Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will start from maintaining integrity and fairness. The integrity of Canadian citizenship depends on applying the right standards in the right context. For people who move to Canada, the naturalization process assesses their readiness to join the Canadian family. It requires establishing a substantial connection to this country through recent residence, knowledge of Canada and knowl…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a real pleasure, as always, to speak on behalf of the residents of my amazing constituency of Davenport on the third reading of Bill C-3, an act to amend the Citizenship Act. Before I go further, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. I will spend the next nine minutes or so reminding members abou…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a great question. In December 2023, in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, we had a judge who declared section 3(3)(a) and section 3(3)(b) of the Citizenship Act, key provisions limiting the passing of citizenship by descent to the first generation, to be of no force or effect. There were three main constitutional violations that were found, and the courts gave our government…
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It is just that I am looking at my time, Mr. Speaker. It is hard for me to know my timing. I will put it on my chair.
Read full speech →Statements by members
Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister said last week, “Threats from a more dangerous and divided world are unravelling the rules-based international order”. If we do not act now, the pressures will only grow. Our government's commitment to Canadians is clear: protect our sovereignty, defend our democracy and stand strong with trusted allies. That is exactly what Canadian NATO parliamentarians did recent…
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Mr. Speaker, we were first elected over 10 years ago. My 10-year anniversary was yesterday and it continues to be the honour of my life to represent the amazing Davenport residents. When we were first elected, the Conservatives had decreased the amount of money that was going to our border officers by about $1 billion. Over the course of a number of years, we brought that money back and, on top of…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that is a very valid question. I will say that, in addition to our wanting to hire 1,000 more RCMP officers and 1,000 more CBSA officers, we have put in an additional $1.3 billion. I do think that if we could provide the right tools and the right package, if we could provide the right opportunities, we would have an easy ability to be able to fill those existing roles. It is a…
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Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to the debate this afternoon. One of the things we have to remind ourselves is that it is like the whole world has completely shifted. There is a new global environment. There are now increasingly sophisticated criminal organizations. There is now a renewed international focus on irregular migration and cross-border crime. There are a lot of new things happening.…
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Mr. Speaker, in my downtown riding of Davenport, in west Toronto, the stealing of cars is a very big issue. Our government has put in quite a bit of investment to tackle it. We have seen great progress. Could the hon. member talk about how the bill would continue to help us have the tools we need to make sure we keep our communities safe and that these cars are not stolen from our homes?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as always, it is a true pleasure for me to rise in the House to speak on behalf of the amazing residents and constituents of my constituency of Davenport. I will be speaking today to Bill C-12, an act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and respecting other related security measures. Bill C-12 wo…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in relation to Bill C-3, an act to amend the Citizenship Act, 2025. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is always such a pleasure for me to rise in the House to speak on behalf of the constituents of my amazing downtown west Toronto riding of Davenport. Today I am speaking in favour of Bill C-11, an act to amend the National Defence Act and other acts. The legislation, if passed, would amend the National Defence Act in response to long-standing concerns raised by victims and survivor…
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Mr. Speaker, change does take time. What is most important for me is that we have the bill right now in the House and that there is an opportunity for all the members of the House to ensure that we pass the bill. We have made considerable progress over the past several years to enact meaningful and durable cultural change in the Canadian Armed Forces. If we pass the bill, we will continue to make …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his advocacy. We have already made considerable progress over the last few years to enact meaningful and durable cultural change within the Canadian Armed Forces. I am pleased to let the House know that we have also provided support and resources for any of the survivors or victims. A key resource is the sexual misconduct support and resource centre…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate, because I do want to continue to focus on Bill C-11, that members of our Canadian Armed Forces are always going to be there, not only keep to Canada safe but also to make sure that we fulfill our role as a NATO ally. For us to be able to do so, our forces have to be ready, able and agile. I hope the member opposite will support Bill C-11, because it would contribu…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Armed Forces is always there to keep Canada safe. It is our obligation as a government to ensure that it has the resources, tools and equipment to be able to do so. The legislation that we are discussing today would help our Canadian Armed Forces build a more inclusive, respectful and safe workplace. It is important for everyone to pass it.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, olé, olé, olé. October is Latin American Heritage Month, and it is so exciting to know that we have a whole month to celebrate the amazing music, literature, food, art and language of 21 diverse and beautiful Latin American and Hispanic nations represented in Canada. This is one of Canada's fastest-growing communities: young, entrepreneurial and innovative. From medicine to business a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am here this morning to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, in relation to the motion adopted on Tuesday, September 16, regarding Canada's immigration system.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the people of Davenport, many of whom trace their Canadian story to Brazil and across South America. This summer, I hosted a round table with Brazilian Canadian business leaders and organizations to discuss the opportunities for growth in these emerging markets. I want to thank the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce and the Minister of International Trade for pa…
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Mr. Speaker, first I will say to the member that I think we have spent quite a bit of time addressing issues of privacy here in the House. If there are any concerns around privacy on his part and, for some reason, we need to make adjustments around the privacy concerns he might have, I would ask him to bring them to committee.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a real honour for me to rise in the House for the first time after the summer to speak to Bill C-2, the strong borders act. I am speaking on behalf of the residents of my constituency of Davenport, whom I am so honoured to represent for the fourth time. The need for the legislation is as great today as it was when it was introduced in June, and I look forward to helping make t…
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Mr. Speaker, the strong borders act would make critical amendments to legislation that would advance our government's priorities to keep Canadians safe and secure through strengthening our border and making some additional changes, including the changes that she has referenced to the Canada Post Corporation Act. The way crime is conducted these days has absolutely changed, so the government has to…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member and the other members of the Bloc Québécois for being very passionate about this issue. There should be no doubt about it: Bill C-2 is about taking more decisive action to crack down on crime. That absolutely means that we will be cracking down on money laundering and terrorist financing. I want to assure the member that any ideas they have should be br…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, indeed, I think it is non-partisan. It is absolutely important for us to ensure that we continue to have updated legislation that allows our government to take strong action to prevent crime, to ensure that our law enforcement officers at all levels have the tools they need to disrupt any type of crime and to hold people to account for criminal activity. I will tell everyone that we w…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, September 16, is Mexican Independence Day, and I rise to recognize this momentous occasion. For over 80 years, Canada and Mexico have built a strong partnership rooted in shared values and mutual respect. We collaborate across countless fronts, from cultural exchanges to substantial investments that strengthen both of our economies. The current challenge of U.S. tariffs pres…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it was a true honour to lead a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians to Dayton, Ohio, for the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, where parliamentarians from all NATO countries assembled for discussions. Dayton was selected to honour the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accord, which marked the end of the Bosnian War. Given the changing geopolitical situation and …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the true honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the following reports: the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the joint meeting of the Defence and Security Committee, the Economics and Security Committee and the Political Committee in Brussels, Belgium, from February 19 to …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have a very quick question for my hon. colleague, who gave an excellent speech. What is the importance of introducing this legislation right now?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a great honour, as always, to stand in this House and speak on behalf of the residents of my riding of Davenport. Before I continue, I want to say that I will be very happily sharing my time with my colleague, the member for Kingston and the Islands. I will be speaking to the opposition day motion today. I am also going to be speaking a lot about innovation and a lot of things…
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Madam Speaker, the single biggest threat to Canada's auto sector, or to Canada in general, is American tariffs, not electric vehicles. We are fighting to protect Canadian jobs and are building an electric vehicle supply chain that is driving record investment into our economy. Transportation emissions have declined to levels that have not been seen in decades, demonstrating that we can grow our ec…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with the hon. member. I think the types of incentives that our federal government has introduced in the past have led to an increase in Canadians buying electric vehicles. We have, for the moment, temporarily halted those incentives, but it is my hope that we will be returning to them in the near future.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I think we have been hearing about this a lot in the news. We are working very hard and very expeditiously to create a resilient, strong Canadian economy. As part of that, we are forming alliances with car companies around the world. One of them is Volkswagen. It will be the largest car company manufacturing EVs and batteries in North America. This is just one of our many investment…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I was reading a few things, so I am not sure if I heard the question correctly. I will say to the hon. member that our government is absolutely committed to ensuring that federal procurement is always conducted in an open, fair and transparent manner, and that we, at no point, will ever accept misconduct of any kind. We will constantly be improving our procurement process.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member has heard numerous speeches today. He might have to hear a few more speeches because we are reiterating, in the absolute strongest terms, that misconduct of any kind in the procurement process is never acceptable. Absolutely, we have taken action. We have taken action directly against GC Strategies. We have revoked the security clearance of GC Strategies. We hav…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member that we should always be shopping locally. As someone who lived in Quebec for four years, I am very fond of the great businesses there, and I think it is great that she shared with us today that she had bought something local from Quebec. On just procurement and best practices, this is why we have an Auditor General. There are a number of oversight measure…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mississauga Centre. On behalf of the residents of my great constituency of Davenport, which is located in downtown Toronto, I am very pleased to join the debate on this opposition day motion about ArriveCAN contractor GC Strategies. It is truly an important matter for us to discuss. Effective management in government procurement is a funda…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, defending Canadians is one of our government's top priorities. Given the increasingly volatile global landscape, it is vital that our Canadian Armed Forces are properly equipped to meet the challenges we ask them to face. It is urgent that we take immediate action to strengthen our armed forces and support those who are serving our country. Can the Secretary of State for Defence Procu…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, olá. As the member of Parliament for Davenport, the riding with the largest number of Portuguese Canadians, I am proud to rise in the House today to celebrate Portugal Day in Canada and to celebrate June as Portuguese Heritage Month. It has been 72 years since the first group of Portuguese immigrants arrived at Pier 21 in Halifax. Today, Portuguese Canadians are almost half a million …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, as the hon. member knows, we do have a plan. We were discussing that plan with provincial and territorial leaders earlier this week. We have talked and have agreed that we are going to have one Canadian economy. We are going to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers. We are going to ensure the free movement of people, goods and services. We are going to invest in nation-building p…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, when we talk about having one economy instead of 13, from my perspective what we are talking about is something I think many Canadians have been hoping we would do for a really long time, which is to ensure that we have a very strong internal Canadian economy, that we have such a strong foundation and economy that we are able to withstand a lot of the uncertainty and unpredictabilit…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, the hon. member's words were kind. I invite him to come back to my great constituency of Davenport any time. He was very popular and very well loved. I will say that the dental care program is one of the life-saving programs in my community. I have a largely working-class constituency, so a program like the national dental care program is a life-saver for many of them. The fact that…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. It is my enormous pleasure to rise in this House to respond to the Speech from the Throne. However, before I begin, I want to thank the residents of my constituency of Davenport for their faith and trust in me. I am enormously grateful that they have re-elected me for a fourth term to serve them as well as serve our…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs. It is a true pleasure to contribute to this important debate on the wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. I truly want to thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for proposing the debate this evening. Not only is it important, but I also very much appreciate hearing the stories and the experiences of those who …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I understand that today, our government, alongside the governments of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, announced that we will match all individual donations to the Canadian Red Cross in support of those impacted by wildfires in each province. That means every dollar Canadians give will go further, to provide emergency shelter, food and essential supplies. We are deeply grateful to the Red C…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience said earlier this evening that every single time we tackle wildfires in this country, we continue to learn from each and every single event. We are going to continue to work closely with all of our partners, our provincial partners, indigenous communities and non-profit partners, to make sure that we continue to keep—
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague from Winnipeg North for his very thoughtful and compassionate comments this evening. I always feel that I learn a lot whenever I hear him speak. My comment and my question is around community resilience. I would love to hear from him what he believes we are doing, from a community resilience perspective, in those communities that have been impacted …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, while I am a member from downtown Toronto, I care just as much about what is happening in our country as others do. Not only do I proudly represent Davenport, but I represent all Canadians. I do everything in my power to make the best decisions I can for this country, so I absolutely care about the wildfires that are under way. I am very proud to be a part of the important debate and …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in my constituency of Davenport, we recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Alexander G. Muir building, currently the home of the Alexander Muir/Gladstone Ave Junior and Senior Public School, also fondly known as AMG. It is named after the Scottish-Canadian poet and educator, Alexander Muir, who composed the lyrics to the The Maple Leaf Forever and served as the school's firs…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I love this time of year. As a child, I have fond memories of tobogganing in my local park in downtown Toronto, eagerly counting down the days to Christmas. It is a magical time of year, with carolling, gift-giving and gatherings where we share food and drink with those we love. It is also time to reflect and be thankful. I want to thank all the organizations that are on the front lin…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians received great news last week about a temporary tax break that we would be implementing for all Canadians. Our government is exempting essentials like groceries, snacks, children's clothing and gifts from the GST, starting December 14. This will deliver tangible and immediate support to Canadians struggling with the cost of living. Could the minister share why all members of…
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