Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we know that small businesses do well when consumer spending is up, and that is why we have made investments like the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. Wages are increasing faster than inflation, and we have cut taxes through measures like the superproductivity deduction to make it easier for businesses to invest. We are taking the right approaches during this time of tariffs, …
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Mr. Speaker, treaty rights are sacrosanct to this government, as are the regimes that we have in place, including the regimes for non-compliance and the environmental damages penalties that we have under the legislation. Incidents such as the recent spill at Cold Lake are taken very seriously. Federal officials are in contact with their provincial counterparts and indigenous leadership to ensure t…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the continuing work of the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, the leader of the Green Party, on issues related to contaminants and leakage. I also want to thank her for the interventions regarding the work of the late Dr. David Schindler, who raised some of these issues, as she mentioned, in the decades and years past. These were issues I covered for some time in my previou…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate and thank Young Voices Toronto on its 40th anniversary concert at Runnymede United Church. Founder Ann Cooper Gay grew up in Palacios, Texas, came to Canada during the height of the Vietnam War, started teaching music here and founded what was then called the High Park Choirs in 1986, yet another example of the contribution of immigrants to our country. Since th…
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Mr. Speaker, there are some very promising signs in the Canadian economy, especially in Ontario and especially for youth. The Ontario unemployment rate is now the lowest in two and a half years. The Toronto unemployment rate is the lowest since November 2023. Full-time jobs are up 154,000, 99,000 of which were for youth. There are some very promising signs in this economy. We have investment both …
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Mr. Speaker, we have very promising results with incoming investment, the highest investment in over 18 years in foreign direct investment into Canada. It is very good to have very strong Canadian companies that are both exporting their products and finding trading opportunities elsewhere. I think we should celebrate and talk up these strong Canadian technology companies instead of running them do…
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Mr. Speaker, for this government, rural connectivity is very important and affordability is very important. That is why the average cellphone rate has actually gone down 43% over the last three years, while companies continue to invest in their infrastructure. We work hard with these companies and through the CRTC to make sure investments continue, including in rural Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the intervention and the concern of the member for Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley. I want to acknowledge the deeply troubling circumstances that have prompted this debate and, I think rightly, his concern. The seizure of a significant quantity of fentanyl near Swift Current is a stark reminder of the lethal impact this drug is having on communities across Canada. I h…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands' concern about this and her long-standing advocacy for evidence-based approaches to public policy. With respect to the chief science officer, she is somebody I engage with and the Minister of Industry and her department engage with regularly. That is where the chief science officer is based. Also, she has significant engagement with …
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the intervention. Although I cannot speak to the circumstances of that specific committee, I know that as a government we try to resource all the activities we say we are doing as effectively and efficiently as possible. I want to reiterate that the status of science for this government is the status of science as represented by the investments we are making, the status o…
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Mr. Speaker, the investments that we have made, including those commitments of 1,000 RCMP officers and 1,000 CBSA officers, have the promise to really make a dent into this. I had the pleasure of touring a CBSA facility last summer in the Windsor area and hearing from the frontline leaders of the CBSA. They told us how important this was and how the advanced scanning available through the CBSA is …
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak about my colleague from Beaches—East York. I come to this place as a relatively new MP, but I had the privilege of collaborating with the member in my former life, leading a think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University. I greatly appreciated that we had the chance to engage on a number of the ideas he mentioned in his speech, particularly competition policy …
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Mr. Speaker, UNDRIP and indigenous rights, as well as doing economic development with indigenous peoples, I think, are foundational principles of this government. We have seen it reflected through some of the recent deals that have been announced. I hope to continue to work on it from this side, along with colleagues who are interested.
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be sharing my time with the member for Kingston and the Islands. I will be opposing the motion. We have a comprehensive plan. I am seeing in my travels across the country and in my riding that the plan is starting to deliver results. If we take an honest look at the full set of strategies the government has announced, the measures as early as June, with the income tax cu…
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Mr. Speaker, I had the chance to visit Saskatoon in January or February of this year, and I had the pleasure to visit the facilities and the labs that are being funded at the University of Saskatchewan, in particular the VIDO vaccine facility, a world-leading facility, as well as the cyclotron facility. They are world-leading major research facilities that are, again, attracting scientists from ar…
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Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat familiar with the challenges my colleague is talking about. I am from Bathurst, New Brunswick, which is right across Chaleur Bay. I am therefore very familiar with the challenges and issues facing the forestry industry. We have been hit hard by U.S. tariffs for decades. We are working very hard. We are in close contact. As for my colleague's suggestions, I know that, on …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague champions that kind of research. In the spring economic update, we increased funding for research at community colleges, building on a very solid foundation thanks to historic investments in the 2024 and 2025 budgets for research on defence and international intellectual capital.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak to this motion today because it gives us an opportunity to really celebrate the cultural productions, the musicians, the directors, the TV producers, the workers and the makeup artists, all the people who participate in this rich cultural economy that we have in Canada. I will also speak to what is happening in Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park. The motion also g…
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Mr. Speaker, we are here to defend Canadian sovereignty, whether by including cultural exemptions in our free trade agreements or by supporting the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation through historic investments. During the 1990s, I spent several years in Quebec, in Montreal. Back then, I appreciated the measures and the level of commitment with which Quebeckers defended their culture. We are very …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleague from Terrebonne a question. She did a great job of describing the challenges that francophone creators face. I think these funds and policies can also help young Black creators, filmmakers and musicians in particular. In her opinion, how can these policies help young Black creators in her riding?
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Mr. Speaker, that is a very good question. We believe that it is possible to support creators, filmmakers and musicians while at the same time ensuring that the American giants make good corporate citizens. This policy helps creators and artists secure more funding for their creations and ensures that Canadians and Quebeckers can access this information and these programs. They often have access t…
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Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to talk to my colleague about his involvement in that file, which actually resulted in a bipartisan consensus in Ontario, whereby both Progressive Conservatives and Liberals supported the policy of supporting production, not only by Canadian companies, but also by international companies. That policy has led to results, including the one that I quoted. I bel…
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Mr. Speaker, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, I want to commend the minister for making historic investments in science and research under budget 2024. I commend the bill we are debating today. I want to ask particularly about employee ownership trusts. I was at an event that celebrated the 25th anniversary of Social Capital Partners, a very important organization that led t…
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Mr. Speaker, before I came to this place, I taught undergraduate students for 15 years, and I know the number that COVID did and now the trade war is doing on them. What do we do when a number is being done on young people? We build them up and help them with hard skills and soft skills. That is why we have the team Canada strong plan with 100,000 apprenticeships. This summer we have 32,000 jobs w…
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Mr. Speaker, we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. We have the highest foreign direct investment in this country in 18 years, at almost $100 billion. We have the highest exports on record, including a 31% increase in exports to Europe. These are signs of our resilience and the strength of our economy. Our plan is starting to work, despite the trade action that is being launched. We reall…
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Mr. Speaker, our plan is investing in jobs and is supporting those private sector innovators that are bringing jobs, including to places like York Region in the member's region, where AMD has a major facility and is centralizing its innovation supports in York Region, in Markham, bringing thousands of jobs. I recently visited the University of Toronto's Master of Science in applied computing progr…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that tariffs are affecting the industry globally, but we also know that we have a very strong plant in Alliston, with 4,100 workers. They recently rolled off their 11 millionth car, making the popular CR-V and Civic brands. We also know that we need to be there for our sector, which is why we are investing in workers. We are embracing a sustainable future, and we are attractin…
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Mr. Speaker, the head of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, on Monday, at committee, said that the rebate policy was a good policy and that it embraced the purchases of the kinds of vehicles Canadians want. In terms of EVs and other kind of investments, the good news is that there is new investment coming, the PowerCo plant in St. Thomas, the NextStar facility, which has rolled off o…
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Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed my colleague's speech and that of my colleague from Joliette—Manawan . My colleague talked about Quebec businesses. As a member from Ontario and parliamentary secretary, I am more concerned with businesses in Ontario, but I know that the minister and my colleague, the parliamentary secretary and member for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, are very involved with Quebec businesses. …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague has extensive experience in trade, particularly in Europe. We know that efforts to diversify exports are beginning to yield results. Exports to Europe increased by 31% in 2025. In my colleague's experience, particularly with Portugal and other countries he knows well, what role does diversification play in the steel, aluminum, and copper sectors?
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to address the issue of missed payments. Some seniors have waited longer than they should. These delays were operational issues for files largely involving new applications or changes to payments. The department has worked to improve processing times with an OAS action plan implemented to improve service delivery, which has led to a 41% decrease in the inventory of new OAS appl…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to the incoming governor general, the Hon. Louise Arbour, who is a voice for human rights, a voice for women in the law, a voice for official bilingualism and a voice for many of the values we hold sacred in this country. I want to congratulate her on her appointment. I also want to share my resonance with the values the hon. member is identifying. I am the son o…
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, the shared commitment to medicare, as expressed through the Canada Health Act, is a very strongly held commitment. We are very fortunate to have a minister who is a fierce guardian of that commitment. The exact way in which we engage with any one situation, again, relies on those principles that I mentioned around collaboration to ensure that access to medic…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek for her concern and her engagement on this, and I want to convey, on behalf of the government, that we do take those questions seriously. I want to address how the system is working at ESDC and issues around the accuracy of payments. I also want to clear up some misinformation surrounding program costs. Let us start at the …
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Mr. Speaker, I like that my colleague from Beauce shares stories about businesses in his riding, including the ones we heard at meetings of the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology. I think that all of us on both sides of the House agree that we want the best deal possible. On this side of the House, we believe that a bad deal is worse than no deal. My colleague called on us to propose co…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the House that our government's focus remains clear and disciplined. We are controlling what we can control, which means maintaining fiscal sustainability while making targeted, high-impact investments for Canadians; maintaining our fiscal anchors; and ensuring that every dollar spent on behalf of Canadians supports growth, resilience and improving the well-being of C…
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Mr. Speaker, in case the Hansard did not pick it up, I want to make sure it is heard that it is the deficit-to-GDP ratio that is declining. The debt-to-GDP ratio is the lowest in the G7 by some considerable margin. The deficit-to-GDP ratio and balancing operating spending with revenues are two of the key fiscal anchors that we are achieving. Again, I refer my colleague to page 12 of the spring eco…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, 67 years and one month ago, Toru-Hagiwara, the Japanese ambassador to Canada, presented 2,000 Somei Yoshino sakura to the citizens of Toronto for their support of Japanese Canadian refugees after the Second World War. Tomorrow, we will reap the fruits of that gift and other gifts, which are a living testament to the friendship between our two nations and a reminder of one of the many …
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Madam Speaker, when the Conservative Party was in power in the 1990s, Canada was a fiscal basket case, with a debt-to-revenue ratio of over 30%. By contrast, we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. We have the second-best growth rate in the G7. We are responding, but when it comes to tariffs, we know that a bad deal is worse than no deal, and that manufacturing needs some help. The Prime M…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments from my colleague from Calgary Centre, who has a lot of economic credibility and expertise, which is why I am a bit confused by his critique of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. Presumably, if there is a critique of the bank, then there is a critique of the projects in which the bank is investing. I am curious about whether the member is supportive of, or oppos…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to make a brief comment on this opposition day motion, which is part of a pattern of opposition day motions that seem intended to tear down or attack things that are working to support the most vulnerable in our society, like the interim federal health program for refugees or now, with this motion, to tear down something that we are in the process of building. We kno…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to take part in this debate, and I want to commend the member for Bourassa for introducing this bill and for speaking so powerfully about this major challenge. I would like to commend him for his speech, in which he outlined the benefits that workers will enjoy if the measures outlined in the bill are implemented. I want to thank the other participants in the debat…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to speak to this bill, which has come to us from the other place and would amend various acts related to weights and measures here in Canada. This piece of legislation is in the context of the historic work of this organization.
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Mr. Speaker, the idea of an appeals process when Measurement Canada and suppliers are in dispute warrants further consideration. We can look into that in committee.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure, as I mentioned, to speak to this bill, which came from the other place. This bill is a significant set of amendments to our weights and measurement system. It is a set of amendments that really looks to modernize our trade instrumentation, which is so important to the smooth functioning of our economy, the information of consumers and the clarity and transparen…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to inform my colleague from Calgary Centre and the House that Alexandre Moreau, our parliamentary internship program intern, who was in his office, assisted me with some of the research for this speech. However, any errors, including the one the hon. member is alleging, are definitely my own. Perhaps I will take the opportunity to talk about the record of the Wynne and McGuinty…
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Mr. Speaker, I think all Canadians, when they hear stories of the kind that my hon. colleague describes and that have been brought to the House, share a significant amount of concern. It is not acceptable. As someone who used to teach students who were working part-time in the grocery sector, they would tell me stories about some of the practices that were being suggested to them, with respect to …
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Mr. Speaker, yes, this is about modernization. It has the intention to both protect consumers and unleash new innovations. For instance, the provision to allow businesses to introduce a new measurement device into the marketplace while awaiting evaluation and approval by Measurement Canada is a real game-changer. It allows those innovations to come to market, to be tested and to be deployed. Again…
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Mr. Speaker, the story my colleague just told is very disappointing. The effect of the bill will be to help providers participate in the economy. I am willing to talk to the member after or during the debate to get a better understanding of what happened with that particular business. The purpose of the bill is to help providers have a good relationship with Measurement Canada so that they can bri…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question, but I would advise that the demand for this kind of capability is exactly why we are responding with this legislation. Here is what Kepler had to say: “It is essential that Canada's sovereign launch capability is globally competitive so it can meet domestic Department of National Defence requirements while also serving global launch demands.” Eutelsat also r…
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