Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, our new government has taken immediate action to improve public safety, to stop crime and to hold criminals responsible. We have added much stricter penalties for gun crime, gang crime and violent crime. We are strengthening bail to ensure that criminals are not released from jail. We are strengthening anti-hate laws to protect vulnerable populations from targeted harassment. We are p…
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite is no Doug Ford with his folksy witticisms. I am continually amazed that members are conveniently confusing capital investment and operational expenses. Businesses, municipalities, families and farmers understand the difference, but there is no acknowledgement of the reality of the trade war that we are currently facing with the United States. The whole point of …
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Mr. Speaker, the people of Hamilton know that Canadian steel is an integral part of building a secure, sovereign Canada. Everything from homes to defence requires a strong industrial steel sector. With the announcement yesterday, it is clear that our government is focused on building Canada strong, with Canadian steel to build Canadian products, building the strongest economy in the G7. Can the Mi…
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Mr. Speaker, the people of Hamilton know that Canadian steel is an integral part of building a secure, sovereign Canada. Everything from homes to defence requires a strong industrial steel sector. With the announcement yesterday, it is clear that our government is focused on building Canada strong, with Canadian steel to build Canadian products, building the strongest economy in the G7. Can the Mi…
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Mr. Speaker, the people of Hamilton know that Canadian steel is an integral part of building a secure, sovereign Canada. Everything from homes to defence requires a strong—
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his ongoing advocacy and his tax credits for firefighters, for advocating for corporate responsibility and for advocating for the basic needs of everyday Canadians. However, I also want to address a growing concern for Canadians, and that is the influence of Donald Trump's White House over the Canadian Conservative Party, which is importing trends from the U.S. …
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Mr. Speaker, the people of Hamilton know that Canadian steel is an integral part of building a secure, sovereign Canada. Everything from homes to defence requires a strong industrial steel sector. With the announcement yesterday, it is clear that our government is focused on building Canada strong, with Canadian steel to build Canadian products, building the strongest economy in the G7. Can the Mi…
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Mr. Speaker, certainly, there are programs in the budget that specifically address the needs of seniors. One of the issues facing seniors, especially those on a fixed income, is increasing municipal property taxes. When they are in their home and on a fixed income, they cannot afford year-over-year property tax increases. This budget would address that by directly funding municipal infrastructure,…
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Mr. Speaker, affordability for seniors and families is central to this budget. This budget meets a specific moment in time when we are redefining the entire Canadian economy for the next century. Those investments are critical in making sure that seniors, families and young people have the opportunities they deserve in their communities. This requires focus and investment from the federal governme…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to rise today as the federal representative for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas to speak in support of the implementation of a new budget for Canada, a pivotal investment in the future of our great country. We are living through a fundamental shift in global trade, global alliances and the global economy. For decades, Canada and our democratic allies around the world rel…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said, this budget would strengthen the systems that families, seniors and people rely on, such as providing affordable child care, helping families enter the workforce, saving families money, making school food programs permanent, making sure that all students have the ability to learn on a full stomach and increasing old age security. My kids happen to be 17 and 19. I am very co…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his support of the budget here in the House. The member spoke about his private sector experience and I think we see in this budget, repeatedly, the influence that extensive private sector experience brings to the government. Would the member like to expand on the difference in perspectives between the private sector and the government?
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech in support of the budget was excellent. I represent an urban riding in Hamilton, and there is some really exciting funding in the budget specifically for municipalities and large urban centres, with $51 billion for infrastructure and $13 billion for housing. Of course municipalities in Ontario have deliberately been chronically underfunded by the provincial gover…
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Mr. Speaker, I have heard the member opposite speak a few times. He is an excellent speaker, and I think he would make an excellent leader of the opposition. The member opposite has spoken about streamlining evaluation across jurisdictions. I think that is a very important point. He was at a Green Building event recently, speaking very highly of and advocating for green building standards. Of cour…
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Mr. Speaker, the member formerly served at a municipal level, and I am wondering what he sees in the budget, specifically, that benefits municipalities in Ontario and across Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, a report from this summer says that Prince George saw a significant drop in crime severity, down 13.87%, the lowest point since 2020. I will note that Prince George, as well as Saskatchewan, is actually policed by the RCMP. The Leader of the Opposition has referred to the RCMP as “despicable”. Will the member opposite disavow those comments from his leader and stand up for the men and…
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Mr. Speaker, last week, Hamilton welcomed the Minister of Public Safety and the Secretary of State for Sport to announce federal funding for the amazing new Hamilton YWCA. Then the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime joined the mayor's community safety round table to discuss federal action to stop crime. We hosted the Minister of Industry to advance our government's buy Canadian policy, meetin…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so sick and tired of this “Canada is broken” narrative from the Conservative party. I am a proud Canadian, as is everyone in my riding. My family tree goes back to Laura Secord and the United Empire Loyalists, and I grew up and lived in Hamilton, where the Battle of Stoney Creek was one of the defining battles that kept Canada Canadian and part of the British Empire, so I will no…
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Mr. Speaker, I have lived in Hamilton my whole life. I am incredibly proud of our city's heritage as Canada's industrial centre and the heart of steelmaking. That spirit of hard work and resilience defines Hamilton. Illegal and unnecessary U.S. tariffs on steel threaten our industry and the livelihoods of hard-working Hamilton families. How we respond is not about politics. It is about people. It …
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Madam Speaker, my wife is a proud University of Waterloo grad, and there are three post-secondary institutions in my riding: McMaster, Mohawk and Redeemer. The member opposite mentioned the international student program. Of course, international students, and post-secondary education in particular, are the responsibility of the provincial government. This issue is mainly unique to Ontario. Will th…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for continually raising some of the very troubling issues that we are seeing from the U.S. administration south of the border. One aspect in particular is the tendency to use the justice system as retaliation against political foes. I wonder if the member opposite has any comments on the Leader of the Opposition's comments and bringing that style of U.S. …
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Madam Speaker, it is really encouraging to see collaboration in the House, where we can hash something out at committee and come to a level of agreement for the best interest of all Canadians. In particular, I appreciate the member's highlighting the impacts of the opioid crisis on indigenous communities, and I would suggest some of those impacts are very similar for urban indigenous populations a…
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, you admonished me for my comments, and now we have a member demeaning a member of—
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member served at the municipal level, as have I. We have seen the impact that provincial governments have on affordability by downloading costs to municipalities and downloading costs to residents. What role does the member see the provincial governments across Canada having in addressing affordability, and what more positive partnerships might be possible?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the members opposite for finally getting a motion before the House that has Justin Trudeau right in it. There is a strange Conservative obsession with the former prime minister. I think Conservatives are going to go to Spirit Halloween and get an animatronic of Justin Trudeau to jump out of the bushes to scare children. As we head into Thanksgiving, we hav…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to point out that members opposite and members in the opposition actively deny some of the horrors of residential schools and subsequent intergenerational trauma, so will the member take this opportunity to state on the public record that he acknowledges the horrors of residential schools, acknowledges the deaths of indigenous children at residential sc…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is from Winnipeg, which has a sizable indigenous population. He has been very engaged in consultation with members of his own community. What is the member hearing from those in his constituency and how would he expect that to apply across Canada?
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Mr. Speaker, another Conservative member from Vancouver Island recently made a statement that indigenous bands asked for residential schools, and supporters of the Conservative Party routinely engage in residential school denialism, supported by the Leader of the Opposition. How would the member for Victoria respond to those kinds of comments and how are they received in his community?
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Madawaska—Restigouche. Every Canadian deserves to be safe in their community and in their own neighbourhood. Whether it is walking home from work at night, taking their children to school, playing at the park or simply opening the doors of a small business, people should not have to worry about violence or repeat offenders undermining thei…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's highlighting the Conservatives' hyperbole in the House. As someone who comes from the private sector and as a former municipal councillor, I would say that the statements made here when protected by parliamentary privilege are absolutely astounding. The member is absolutely right that this serious issue of crime and safety is being utilized to mobilize the Co…
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Mr. Speaker, after reflecting on the British Columbia example of decriminalizing illegal drugs, I completely agree that it was a terrible policy decision. We have seen the fallout in municipalities across Canada, including in Hamilton. Bill C-5 is obviously problematic. Some of the sentencing restrictions on police when they are policing illegal drugs are problematic. Our government is committed t…
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Mr. Speaker, it is encouraging to rise on issues that I think we largely agree on. Across the aisle, we agree that bail reform is an issue and that repeat offenders are an issue. After talking to Hamilton police, I know that part of the problem is youth repeat offenders. I hope that when the governing party brings legislation forward, members opposite will support it. It is an opportunity, truly, …
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Mr. Speaker, reflecting on some conversations with Hamilton police, I agree with the member opposite that we need to take a stronger stance on organized crime, especially gangs and organizers who use and recruit youth to carry out crimes on their behalf. We are strengthening the provisions in the legislation to give police the electronic tools they need to address those crimes, but I would say the…
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Mr. Speaker, I have acknowledged that repeat offenders are a problem across Canada, in part because of some of the provisions in previous legislation on having the least onerous measures. However, I would say that the provinces, which train and regulate justices of the peace, also have a big part to play in this, because it is often the justices of the peace who are setting bail conditions and rel…
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Mr. Speaker, I would say that there are all kinds of comments from the opposition impugning the reputation of members. If they would like to state some of those outside and—
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Madam Speaker, I thank the NDP member for bringing up the issue of white nationalist hatred in Canada. Hamilton recently had a white supremacist mass-deportation protest that was deeply troubling to our community. Even more troubling is that it mirrors Conservative rhetoric, which is anti-immigrant and anti-migrant propaganda, further mirroring the trends we are seeing in the U.S.'s Trump and MAGA…
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Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of collaboration, I withdraw my comments, but I ask the members opposite to reflect—
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Mr. Speaker, we have the real Conservative A-team this afternoon. We have heard repeated Conservative conspiracy theories over and over in the House. If we want to talk about real hate crimes, and I am not quoting alt-right so-called alternative news, there are Jewish members in my community who are covering up their Jewish identity in public. That is the hate we are talking about that this bill s…
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Madam Speaker, let us perhaps look in the mirror. The Conservative leader associated with the conspiracy theory convoy. He has used misogynistic keywords in his party's propaganda. He has associated with the alt-right extremist and white supremacist-adjacent group Diagolon. His party spent years appeasing the Conservative Party base, bringing nothing to the table but division and conflict. What re…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member opposite's bringing up the issue of the use of legislation as a political tool. I have seen that first-hand in Hamilton, where activists in the community use accusations of hatred and racism as a tool to silence political opposition. Let us be clear: That is not what is happening here. That is not what is in the bill. The member opposite knows full well what th…
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Madam Speaker, I am not an expert on cybersecurity, but as a former municipal councillor in Hamilton, which was subject to one of the largest cybersecurity attacks in the history of Canada, I know a whole lot more about it than I ever wanted to. It is good to hear that Conservatives and the governing party have a lot in common regarding this bill in wanting to ensure and protect the security, info…
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Madam Speaker, I believe it was a question, not an accusation.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a little rich to hear Conservatives speak about affordability. The Leader of the Opposition has never held a real job in his entire life, has never contributed to the Canadian economy, lives in taxpayer-funded housing and has collected a taxpayer-funded salary his entire working career. He was fired by the residents of his own riding and now is cosplaying as an Albertan. Are mem…
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Madam Speaker, it is fascinating to listen to speech after speech of regurgitated ChatGPT prompts and a list of recycled catchphrases. It is time to cut the crap. The Leader of the Opposition is now a pretend westerner. I suppose he is now a pretend farmer. How was the Leader of the Opposition measured by the voters in his own riding? He was fired by his own constituents. Would the opposition not …
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Mr. Speaker, once again, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is fundamental to our government, including the freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to peaceful protest. However, when that extends to hatred, when that extends to specifically targeting identifiable groups for any reason, it is completely inappropriate.
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Mr. Speaker, this is an area where I personally have quite a bit of agreement with my colleagues in the Bloc. I personally have issues when religious texts are used at times as a justification for hatred against LGBTQ and queer communities in particular. However, we are trying to reach a balance between freedom of expression and making sure the targeted hate we are seeing in communities is address…
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Mr. Speaker, on the issue of overzealous litigants, that is something I personally identify with as a former municipal councillor, having been the subject of several what I considered to be frivolous and vexatious complaints, using the process as a political tool. However, the proposed act is very clear that the Crown would still have oversight of charges that would move forward. My question for t…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg North. It is an honour to rise today to speak to Bill C-9, the combatting hate act, a bill that represents more than just legislative reform. It reflects our Liberal government's commitment to protecting all Canadians from intimidation, harassment and the very real threat of hate in their communities. The legislation embodies our …
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Mr. Speaker, I think in these areas there is quite a bit of agreement between our government and the opposition. Going back to the purpose of the legislation and the consultation in the community, the purpose is to make sure all individuals have access to the community spaces central to their identity, to clarify the legal meaning of hatred within the Criminal Code so it takes away some of that am…
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Mr. Speaker, Hamilton is proud to be Canada's steel city, with a long history of organized labour and skilled trades. Our country's industry, housing and infrastructure, the foundations of our economy, have always been built by workers in the building trades. Could the Secretary of State for Labour update the House on how our government is supporting apprentices and helping workers get the trainin…
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