Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want folks in Newfoundland and Labrador, and indeed in Nova Scotia, to know that this government is extremely supportive of the offshore sector, and oil and gas. It was our government that actually took the permitting process from 900 days down to 90 days. It was 900 days under Harper, and it is 90 days under our government. The Conservative Party has called Atlantic Canadians a “…
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Madam Speaker, I have a really specific question. The hon. member for Huron—Bruce is the sponsor of a private member's bill, Bill C-234, which is extremely important for Canadian farmers across the country. I applaud him for bringing it forward. I voted for it here in the House and will be supporting the bill when it comes to a vote unamended. The member and I would perhaps take a different view o…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 17th report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food in relation to Bill C-355, an act to prohibit the export by air of horses for slaughter and to make related amendments to certain acts. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments. I would like to c…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to invite the hon. member to take out a pen. I have two quick questions. I know he can handle them, and I will let him take some notes. First, he talked about the Atlantic provinces' being part of the clean energy solution to reduce emissions, yet he stands in the way of Bill C-49, a bill that is supported by his home government in Newfoundland and Labrador, without rea…
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Madam Speaker, the member for Miramichi—Grand Lake made the assertion in the House, as I understand it, because I heard the back end of his comments, that fires were not as a result of climate change, that the extreme weather we were seeing was not tied to climate change, that people would go out and set fires themselves. I take notice that some fires are started accidentally, but the idea that al…
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Madam Speaker, as I mentioned in my remarks, I fought very hard for his constituents and mine and all rural Canadians to get a higher rural top-up of 20%, which his party is standing in the way of right now in relation to rural Canadians. On the definition, the member is absolutely right. There has to be a revisiting of what defines a rural community versus what is not. I know the hon. member is a…
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member mentioned and rightfully recognized that he was part of the first introduction of a carbon price in North America, in British Columbia. It has worked in British Columbia. It has helped reduce emissions and has not impacted the economy. B.C. is doing well within the federation. Perhaps what the hon. member missed during my remarks is that the federal backstop is a too…
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Madam Speaker, there are times that I think we should do away with the video and the actual televised elements of not only the House of Commons but of committees as well, because it has become performative in nature. However, after listening to the comments from the member for Miramichi—Grand Lake, I am quite glad that this is televised so that Canadians can see the way in which members of Parliam…
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Mr. Speaker, I will respond in English. I would try in French, but that was a nuanced question. The hon. member hits it right on the head. If we were to cut the price signal altogether, it actually would hurt industry in Quebec. I guess the position of the Conservative Party is to hurt innovation in Quebec and to hurt lower-income families if the federal backstop was in place, but it is not becaus…
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Mr. Speaker, there was a lot in that question, and I hope you will give me the proper time to respond. I am going to ask something of the hon. member. He mentioned the leader of the official opposition in question period today asking questions of the Chair of the committee. This is the proper form to be able to answer those questions. Let me say this: He talked about farmers in Kings—Hants. I need…
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Mr. Speaker, it has been wonderful to see the number of people who assume I am in the Privy Council here today. I sit on the backbench of the Liberal Party. I take notice of the good programs that the government has introduced to make a difference on home energy efficiency, with $2 billion under the greening homes initiative. There is still a plethora of different federal programs out there. I do …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to proudly celebrate our Canadian cattle industry, the ranchers and beef producers across the country who help raise quality product for our tables and tables around the world. This week, representatives are in Ottawa for the annual CCA reception. I think about champions at home in Kings—Hants, folks such as Dean and Catherine Manning, the Oulton Family and Ryan Knowles w…
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Mr. Speaker, it is wonderful to be in the House. I am glad to see that my colleagues are starting to appreciate my work and that my name and my title in Nova Scotia are becoming known. I am living rent free in the member for Carleton's head right now. He has been calling me out a lot, and I hope he will come back into the chamber to ask me questions in a format that I am able to respond to today. …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Tories stood up. They might not like the question, though. The member for Carleton talks about farmers in Kings—Hants, but he actually stands in their way. He will not allow Bill C-234 to come to the House to be voted on, so I call on the member for Carleton to do that to support farmers. However, my question is for the minister from Nova Scotia. Can he tell the House, a…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the Conservatives are not very happy about trade right now, but the minister was in the Philippines and Malaysia promoting trade and the importance of the seafood industry to Atlantic Canada. Can the minister update the House on his trade mission and educate the member for Thornhill on the importance of lobster to Atlantic Canada?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Agriculture was in Malaysia and the Philippines on a trade mission to promote and secure new markets for our agri-food products. Instead of taking a team Canada approach to promoting trade, and I will say they have been a bit iffy on trade, just ask Ukraine, the Conservatives decided to gaslight and to critique the minister for simply highlighting the importa…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise today on a point of order just to offer a small apology. On Thursday, February 8, the member for Nunavut and I were having a back-and-forth during debate around housing. I raised the prospect that she had voted against the fall economic statement. That was factually untrue; the member had abstained. I know that she rose on a point of order later in the day, when I was no long…
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Madam Speaker, the thing is that Nova Scotia and all of the provinces and territories in the federation are responsible for managing certain services. My speech was very direct. Federal funding is available for the Government of Quebec. When it comes to refugees, of course, Quebec is having more issues as a result of Roxham Road and other crossings. However, the Minister of Immigration recently an…
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Madam Speaker, I will talk very confidently about the programs we have for temporary foreign workers in this country. They are extremely important. The member for Simcoe North's communities, I would presume, would also rely on such programs. Kings—Hants welcomes over 2,000 international workers a year, particularly in the agriculture sector. The seasonal agriculture worker program, in my opinion, …
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Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the House and have the opportunity to respond to the opposition motion concerning our shared responsibility in welcoming newcomers. I would first like to share a little reflection with the House. When I read the text of the Bloc Québécois motion, I wondered why the Bloc Québécois would move such a motion. After researching the various programs and agreem…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, my province of Nova Scotia was hit with one of the worst snowstorm in two decades. The Cape Breton Regional Municipality declared a local state of emergency and some communities in northern Nova Scotia like Pictou and Antigonish remain isolated. Community members are deeply concerned about their safety and that of their neighbours. Therefore, I ask this question on behal…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree that housing and health care are important elements in ensuring that new arrivals to Canada are confident that we have proper systems in place. The Minister of Housing was actually just in that hon. member's riding to announce housing for Nunavut. I noticed that she voted against the fall economic statement and the measures that actually contain the housing for Nunavut that wa…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, members will agree with me that in Kings—Hants, volunteer fire departments have a really important role in our communities. We saw that throughout the last summer, in terms of the roles they played. I stand today to present a petition on behalf of supporters, friends and, ultimately, firefighters from Hantsport, Kings County, Milford and Waterville. They are petitioning the government…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, over the weekend Nova Scotia was hit with some of the worst snowfall amounts in recent memory. In Cape Breton Regional Municipality, over 100 centimetres of snow fell. The municipality has declared a local state of emergency. There are over 3,000 people without power. There are communities that have been cut off, and there is a concern about people being able to have access if they ne…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to come back to the points I was raising just before question period. The Conservatives never talk about the rebates that are given to families and businesses in Canada, nor do they talk about the fact that 100% of the revenue collected from the price on pollution is given back to families and businesses. There are also costs associated with climate change. Climate change is co…
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Madam Speaker, we are here today to talk about the opposition day motion that is being brought forward by the Conservative Party. Members know that I love to have the opportunity to speak to this and to have some good back and forth with my Conservative colleagues across the way, but I have a little work to do before I get there. This place is always an opportunity for us to bring together Canadia…
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member knows that I do not necessarily have the power to persuade the government to do anything in this House, but I can certainly be a voice. There are a couple of things I would say. The hon. member and I have some shared things I would want to focus on; yes, these are solar, wind and renewable electricity. I presume, or at least hope, that she will support Bill C-49, whi…
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Madam Speaker, I mentioned this in my remarks that it is unfortunate that the Conservative Party has sought to denigrate the idea of carbon pricing so much that it is all that ills Canadians, that what we see in challenges around affordability is tied to one policy. That is not the case. There are many other external factors. One of the things that is perhaps the most unfortunate is that there has…
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Madam Speaker, I support Bill C‑234. I also agree on the importance of acknowledging our farmers' relentless work in support of sustainable agriculture and having a certain tool to achieve it. That is exactly why I spoke about offset credits and their recognition by the Government of Canada in relation to the clean fuel regulations and the clean electricity regulations. Some companies could pay ou…
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Madam Speaker, thank you for trying to keep the decorum. I think members are probably cheering so loudly in the back benches, but that is good. We will get them calmed down in here for interpretation. Let us remember, the last Conservative prime minister in this country said that Atlantic Canadians had a “culture of defeat”. That was Stephen Harper. I have not heard that from the member for Carlet…
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Madam Speaker, what drove that policy was a focus on vulnerable households. The member knows this policy applies across the country. I will not apologize for fighting for my region, which is energy insecure. We had to make some adjustments to a national policy that has made a difference across the country, including in his own riding. This was driven by equity in a national policy. I also want to …
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Madam Speaker, I will reject part of the question. I would agree with the hon. member that nuclear technology is extremely important and it will be part of where we have to get in terms of net neutrality. I am proud to continue being a member of Parliament calling for the government to do more on this, and we have done more. I am very proud of the fact that nuclear is now part of green bonds. I ag…
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Madam Speaker, the good people of Saint John—Rothesay have a real champion here in Ottawa. He gave me a compliment, but let me say this: I believe the hon. member has indicated that he will not be re-offering in this place in the next election. That will be a great loss to Parliament, because he is one of the best constituency advocates in Ottawa for his people. When I watch him on social media, h…
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Madam Speaker, happy new year to you and to all colleagues in the House. Today, we have the opportunity to speak to Bill C-59, which is the legislation that would implement the initiatives in the fall economic statement before Christmas. Before I get too much further, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Nepean. One of the things I contemplated over the Christmas break was the decoru…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, happy new year to you and all my colleagues. I would like to thank the hon. member for Huron—Bruce for his remarks today. I will start by saying that he will have my support for the motion to keep the bill as is. That is a commitment that I have made very clearly in the House, including to my agricultural community in Kings—Hants. I want to make a comment and then ask a question. The …
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Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to ask the member a question.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I would like to seek unanimous consent to ask the member opposite a question specific to what he is talking about right now.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am looking for some clarification. I have sat here intently, hoping to ask the leader of the official opposition a question. I will get to the point. There has been a lot of actual points of order that have delayed the time for the leader of the official opposition to continue his unlimited time. However, does that time continue and extend out? When does Private Members' Business ac…
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Madam Speaker, on a point of order, can the member for Carleton tell us if he will be continuing, so I can ask my question when he actually has a chance to re-engage on this?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege and the honour to present, in both official languages, two reports of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. While I have the floor, let me say that I am very proud that we are a very functional committee here on the Hill and are getting lots of good work done. I present the 15th report, entitled “Protecting Against Animal Biosecurity Risks: The Stat…
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Madam Speaker, I am not surprised that the Conservatives want to kill carbon pricing. They have wanted to kill it since the moment this government introduced it back in 2019. I want to explain something to my hon. colleague. Keeping a price signal on heating oil would have been strictly for politics and not for public policy. Let me explain that the 1.1 million households that use heating oil in t…
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Madam Speaker, I know that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is working on this question very closely. There will be more to be said, I am sure, from the government in the days ahead as it relates to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. It is not surprising that Conservatives continue to raise this. I do not know what else they have in their tool kit they want to talk about, but they have vandaliz…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I will answer him in English because his question is very specific. I want to make sure I give my hon. colleague the best response I can. At the end of the day, I would have encouraged the Senate, as I did in letters I wrote publicly, including to the vice-chair of the agriculture committee, the member for Foothills, to maintain the bill as it …
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member across the way raised a number of very interesting points of debate. I wish I had more time. He talked about carbon pricing and the fact that some other jurisdictions in the world do not have it. However, there are 77 jurisdictions that do have a form of carbon pricing. I was tempted to ask whether this is about carbon pricing itself or the fact that we have to get m…
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Madam Speaker, I hope that you are doing well. I wish to inform you that I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague from West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, British Columbia. I rise today to speak to a motion moved by the opposition. I like having the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the members of the opposition about their thoughts, their policies and their feelings. …
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Madam Speaker, is it not true? Senator Michael MacDonald was not there. Senator Boisvenu was not there. Senator Manning was not in the Senate. I could go on. I have them all listed on my phone. I hear my Conservative colleague saying that is not true. Well, it is true. The leader of the official opposition is the only party leader in the House of Commons who is still a leader for certain senators …
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Madam Speaker, I could not help but notice that this is a vote that is really important to Canadian farmers. Surely, there would not be a member of Parliament who would not vote for our Canadian farmers. I would ask that we have a recorded division.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, the government introduced important adjustments to the national carbon pricing plan that matter across the country, including for the people I represent. First, we are doubling the rural supplement from 10% to 20%. This will mean that, on average, a family living in Kings—Hants will receive $200 more a year than those living in the city. This change is to ensure that th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. The report is entitled “Stewards of the Land: Examining Canadian Agriculture's Environmental Contribution”. We maybe could have used a bit more of a simple title, but, of course, we are proud as a committee to talk about Canada's tremendous role in the agri…
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Mr. Speaker, instead of just standing across the way and yelling and offering simplistic solutions, I would encourage the member from Prince George to reach out to Premier Eby, because I can promise some people in Prince George right now use heating oil and are in a difficult situation. He should direct them to the $10,000 grant that exists right now for his constituents. I hope he has. Maybe we s…
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