Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, when I debated on Bill C‑16, the protecting victims act, I spoke clearly to my community to say that I am not voting wholeheartedly against this piece of legislation. I am not voting against protecting victims. I am not voting against protecting intimate partner violence victims, but I am voting against completely negating the entire thing by making mandatory minimums optional. I knew…
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Mr. Speaker, while I agree that there is a time and place where time allocation makes sense, this is not one of those times. This is an important piece of legislation that does not have unanimous consent in the House and therefore needs debate. Can the minister please explain why the Liberals want to shut down debate on the legislation at this point in time?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, that was another non-answer. The Liberal government has said that it is going to make life affordable for everyday Canadians. If this is true, can the minister please stand up and explain why seniors make up the fastest-growing group in the Waterloo region facing homelessness? The wait-list for individuals over 55 needing affordable homes in the region has increased by 700%.
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Mr. Speaker, the bill is not moving in the right direction, because it has a piece, clause 63, which would remove mandatory minimums and make it optional to put them in place. This is not a step in the right direction. Every other piece of the bill, 99% of the legislation, is a step in the right direction, but that 1% is a step backward, and that is what we cannot support.
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek. I rise today to speak to Bill C-16, the protecting victims act. The name of this bill sets a high standard. Protecting victims is the single most important part of any justice system. Canadians rightfully expect a system that supports those who have been harmed, protects the vulnerable and holds offenders acco…
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Mr. Speaker, I just want to talk about some of the consequences of not defining what sentencing should be. Because of Bill C-5, there is a drug smuggler, caught with 55 grams of cocaine while on bail, awaiting sentencing for previous gun offences. He received a sentence of only 12 months, half of what the judge said his crimes deserved, partially because of his immigration status. The Ontario judg…
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Mr. Speaker, the spin has already begun. I am not voting against protecting victims of intimate partner violence. I am absolutely not. What we cannot stand behind is making mandatory minimums optional so the judge can decide whether the perpetrator of the offence gets any time at all. That is just not what we can stand behind. I am saying here today that I would vote in favour of the victims of in…
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Mr. Speaker, I completely agree that we need to keep our communities safe and to protect victims of any sort of violence and criminality in Canada, so I am going to ask a very simple question: If this is the true intent of the bill, why would the Liberals make mandatory minimum penalties optional?
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Mr. Speaker, I have hope that one day the government will actually answer questions and take accountability, but it seems as though today is not that day. When the news broke that Canada is in a recession, my very first thought was, “When is the government going to ask for another blank cheque?” It is already borrowing over its budget. The spring economic update said it would borrow $65 billion th…
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Mr. Speaker, under the Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. There has been no answer as to why the government has failed us and brought us into a recession. First, it was a technical recession, but when Canadians pushed back, it became tariffs. When that did not stick, it became not enough spending and not enough immigration: What? When Canadians have to steal 10 billion …
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only country in the G7 in a recession. Imagine hiring someone for a job and in the interview they said that they would give the fastest-growing economy in the G7, but they actually delivered the only economy in the G7 in a recession. It is the exact opposite result to the promise. What would be the consequence? I think accountability would be a good start. Instead of tak…
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Mr. Speaker, if these measures actually did anything for affordability, we would not have the lineups at the food banks that we are seeing. This exact program is going to reach fewer than half of Canadians out there who are working at jobs. I am going to repeat the question. France is facing tariffs, Germany is facing tariffs, Italy is facing tariffs. Japan is facing tariffs. Why is Canada the onl…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to start today with great big huge thanks to all of my colleagues who wanted to speak to and debate Bill C-240 today. I thank my colleagues who are part of the Conservative caucus and also colleagues across the floor, so much, for speaking to this bill today. I thank the Bloc Québécois members as well, so very much, for speaking to this bill and showing their support for …
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Mr. Chair, if public safety is so incredibly important, why does he remain in Canada?
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Mr. Chair, there was a woman in my riding, who immigrated in 2020. After she separated from her husband, he strangled her in front of their daughter and was found guilty. He remains in Canada, free, without a valid work permit, illegally. How does this minister allow violent criminals who have no legal status to remain in Canada?
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Mr. Chair, if criminals are deported, why is he not deported?
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Mr. Chair, then why does she not talk to the minister and take care of this?
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Mr. Chair, I will be sure to tell her that you cannot speak on her specific case as the Minister of Immigration for Canada. What message is the minister sending to this woman and other women like her when she does not protect them within her own system?
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Mr. Chair, is she serious? She will not talk to them?
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Mr. Chair, I will be sure to take those stats to the woman in my riding. She now lives in a domestic violence shelter with her child, while he remains working here illegally and free without consequence. Is that acceptable to her as a parliamentarian, as a mother, as a woman?
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Mr. Chair, one thing women learn from abusive relationships is that words mean nothing and actions mean everything. Will she take action and remove violent criminals from Canada?
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Mr. Chair, there has been no action. She was strangled. He did it. He allegedly has no legal status. Why does the minister not hold these people accountable and remove them from Canada?
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Madam Speaker, at a time when Canadians are barely getting by, here we are introducing another tax. I hear from residents all over my community about how they are barely getting by. I also have a very vibrant arts community in Kitchener Centre. I would like my colleague to dive a little deeper into the Conservative solution on how we could better support our arts industry, rather than adding anoth…
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Mr. Chair, if these cases are treated seriously, why does he remain free, without a valid permit, to terrorize her in Canada? Why is he in Canada?
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Mr. Chair, I have not heard yet that she will do anything about this. Will she do anything to remove criminals who are here illegally in Canada?
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Mr. Chair, will she at least talk to them?
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Mr. Speaker, today we are talking about something in our country that should not even have to be debated: whether Canadians deserve a break. People in this country who wake up early, work hard, pay their taxes, raise their kids, care for loved ones, live on fixed incomes or navigate life with a disability do everything the way they are told, and they deserve a break. This is what our motion is abo…
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Mr. Speaker, I think all Canadians can agree that it is a failing grade.
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Mr. Speaker, it is not a revenue for the farmers. It is a cost to the farmers that gets passed on to the consumer. Beyond that, I have no other response to the question.
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Mr. Speaker, I just want to address the misinformation in the member's question. We voted in favour of eliminating the tax for everyday Canadians. There actually was no vote to eliminate the carbon tax. It was just done. We did not have the opportunity to vote on that. I would respectfully ask that if I am going to be asked a question, the question be honest, accurate and true for me to answer.
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Mr. Speaker, I would thank my hon. colleague for the question, but I do not think there was one in there. Let me respond. I agree completely that affordability is an actual crisis right now. We are not saying that this measure is going to fix everything. We are saying that it is a start. It is something that can be done for Canadians to tell them that we are listening to them and that we know they…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to say just how proud I am of the Kitchener Rangers. What we have seen this season is pure talent and character. Winning the OHL championship does not happen by accident. It takes discipline, resilience and a relentless commitment to one another day in and day out. It is about showing up when it matters, pushing through, having a commitment and believing in eac…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are being forced to choose between a full tank of gas and a full grocery cart. After 10 years of rising costs, the government's plan only offered limited, short-term relief that has not actually lowered prices at the pump. Conservatives have a plan for a full tank, which is to scrap all federal gas and diesel taxes for the rest of 2026, saving Canadians up to 25¢ per litre a…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I agree completely. We have to make sure that the resources are there to provide the supports. That is partly what Bill C-240 is doing. When rehabilitation becomes judge-prescribed, it puts the responsibility on the institution to ensure that they are providing the prescribed rehabilitation for that particular inmate.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister has made many promises, but the results of those promises are left to the imagination. One of those promises was to spend less than Trudeau. Well, no imagination is needed here. The result is a doubling of spending in less than a year. Families cannot pay for food with these failed imaginary promises. They need results. Will the Prime Minister apologize for promis…
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Madam Speaker, the most beautiful part about continually sharing my story is that it allows people the opportunity to share their own. The more we do that, the more we end the stigma around addiction. I thank the member opposite for sharing his personal ties to addiction. I also want to thank him very much for recognizing what it means to stand in the House and share our own stories. I hope, movin…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the opportunity to speak a little further on focusing on taking that first step. One thing that addiction does is it breaks one's relationships. The continued cycle of bad decisions that someone makes is carried with them and it actually stops them from wanting to heal. It is not only that they have their own personal trauma but they have the guil…
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moved that Bill C-240, an act to amend the Criminal Code, to make related amendments to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to rise for the first hour of debate on the second reading of my private member's bill, Bill C-240. Canada is facing a crisis,…
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Madam Speaker, that is why I do not agree with enabling addiction by providing the drugs to keep people trapped in addiction. I relapsed 13 years after being sober, because it was literally just in front of me. We have to make a conscious choice our entire life to just not be around it. When I was, I relapsed. Luckily, I had enough time and enough healing and enough space that I did not fall back …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify, a bit, the difference between the Norwegian wealth fund and the Canadian debt fund. The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund used assets from Norway's resources and invested outside the country to create a fund for its citizens. The Canadian sovereign debt fund is supposed to take debt, which the government says will help boost our resources immediately, although t…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, one year ago today, I got that little blue check mark on election night that told me I was coming to the House of Commons to represent Kitchener Centre. I thank all the volunteers who dedicated their time. I thank all the voters who placed their trust in me. I thank my husband, Chris, my rock, who went with the flow when I blew up our lives. There is also my mother Merren, and I know …
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Mr. Speaker, I have heard the government House leader say multiple times today that the government wants to maintain the institutions that are in place and that it wants to respect democracy. I find it quite ironic that these words are even being used, considering that in over 150 years of Canadian Parliament, active recruitment to secure a majority has never happened in this place. Not listening …
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Mr. Speaker, he is right. From the Saskatchewan perspective, it has been a long 10 years. One year ago, this Prime Minister made big promises to Canadians, but the results tell a different story: more spending, more deficit and more pressure on Canadian families just trying to get by. He has more than doubled Trudeau's debt while promising to reduce it at the exact same time. Why do this Prime Min…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today because what we are witnessing is not just another procedural move in the House. It is something deeper and far more concerning. For the past number of months, we have watched a pattern unfold that points to the reality of our democracy and its being under pressure, yet Canadians are not hearing about it. It is not leading in the national news, and it is certainly not bei…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, a year ago Canadians elected a minority Liberal government that promised it would be collaborative with the members of the opposition and make changes in a collaborative manner. What we are seeing now is another broken promise from the Prime Minister because in no way is it collaborative to stack committees so that we cannot hold the government to account and be able to properly …
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Yes, Mr. Speaker, absolutely, I am seeing an erosion of trust in Parliament with what is happening here, with not only the floor crossings that have happened but also this reshuffling of committees. Canadians do not understand why this decision is being made, especially in my riding, because we need to maintain the balance to ensure we can properly hold the government to account.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc member is absolutely right that this is a way to shut down committees. Currently, filibustering is being used to make sure we are not able to put our motions forward, but another thing that is going to happen that Canadians are unaware of is that a motion can be put forward by the Liberals to go in camera, and it is going to stifle our conversations even more. I would like Ca…
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Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is true. I can confirm here today that they actively tried to recruit me to cross the floor, and my answer was unequivocally no.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, there was a time in this country when a path was clear. If people worked hard, made good choices and invested in their future, they could get ahead. That was the Canadian dream. However, for a lot of Canadians today, that dream feels further and further out of reach. Costs are up, opportunities feel tighter and more and more people are doing everything right, but still falling behind.…
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