Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, super visas generally get processed faster than other types of applications, so having the super visa expanded to more Canadians is absolutely going to get people reunited with their families faster than any other immigration stream. I think it would contribute immensely to that.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that Bill C-242, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (temporary resident visas for parents and grandparents), be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about a bill that I think is going to make a dramatic difference in the lives of many Canadian families. In 2011, our Conservative government brought in the super visa. The…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, in October, a constituent sent me an email. She works for the federal government. She said to me that if she did not get a vaccine, she would lose her job despite the fact that she was working remotely and could continue to work remotely. I received another message from a constituent who works for CP Rail. She had the same situation: get a vaccine or lose her job. She worked remotely …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, what test has been met in order to justify this extreme measure? The former NDP member of Parliament Svend Robinson has said: I was in the House during 1988 debate on the Act, when we were promised that “emergency powers can only be used when the situation is so drastic that no other law of Canada can deal with the situation”. That test has not been met. @NDP can [you] stop this. It i…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, even in challenging times such as these, there can be extraordinary things. I am really proud today to talk about some extraordinary constituents in the great riding of Dufferin—Caledon. Jaylen Padayachee, together with the support of his father Koven and his sister Isabella, successfully concluded their second annual food bank street challenge. Jaylen and his dad came up with the ide…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, $1.7 million is not the price of a house in Hollywood Hills, California. That is the average home price in the town of Caledon in my riding. It is up 35% in one year. The government will say it is spending all kinds of money doing this and doing that. I have a message from my constituents: It is not working. When will the government realize that what it is doing is having no effect?…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Calgary Forest Lawn. Should we tolerate them? Let us think about that for a moment. That is not a statement that was made by some extremist. This is a statement that was made by the Prime Minister of this country. Should we tolerate them? Who is he speaking about? He is speaking about fellow Canadian citizens, some of our neighbours, s…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we have been very clear today and our leader was clear: We should not be blockading international crossings and travel. Those things need to stop. We agree with that. However, today in the chamber we saw something extraordinary. We saw all members of the opposition parties and all their leaders stand up to say they want a meeting with the Prime Minister so we can try to come togethe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, yes, we are asking for a plan, and I do not think it is an unreasonable request. We have heard from members opposite today, in their speeches and questions, that it is really hard to make plans as things can change, and therefore they really cannot make a plan. Imagine if that had been the discussion around the table in May and June 1944 and we had said it was really difficult to pl…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, one of the first things the Liberal government did in the late 1990s when the deficit was at horrific levels was slash transfer payments to the provinces, including the health transfer. The underfunding of health care is a direct result of what a previous Liberal government did. Yes, we need to increase health care spending. That is an absolute must. I support that call and hope the…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-242, an act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (temporary resident visas for parents and grandparents). Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce the reuniting Canadian families act. In 2012, the Conservative government brought in a super visa, a 10-year multiple-entry visa, to allow parents and grandparents to reunite with their families here…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 has been absolutely devastating for Canadians. During the last election, the Prime Minister ran an extremely divisive campaign and, since that election, I have heard from so many Canadians and people in my riding, people who lost their jobs due to vaccine mandates and people who had to have their children vaccinated to play hockey. They are hurt. They are exhausted. They dese…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, new businesses get no support from the government. It is 2022. We are entering the third year of the pandemic. Did Liberals think no one would open a new business in those three years? In my riding, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery is shutting down indoor dining for at least a year. Other businesses in my riding have closed or are on the verge of closing. Does the Liberal government not real…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to Requests for Proposal (RFP) put forward by Shared Services Canada (SSC) since January 1, 2020: (a) how many RFPs were issued by SSC; (b) for each RFP in (a), how many were issued that stated a brand name as a requirement; (c) what is the number of contracts issued by SSC based on brand name requirements in the RFP, broken down by (i) brand name, (ii) date, (iii) value of the contrac…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Senate Appointment Advisory Board, broken down by fiscal year since 2016-17: (a) how many employees or full-time equivalents were or are working with or assisting the board; (b) of the positions in (a), what are the (i) job titles, (ii) Treasury Board classifications (AS-01, EX-02, etc.) and related pay ranges; (c) what are the total expenditures for the board, broken down by ty…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I have heard the minister's talking points today, and the plan the government has is not working. Housing prices are continuing to surge, and it is an ongoing problem. The dream of home ownership for young Canadians is being killed, and those who do find a way to buy a house are being crippled with massive debt burdens. Criticizing what a government may or may not have done six or sev…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, June is pride month and every June we celebrate and embrace the values of pride. It is also a time to remember the many struggles that have been overcome and the considerable achievements made, but also the work that still needs to be done to achieve equality and inclusivity. While we celebrate the many achievements of the LGBTQ+ community and how far we have come as a society, let us…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I disagree with much of what the member said. As I said in response about child care, when we look at specific pieces of legislation, the devil is often in the details. It could be said that it is about X, but it includes many other things. No one should go without dental care. However, the way that motion was put forward, the devil was in the details, therefore I was not able to su…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the problem for new businesses is the requirement to show declines in revenue. That has been generally how businesses access the wage subsidy or the rent subsidy. A new business just cannot do that. What should have been developed was a specific program that would allow businesses to access some funds, whether it was for rent or to help pay wages. We have been in the pandemic now fo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would suggest two things in response to that. First, what I have seen is that they want to get a certain percentage by 2026 and 100% of people by 2030. I am saying that we should front-end that money for broadband now and not wait until 2026. Second, I talked about Andrew, who sent a heartbreaking email to me. I get many like that all the time. People need these investments now. T…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, growing up I was a huge fan of a television show called Bonanza. Maybe people have heard of it. It was a fantastic show. Let me tell members what I am not a fan of. I am not a fan of the spending bonanza that has gone on here in Ottawa over the last two years. When we look at the accumulation of debt, and I am going to talk about this, $509 billion in new debt over two years has bee…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, they say that imitation is the finest form of flattery and, if so, George Orwell must be blushing with the Liberals' Orwellian attempt through Bill C-10 to control Internet content and social media. A few days ago, the minister embarrassingly and incoherently attempted to justify the inclusion of user content in the bill. Canadians are rightfully outraged. Will the minister dump this …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to royal recommendations provided to the House of Commons in conformity with section 54 of the Constitution Act, 1867: (a) during each of the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments, how many government bills required royal recommendations; (b) of the royal recommendations in (a), how many, broken down by each session of the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments, were provided (i) at the time notice was given o…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to repairs to the government's CC-150 Polaris aircraft that was damaged in a towing incident in October 2019: (a) what were the total costs of the repairs; (b) what is the itemized breakdown of (a); (c) on what date did the aircraft return to service; and (d) what is the expected remaining lifespan of the aircraft?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the government repeatedly says that it has delivered. The only thing I can say that it has actually delivered are COVID-19 new variants that are wrecking havoc across the country. Let me be clear that these new variants are only here because of the government's catastrophic failure to secure our border. Will the government finally admit this failure, apologize to Canadians who have lo…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Town of Erin has been permitted to dump treated effluent into the West Credit River, which is one of the most ecologically sensitive areas in my riding. The West Credit River is one of the last pristine cold-water fisheries in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and is home to native brook trout. Belfountain is also part of the Niagara Escarpment, which has been declared a UNESCO World B…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, with all due respect, the answer to that question is absolute garbage. I ask him to get off the talking points. Canadians returning can drive across the border and avoid this quarantine hotel. It is politics above science. We actually have something that will work: rapid testing for pre-departure and arrivals. When will the government admit that this is politics over science and can…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am always proud of the businesses and the people in Dufferin—Caledon, but I am especially proud these days. The lockdowns have been tough on businesses, yet in my riding they are rising to the occasion. Lucky Lime Clinic has set up a mitten exchange station right outside its office for anyone who has cold hands. In Bolton, Hugger Covers has donated over 5,000 masks to front-line wor…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, sometimes we have seen it all in politics. I just listened to a 30-minute speech by the member for Winnipeg North talking about how we should quickly pass legislation. That member consistently gets the award for the most words spoken in Parliament, yet all of a sudden, it is time for no one else to speak. It is time to rush legislation through and we should not debate anything. Some…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, 2020 was a terribly long year for Canadians, but especially for veterans. In response to my Order Paper question, Veterans Affairs is showing that 47% of disability applications are taking more than 27 weeks to process and almost 30% are taking over a year. For a veteran to wait over a year in a pandemic is inexcusable. What does the minister have to say to veterans? Here is a hint:…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I like to give credit where credit is due. There have been supports for the business community in general, including the emergency bank account and the wage subsidy after a few of its hiccups initially when the first incarnation was not great and most businesses were not able to access it. I will, of course, give kudos to the government for making the decision to support businesses. I…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for adding his voice to this. As he points out, there are lots of metrics the government could look at for a new business to see if they should be eligible for some of these programs. I am more than happy to work with the government on determining what those metrics should be. I know I have very little time left, but I want to really try to impress something up…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Canada is home to over 1.3 million Indo-Canadians. Indo-Canadians have contributed enormously to the fabric of Canadian society. From local business owners to farmers to academics, they enrich our communities with their hard work, their devotion and their sense of community. In my own riding of Dufferin—Caledon, we have a growing and thriving Indo-Canadian community. Canada and India …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, 58,000 businesses closed their doors in 2020. There are 58,000 families who will not have the income they would have had from the family business. The CFIB is now estimating that there will be up to 200,000 small businesses closing in 2021. Think of the devastating impact that will have on the families who depend on them for their livelihood, and on the communities where jobs will be …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Veterans Affairs Canada service standard of 16 weeks for decisions in relation to disability benefit applications, for applications received during the 2019-20 fiscal year: (a) how many and what percentage of applications received a decision within (i) the 16-week standard, (ii) between 16 and 26 weeks, (iii) greater than 26 weeks; and (b) how many such applications have yet to …
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