Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would just like to salute my colleague. It has been a pleasure working with him over the past few years, and I want to extend my best wishes to him. I wish him all the best for the future. We will miss him, even though we have differences of opinion about our country. However, over the past few years I have seen that he has worked hard and has always been there to support Quebec, Qu…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, as the chair of the finance committee, it is my honour to inform the House that after 25 hours of clause-by-clause consideration, I have deposited with the clerks the report for the House's consideration.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Saturday marked 20 years since the death of OPP sergeant Greg Stobbart, a beloved Burlington resident who was killed by a careless motorist while on a training ride on his bike. He was a dedicated officer with 25 years of experience, a committed athlete and a deeply loved family man and friend. In the face of unimaginable loss, Greg's wife, Eleanor McMahon, chose courage. She founded …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions. The first petition is from constituents in Burlington who want to reaffirm their support for the Canada-wide early learning and child care system. The petitioners request that all future budgets include adequate funding that keeps up with inflation and allows for the growth of the program. They believe it is essential to the healthy development of chil…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the second is an e-petition, in which petitioners note that in January 2026, widespread human rights protests in Iran were met with state violence, including arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and the killing of 30,000-plus civilians. They state that the Iranian regime simultaneously shut down the Internet and telecoms, stifling witnesses and victims and preventing access for I…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to present a petition on behalf of over 600 Canadians. In the postwar years, over 300,000 unmarried young women had their babies forcibly removed after giving birth. In 2018, the Senate released the report “The Shame is Ours”, calling on the government to implement four recommendations to right these historic wrongs. These women and children, because of out…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, between 1945 and the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of unmarried mothers in Canada were coerced into surrendering their babies for adoption. This occurred under intense pressure from religious organizations, social workers and the medical community, particularly in maternity homes and hospitals. I first learned about this shameful part of Canadian history from a 2018 Senate report, led …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking our Bloc Québécois colleagues for moving this motion today. It is important that we stand together as a nation at this point in time to address the unjustified tariffs imposed by the United States, so I would like to thank them for that. I come from Burlington, Ontario. When I look to the west and the south from my constituency office, I see the steel…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. As he mentioned, we work very well together at the Standing Committee on Finance. I very much appreciate everything he said. I want to ask him to tell us a bit more about how his constituents are affected and how important it is for them to get the support that they need. I liked when he talked about SMEs and the importance of retaining workers. Do…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, what we are trying to do as a government is build a strong and resilient economy. We know it is extremely important that we support our industries so that we support our workers. When I talk about the steel sector, and when I talk about the automotive sector, it is not about the plant; it is about the people who work in those plants. I had the opportunity to vis…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am also concerned about the future of small- and medium-sized businesses in my riding. I have spoken about the big businesses next door to my riding. In my riding, however, small and medium-sized businesses are the ones that need this help. Yesterday, we announced an envelope of $500 million dollars for regional development agencies. The goal is precisely to support SMEs affected by…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this is not something that the Canadian government wants. I do not think any Canadian wants this. I think most people realize that this is a decision of the U.S. President. We need to do what we can to support Canadian industries. That is exactly what the government is doing. It continues to be an evolving process. As I mentioned, 85% of exports from Canada to the United States are st…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today we welcome to Parliament Hill children and youth from across Canada, including members of the Young Canadians’ Parliament, who are here to deliver a simple and urgent message, that time is up on online harms. They are joined by parents whose lived experience gives this call for action profound urgency and who are standing up to protect other children from similar harm. Together,…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have been here for over 10 years and I have seen a lot of theatrics in this place, but the drama coming from that last speech was a bit much even for that hon. member and the Conservatives. Speaking as if we are taking away members' rights and their opportunities to be representatives is over the top. In fact, every member in this House has an important role to play. What the govern…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I always enjoy listening to my hon. colleague's faux-righteous indignation. As much as I enjoy that, I think we need to put some facts on the table. The fact of the matter is that there is now a majority government here in Ottawa. With that comes the ability to have a majority on parliamentary committees. In those three by-elections that we had just last week, Canadians overwhelmingly…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to rise today to present a petition on behalf of residents of Burlington and citizens of Canada. Following the tragic loss of her daughter Katie Pryla, a constituent of mine noted that connective tissue disorders, such as Marfan syndrome, often go undiagnosed, despite clear clinical signs such as scoliosis, hypermobility, long limb proportions and early connective ti…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions on behalf of my constituents. The first was started in Burlington. It is an e-petition that is calling on the government to increase the lifetime contribution for the registered disability savings plan. My constituents and petitioners note that only 35% of eligible Canadians contribute to an RDSP, and they are calling on the government to increase…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of the legislative committee on Bill C-15, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is also coming from Burlington and it calls on the government to increase and modernize methane regulations.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, did members watch an NHL game last night or the House of Commons this past week? If so, they did so thanks to technology developed and built in Burlington, Ontario. For decades, Evertz has helped shape how the world sees and understands major moments. The company has enabled news and live events to reach audiences in real time, and behind that success are about 1,800 Canadian workers …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Canada should be the best place world to be a child and to raise a child. On National Child Day, I reflect on the many steps we have taken to make this a reality. We introduced, in the last decade, the Canada child benefit, which has lifted half a million kids out of poverty. We created a national child care program, which is setting our kids up for success and enabling parents to sta…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of my constituent Kerry-Anne Hall, who suffered a tragic loss. Her daughter, Kathryn Ellen Pryla, was just 28 years old, and eight months pregnant, when she died suddenly from an aortic dissection. Her baby boy, Callum James, did not survive. Only after Kathryn’s passing did genetic testing confirm she had Marfan syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Finance, in relation to Bill C-4, an act respecting certain affordability measures for Canadians and another measure. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to take a moment to thank colleagues in this House for their incredibly thoughtful and compassionate interventions. This is a moment when Canadians can be quite proud of this chamber as we come together for our shared humanity. I really want to thank my colleague from Burnaby North—Seymour for bringing the bill forward, because it touches all of us. I rise today…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I want to add my gratitude to the hon. member for Burnaby North—Seymour for bringing the bill forward. In his speech he said that he knew this was not going to change the world, but that it would make a world of difference for the affected families. I could not agree more. For those 1,600 families who tragically experience this every year, he is making their lives a bit easier. I just…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if you could speak a little more about what this would mean for children, their agency and their well-being. I know you have heard from many survivors of this reunification therapy. I wonder if you could expand on that. I think that what you are doing is going to protect so many children from future abuse and that it is going to have a really meaningful impact on their …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin my remarks this evening by really thanking the member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain. She has taken on this important private member's bill and taken on this important issue to protect children, to protect families and to protect parents. I cannot express my gratitude enough to her, but I think what is telling is that there are 300 women's organizations acro…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Burlington's mayor, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, and the Halton elected representatives group, which I am honoured to be part of, for launching the Elect Respect campaign. This initiative began as a conversation among women elected at all levels of government in Burlington, in which we recognized a shared reality of harassment and threats. From those conversatio…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. The month encourages open dialogue to help break the silence surrounding a difficult experience faced by over 1,600 grieving families in Canada each year. I am proud of my colleague from Burnaby North—Seymour for introducing Evan's law, a long-overdue measure to support grieving parents while on parental leave. Evan's law was inspi…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to celebrate the Hon. Irwin Cotler, who is in Ottawa to be honoured by the Pearson Centre tonight for his lifetime of service to Canada and his work on human rights and justice. He is a former member of Parliament and cabinet minister, an emeritus professor of law at McGill and an international human rights lawyer, and I am very proud to call him a friend. As minis…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as it is the first time I rise in the House in this Parliament, let me begin by thanking the good people of Burlington for electing me to a fourth consecutive term. It is a real privilege to be their voice and stand for them in this place. Speaking of the good people of Burlington, it brings me tremendous pride to highlight Keerthana Srinivasan, a grade 12 student at Aldershot School.…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what the Conservative opposition is doing is focusing on us while we are focusing on Canadians. We are focused on ensuring that we are delivering affordability measures for Canadians at a difficult time. We are focused on ensuring that we have a strong relationship with our most important trading partner, the United States. That is what the Liberal government is squarely focused on: C…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the House voted in confidence of this government just last week on multiple occasions. We have important work to do on behalf of Canadians. We have a very important relationship to manage with the United States at a pivotal time, and that is exactly what the government is focused on doing.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the NDP leader knows full well that we won the confidence of the House last week on multiple occasions. This government's objective is always to protect Canadians, Canadian jobs and the Canadian economy. That is what we are focusing on right now, and I can assure the House that we are managing our relationship with the United States effectively.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it is such an honour to rise in this place on behalf of the constituents of Burlington. I would like to say to all of my colleagues, despite the fact that this was a rather unusual session of Parliament, it is a pleasure to be able to work with everyone on all sides of the House, mostly. I know everybody is ready to go into the holidays. On behalf of the Liberal members of Parliament,…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, again, all we see from Conservative members of Parliament are personal attacks and mudslinging against Canadians. What we all need to be doing right now is standing united for our country, making sure that we are protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian jobs, making things a bit easier for Canadians. We look forward to presenting the fall economic statement later this afternoon.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, another day, another attack against Canadians from the Conservative Party of Canada. Any time someone steps up who disagrees with Conservatives' vision for Canada, what do they do? They use personal attacks. Canadians deserve better than the slogans and personal attacks we get from Conservative members of Parliament.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for the member opposite. However, I think she is speaking from her own experience with the leader of the official opposition, when she said that she was not going to support him and then spent a year in the hinterlands. What I will say is that when it comes to actually doing things that support women, we have done that on this side of the House. Whether it is a…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this is the people's House; in it, we should be debating things that are pertinent to the administration of government. What we hear from the House leader from the Conservative Party of Canada is attacks on Canadians. The person the member is talking about is not a sitting member of Parliament and is not a cabinet minister; it is someone they are attacking simply because they do not s…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, while the Leader of the Opposition continues to play politics in this place, we look forward to presenting the fall economic statement later this afternoon that will have a series of important measures for Canadians, things that are going to help them with the affordability challenges and that are going to put Canada, Canadian jobs and the Canadian economy first.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, as the government, we are looking forward to presenting the economic update later this afternoon. It contains important measures for Canadians, particularly when it comes to affordability. We are focused exclusively on Canadians. We are working to protect the Canadian economy and Canadian jobs.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as we well know, and as every member in this place knows, just because a Conservative member of Parliament wishes something does not mean that it actually happened. What happened over the past couple of weeks is that the government secured the confidence of the House. The government does enjoy the confidence of the House. That is why we will be presenting the fall economic statement l…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, we are looking forward, today, to presenting the fall economic statement. It is going to have a series of important measures for Canadians. At a time like this, it is important that all of us band together, united as Canadians, to make sure that we are doing everything we can to protect the Canadian economy, to protect Canadian jobs and to stand up for Canada.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I did not realize that cinnamon buns were a gendered food, but what I would say is that her question says more about how that member and how Conservative members view women in this country than anything else.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, given the events from earlier today, I would like to inform the House that, notwithstanding the special order adopted on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, there will not be a statement by the Minister of Finance at 4 p.m. today.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our government looks forward to presenting the economic update this afternoon. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the member for University—Rosedale for everything that she has done and for everything that she will continue to do for this country. She has a long list of accomplishments that are part of this government's history. We are very proud of everything we have done…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2024 fall economic statement.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, our government looks forward to presenting the economic update later this afternoon. This economic update contains measures that are important to Canadians. While the Conservative Leader of the Opposition stays focused on us, our government is going to stay focused on the well-being of Canadians.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our government looks forward to presenting the fall economic statement later this afternoon. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude for all that the member for University—Rosedale has accomplished for this country and will continue to do for this country. She has played an integral role in the government, first of all, by standing up for Canada in defending …
Read full speech →