P.E.I. and Atlantic Canada. When I was raising my family, I would very much have appreciated the government's programs, especially the national child care program, which is a huge support for young families. I want to draw on the member's experience at the provincial level and ask how important it is to have a federal government that is fully en…
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