Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded division.
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Madam Speaker, my apologies. “Weeks ago, the Liberals secretly withdrew the section of their own bill that protects individual users' content, resulting in Canadians being subject to broad government powers to regulate their use of social media. The government went even further when it used extreme tactics that have not been used in decades to silence the opposition, keeping Canadians in the dark …
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise to speak to this bill, the online streaming act, which we know amends the Broadcasting Act and makes consequential amendments to other acts. At the outset, I want to state, as my colleague, the member for Perth—Wellington, did in his excellent remarks on this bill, my support for those sections of it that would see major international companies p…
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Madam Speaker, as I mentioned in my speech, to me what was the most troubling part of the debate which occurred over the predecessor bill to the proposed legislation is what we have now before us. Time and time again we have seen the government's overreach into the lives of Canadians, whether it is through its values test in the Canada summer jobs attestation, its subtle willingness to undermine C…
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Madam Speaker, I support creating a level playing field between large foreign streaming services and Canadian broadcasters, while protecting the individual rights and freedoms of Canadians. I said at the beginning of my remarks that there are parts of this bill that we do agree with. We know that Canada is home to many world-class writers, actors, composers, musicians, artists and creators. Creato…
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Madam Speaker, I do appreciate the question from my colleague. As I said, Conservatives support the idea that large international corporations like Netflix, Disney+ and others must pay their fair share in Canada and invest in Canadian content. I would remind the members in this place that this was in our election platform. However, where we have concerns and where we differ drastically from the ND…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, stakeholders are calling out the Liberals on their failure to ensure adequate and reliable rail service for western agriculture products destined for markets around the world. According to the executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association, “We're right back to the same quagmire we were in before Bill C-49 was passed.” Instead of wasting his energy maintaining vindictive…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that the NDP leader and members of the NDP elite were given insight into the upcoming budget. Meanwhile, this information was not even provided to Liberal members of Parliament. Did the Minister of Finance provide the debt management plan of the Government of Canada or fiscal tables during her budget briefing with the NDP?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that the NDP leader and members of the NDP elite were given insight into the upcoming budget. Meanwhile—
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, freedom of conscience is a fundamental right clearly articulated in section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I have the honour to table petitions signed by hundreds of citizens across Canada calling on Parliament to protect the conscience rights of medical professionals from coercion or intimidation to provide or refer patients for assisted suicide or euthanasia. I thank these…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that Bill C-230, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (intimidation of health care professionals), be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise today to begin the debate on my private member's bill, Bill C-230, the protection of freedom of conscience act. This bill revives my private member's bill, which died on the Order Paper, from the last Parli…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I reject the premise that Canadians' access to MAID is at stake. I just made the case that there is access to MAID in many circumstances in every province. I am a strong believer in the distinct jurisdictions of the federal and provincial government in Canada. That is why the bill that I have introduced respects the role of the provinces in the provision of health care and does not …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, one of the most common threads we heard throughout the testimony from experts on Bill C-7 was that there was a need for national conscience rights. The committee heard from patients rights groups, lawyers, disabilities rights experts, medical ethicists, indigenous leaders, imams, rabbis and priests, as well as individuals who provided testimony of their own personal experiences, whi…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, obviously support for legislated conscience rights protection varies between associations and colleges, as well as from province to province. I would just point out that paragraph 42 found that there was no direct evidence that access to health care was a problem caused by physicians' religious objections to providing MAID.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, while countries around the world and provinces across Canada are removing vaccine mandates, a closer look at labour regulations reveals that last December the government quietly included making mandatory vaccines permanent in its forward regulatory plan. The Liberals claim this policy will reduce transmissibility, but we know that is not the case. Will the NDP-Liberal government drop …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the 34,000 unprocessed applications at Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC): (a) will the 560 temporary staff hired to deal with the backlog have their contracts renewed, and, if so, until when; and (b) does VAC have projections on how large the backlog will be in the future if the contracts are (i) renewed, (ii) not renewed, and, if so, what are the projections, broken down by quarter for…
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Mr. Speaker, Putin's war machine is funded by Russian oil and gas production and exports. Ukrainians are suffering as a result. The NDP-Liberal agreement includes an ominous line about phasing out public financing for Canada's energy sector. This is music to Putin's ears. Will the NDP-Liberal government support the expansion of Canada's ethical and environmentally responsible energy so it can repl…
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Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to table. Freedom of conscience is a fundamental right clearly articulated in section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I have the honour to table a petition, signed by hundreds of citizens across Canada, calling on Parliament to protect the conscience rights of medical professionals from coercion or intimidation to provide or refer patients for assisted su…
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Mr. Speaker, I also have the honour of tabling a petition calling on the government to protect and preserve the application of charitable status rules on a politically and ideologically neutral basis, without discrimination on the basis of political or religious values and without the imposition of another values test, and to affirm the right of Canadians to freedom of expression. I thank these Ca…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Putin regime's unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine has shocked millions of Canadians, including thousands in my riding who are of Ukrainian descent. Canadians now understand that the threat from Russia is no longer theoretical. They are resolute in their support for Ukraine and want Canada to do all we can to stop the Russian aggression and restore Ukraine's territorial inte…
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Mr. Speaker, that is an example of a failure of leadership. Legal experts, civil liberties organizations and many others are sounding the alarm, stating that emergency legislation should not be normalized, that it threatens our democracy and charter liberties. With the support of the NDP, the federal government is ordering financial institutions to freeze the bank accounts of Canadians who do not …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, while it is a privilege to have the opportunity to rise and speak in this place to the motion put forward by the government, the absolute seriousness of these days and how we chart a path forward as a nation cannot be overstated. There is so much at stake. I am grateful for the insightful interventions that have already been put forward by my caucus colleagues. From the outset, I wa…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I think I made it pretty clear why I am deeply concerned about the measures that are in this act that are going to seize and freeze the bank accounts of individuals who do not agree with the government, but to be equally clear, there is only one person who I believe bears the responsibility for what is happening in Ottawa, and that is the Prime Minister. What should we expect, when …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would have to say that I believe this is exactly what the Prime Minister would like parliamentarians to be doing here in the House. Instead of focusing on the overreach of invoking the Emergencies Act, he wants us to be arguing about whose fault it is that the protests lasted for as long as they did in the city of Ottawa. To be very clear, I firmly support the right to peaceful pr…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would tell my hon. colleague that I absolutely disagree with the premise of that question. First we had a leader who resigned back in 2019, and in this most recent case we had adopted the Reform Act, which is a law of Parliament that provides members of Parliament with the tools they need to hold their leader accountable, so that is exactly what happened within the Conservative ca…
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Mr. Speaker, the only thing this Prime Minister has made sure of is that he has politicized this pandemic and divided Canadians at a time when we should be working together and supporting one another. His lack of leadership has divided, stigmatized and traumatized Canadians. Provincial premiers are leading the way, giving hope and confidence and rebuilding trust in leadership. When will the Prime …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Premier Scott Moe for being the first Canadian leader to announce the end of vaccine mandates. Today in Saskatchewan, anyone who wants to will be able to go to a restaurant and celebrate Valentine's Day with their loved ones, with no proof of vaccination required. When making the announcement, Premier Moe stated, “The benefits no longer outweigh the costs.…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, freedom of conscience is a fundamental right clearly articulated in section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I have the honour to table several petitions signed by hundreds of citizens across Canada who call upon Parliament to protect the conscience rights of medical professionals from coercion or intimidation to provide, or refer patients for, assisted suicide or euthanasia. …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague, the member for Regina—Lewvan, for his excellent and informative speech on this important and historic opposition day motion calling on the House to amend the Constitution of Canada. The passage of the Saskatchewan Act, which created the Province of Saskatchewan in 1905, became part of the Canadian Constitution and came into force on September…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and I understand. I did make the statement that since the creation of the Province of Saskatchewan, the company has paid applicable taxes to the Government of Saskatchewan. I will say that I stayed away from commenting on the case that is before the court. I do not want to comment on that since it is before the courts, but I thank him for his qu…
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Madam Speaker, the member and his party have been very clear about what they think about the Constitution and their place in this federation. In fact, it was not so long ago that we were here in the last Parliament, toward the end of Parliament, entertaining an opposition day motion where they were flexing their right as a province to amend the Constitution. I appreciate his question on this issue…
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Madam Speaker, I absolutely believe that corporations should pay their fair share of taxes. I would suggest that what we have seen over the last two years during the pandemic, which I believe has been greatly mismanaged by the current government, was the spending of tax dollars to grant sole-source contracts to Liberal insiders and their friends to line the pockets of those individuals. They reall…
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Madam Speaker, I am glad to hear that the Liberals have taken the time to have discussions with their colleagues over on the other side of the House to ensure that there is a good understanding about what the provincial legislature in Saskatchewan was requiring and asking for. Would the member agree with Saskatchewan's Minister of Justice that repealing section 24 in the Saskatchewan Act would cem…
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Madam Speaker, I am sure the member would absolutely like me to speak positively about a measure that I can find very little to be positive about. The bottom line here is that this bill would do nothing to secure long-term prosperity for Canadians, as I stated. It would do nothing to address the rapidly rising inflation that is impacting millions of Canadians, driving them closer and closer to the…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak at length for the first in this 44th Parliament and, in so doing, speak to Bill C-8. I will review what this bill would do. In alignment with the economic and fiscal update tabled in Parliament by the Minister of Finance last December, Bill C-8 would implement certain provisions of the economic fiscal update. There are a number of provisions in th…
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Madam Speaker, we know that the housing market for new entrants continues to worsen under the current Liberal government. A recent report by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation indicates a continuing trend of housing starts slowing down across the country, with December showing a 22% decrease from the previous month. This will exacerbate the problem. As the member mentioned, Canada is faci…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with the member that creating a national strategy to address mental health and the increase in suicides all across this country is very important. Having had a family member who committed suicide, I absolutely agree that more needs to be done.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, that minister's ability to revise history is absolutely remarkable. Housing prices are rising out of reach, especially for young people and new Canadians. Today, the average price across Canada is over $720,000, with big city averages over $1 million. The government's policies are causing record inflation and reducing the ability of working Canadians to save for a down payment. Will t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-230, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (intimidation of health care professionals). Mr. Speaker, over the past two years, we have seen just how important our health care system is and how critical the medical professionals who work in that system are to Canadians. We need to create a work environment for medical professionals that protects them, supports them an…
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With regard to delayed federally funded infrastructure projects in Saskatoon and Central Saskatchewan: what are the details of all projects which have yet to be completed, and have had their original expected completion date delayed by more than six months, including, for each, (i) the project location, (ii) the project description, (iii) the original expected completion date, (iv) the revised exp…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to rise today and thank the voters of Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek for once again placing their trust in me to be their voice in the House of Commons. Our constituency is a large, diverse and beautiful rural riding that reflects the values of integrity, respect and excellence, as well as a deep commitment to hard work and perseverance. I will do my utmost to faithfull…
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Mr. Speaker, uranium mining and nuclear energy will play an important role in any rational greenhouse gas reduction strategy. A recent report by Clean Energy Canada suggests that Canada’s nuclear output will need to increase drastically to reach this government’s 2050 net-zero goal. Will the Minister of Natural Resources inform the House if the Minister of Environment and Climate Change fully supp…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 25th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled “Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following two reports of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. The 23rd report is entitled “National Shipbuilding Strategy”, and the 24th report is entitled “Procuring Complex Information Technology Solutions”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, the family has always been regarded as the cornerstone of society. Ronald Reagan stated, “Our families nurture, preserve, and pass on to each succeeding generation the values we share and cherish, values that are the foundation for our freedoms.” The importance of the role of fatherhood should never be diminished. As we celebrate our fathers this Sunday, I want to pay tribute to the…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following three reports of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts: the 20th report, entitled “Access to Safe Drinking Water in First Nations Communities”; the 21st report, entitled “Follow-up Audit on Rail Safety”; and the 22nd report, entitled “Investing in Canada Plan”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee req…
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Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been unjustly detained for years. The genocide of Uighur Muslims continues. The erosion of Hong Kong freedoms is still happening. Military threats and provocations towards Taiwan are rampant. Could the Prime Minister give one reason why he still supports the location of Beijing in Communist China as the site for the 2022 Winte…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Alberta and TC Energy announced the devastating news of the official termination of the Keystone XL project. Canada's oil and gas industry has long been a sector that has fostered economic growth and prosperity for thousands of hard-working Canadians, generating tax revenues that support social programs and infrastructure, like schools and hospitals. However, a guilty pleas…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 19th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled “Canada Child Benefit”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report. While I am on my feet, I move: That the House do now proceed to the orders of the day.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak to my hon. colleague's private member's bill, Bill C-233, the sex-selective abortion act. Canada is a nation that has long been firmly committed to and defended human rights, both at home and abroad. We have often been proactive in our efforts to protect those who cannot protect themselves and to stomp out discrimination. Now we are being confronted with the is…
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