Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the lines are around the block at Service Canada centres across the country, and budding entrepreneurs are charging upwards of $50 an hour to stand in line to help people get that golden walk-in appointment. If we call the Service Canada passport line, we get a generic message saying “long processing time” and then it hangs up. However, when we go to the website, there is no mention…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I was wondering if you could look at who is participating online. I believe that someone might be participating in a washroom, the member for Brampton Centre.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the government's failure to plan has prevented Canadians from being able to access basic government services. People cannot get through by phone or in person to Service Canada. In fact, the delays in passport processing have effectively ground Service Canada locations all across the country to a halt. It has become so dire that some people are charging upwards of $15 an hour to stand …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I want to thank the member for that incredibly important question. It really highlights the fact that it should not be incumbent on the communities to raise awareness. Government has to take a big step in this. In my own community, just a kilometre from my house we had a tragic situation. It was the community that had to rally. I was so grateful that leaders from all levels of governm…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, it took two years for the government to come up with an action plan, and there does not seem to be any urgency on the part of the government when it comes to implementing the plan. That can be seen in the fact that there really is not anything in the budget. Does the member have any concerns that the delayed duration will have short-term and long-term impacts on this plan?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time with the member for Louis-Saint‑Laurent. I am humbled to rise in this place to participate in this take-note debate on murdered and missing indigenous women and girls and two-spirit people, especially given that tomorrow, May 5, is Red Dress Day. Red Dress Day is not only a day of honouring missing and murdered indigenous people, but a day that we stand, in t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I think my colleague raised an issue that is a real problem in rural and isolated communities. I have housing problems in my riding and I believe many rural MPs have the same problem. I think the government really has to act on the recommendations from the inquiry because they were very clear, but the government has not done so.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, one truly important thing that we can all do is engage with indigenous communities and listen. We need to hear what they have to say and approach the solution understanding that they have the answers in their communities. It is incumbent on each and every one of us to have those conversations, carry that message forward and allow indigenous-led organizations to really shine through, e…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, MPs continued to work from right here in Parliament throughout the winter protest. In fact, I would walk across Wellington Street at least once a day, with my infant son in a stroller, to come to work. If the threat was as serious as the government is now making it out to be, did the Minister of Public Safety knowingly put my life and those of my infant son and every single person who…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, April is Cancer Awareness Month. Janice Goodridge was a loving wife and mother, a successful small business owner and a fiercely loyal friend. She was loved by nearly all. She made it clear that women could do anything they worked for, and she modelled work-life balance and service to others. Next week would have been my mother's 62nd birthday, but it is the 13th that we have spent wi…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I too am going to rise to table a petition in support of the Senate bill, Bill S-223, which seeks to combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking, and make it a criminal offence for a person to go abroad to receive an organ taken without the consent of the person giving the organ. I too would like to take this opportunity to recognize the amazing work that was done by the late membe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I did not really hear a question, so I will take this opportunity to share some facts about Alberta's francophonie. Alberta has over 268,000 French-speaking Albertans. Since 1996, enrolment in French schools has risen by more than 270%. That is a significant increase and significant growth. We need a modernized act that will support francophones in minority settings, but this bill d…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, to continue the tradition, it is with great pleasure that I address the House in French today to speak to Bill C-13, which seeks to modernize the Official Languages Act. I think it is important to explain how an anglophone like me is now able to deliver her speech in French in the House of Commons. I was really lucky. When I was young, my parents, who do not speak a word of French, de…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I mentioned in my speech how Alberta attracts immigrants. I believe it is very important that we do more to encourage francophone immigration. It could be a solution to the French teacher shortage in our country. I do not believe that the federal government is doing enough to support francophone immigration and to encourage francophone immigrants to move to Canada.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, frankly, without bilingualism, I would not be here addressing the House in French. I believe that it is truly an asset for Alberta's francophonie to have francophones who are bilingual. It is an asset to have people like me who are anglophones who learned French at school. I believe that the Official Languages Act needs to recognize the fact that people who chose to learn French, do…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, most parents want to leave a legacy for their children. I know so many parents who save and go without luxuries so they can pass something on to their kids. However, under the current government runaway inflation is making saving nearly impossible, and out-of-control spending is saddling our children, like my seven-month-old son Eoghan, with debt they will never be able to pay off. Wi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the fact is, we have francophones outside Quebec who have been francophones for centuries. The first European language spoken in Alberta was French. It is not only people like me who choose to speak French; our francophone heritage is very strong. My colleague emphasized that education and immersion schools are important. That being the case, why does Bill C‑13 not include support for…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I believe my colleague pointed out one of the problems that we have here in Canada, specifically the fact that we do not have enough affordable housing. However, we cannot build more affordable housing when it is more expensive to build. Inflation is having a real impact on people who are already struggling to make ends meet. We need to work together and really figure out what is im…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is an absolutely wonderful opportunity to be able to rise today and deliver some remarks on Bill C-8, the economic and fiscal update implementation act, 2021. It is kind of ironic, as I was reflecting on this over the weekend, that I am delivering remarks on the fall economic statement in the spring, but calendars are clearly difficult, and perhaps calendars are hard for the gove…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising that issue. She highlights the fact that a huge disparity exists between rural and urban Canada, in this and so many other ways. One of the things we have not seen from the Liberal government to date is that recognition and understanding that rural Canadians have a host of different challenges. Rural Canadians need to be supported because rural Canad…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, effectively, on this side of the House, we believe that Canadians need to be able to afford to make ends meet. Right now, with inflation at a generational high, families are having a hard time making ends meet. We have asked, time and again, for simple solutions to help families make ends meet, whether reducing the GST on gasoline, removing the carbon tax increase or doing other sim…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague pointed out that this bill really needs to be scrutinized from top to bottom in order to ensure that it promotes the French language. There are francophones outside Quebec, living in every part of Canada, including my riding of Fort McMurray—Cold Lake. Could my colleague give examples of improvements to the bill that would help promote French outside Quebec?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the federal government’s actions to increase hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) capacity across Canada since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic or March 2020: (a) what is the total amount of all federal government funding provided to provinces or territories meant to increase the permanent hospital and ICU capacity; (b) broken down by province or territory and by month, how …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the mandate letter of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the commitment in the letter to create 3,300 new child care spaces for Indigenous children: (a) how many new child care spaces have been created for Indigenous children since the letter was received by the minister on December 16, 2021, broken down by province or territory; and (b) how many new space…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Khrystyna was nine months pregnant when this war broke out and she had her baby in an underground bomb shelter. She now needs to make her way through a war zone to get biometrics in Poland, with a brand new baby and a toddler in tow. Liberal red tape is delaying people fleeing war. Liberal red tape is keeping people in conflict zones. When will the government show compassion and allow…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the last thing Canadians can afford right now is anything that will make life less affordable, yet the Liberal government wants to raise the carbon tax by $10 a tonne on April 1. Not only will this cost Canadians an extra 11¢ a litre at the pumps, but it will also have an inflationary impact on the cost of living by raising the prices of groceries, energy bills and everything else. Ho…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of representing the fine women and men of 4 Wing stationed in Cold Lake. The Prime Minister has delayed selecting future fighter jets for over six years, and Conservatives have been pushing to select the F-35s to replace the old F-18s. In fact, we need to increase our defence spending to 2% of the GDP to meet our NATO commitments and support our armed forces. We h…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, on Monday in the health committee, the Minister of Health said, “We want to apply the least disruptive measures in order to protect the health and safety of Canadians, and the conversation will evolve as the situation evolves.” The situation has evolved. We are asking the federal government to follow the science and remove federal mandates, as has been done throughout Canada in our pr…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I think my colleague raised some important points. We do not know everything about the pandemic and do not know what will happen tomorrow. That is true of life in general. I do not think that there is any real justification for federal restrictions and mandates right now. These mandates should be lifted today.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately that was a complete non-answer. The risks have changed as this pandemic has evolved. Canada has the most restrictive domestic travel mandates in the world. This is having a very real impact on families. I have been contacted by families in my riding who want to visit relatives who are in palliative care and who want to attend funerals. Vaccine mandates on travel have lim…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I just want to start by letting you know that I will be sharing my time with the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent. Vaccine mandates have had a very real impact on the lives of Canadians. As the situation has evolved, governments have had to change. We have seen that as the case for governments across Canada, as well as governments all across the world. Sadly, what we have seen from th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am not a scientist. I am not a doctor, but I do follow the advice of doctors and I think that the countries around the world that have been dropping their mandates and restrictions when it comes to travel cannot all be wrong. I asked the Minister of Health today if he thought that all the chief medical officers of health across the country were wrong, as they have been ending mand…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, one of the things we saw early in this pandemic was that rather than having domestic production of vaccines, the Liberal-NDP coalition decided to raid the COVAX group and take away from countries that desperately needed it. What I would like to see, and what members on this side of the House would like to see, is an improvement in being able to produce more vaccines domestically so …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as the member probably is aware, I was elected in 2021, so many of the measures he discussed are not on my voting record. However, I do support my colleagues in fighting for Canadians. I am proud of the Conservative record in supporting Canadians all across this country and fighting for affordability.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I guess we can really clearly hear the Liberal-NDP coalition well at play in that question. What is important to note is that the cost of fuel has increased by 32.3% in one year alone. This is a massive increase in the cost of fuel, and it is incumbent on the government to take some actions to make sure it provides relief to families who are struggling to make ends meet today and no…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I think she highlighted some important points since she and I both represent large, rural ridings. I believe it is very important to do what we can to ensure that we are working with all the provinces to get help and reduce the cost of gas across Canada.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, on this side of the House, we understand that budgets simply do not balance themselves. It does not matter whether it is a government budget or a household budget, it is worth mentioning that we understand that budgets do not balance themselves. It takes work and effort. Right now Canadian families and individuals across this country are having a hard time making ends meet. I have h…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, perhaps I misspoke at some point. There actually is a bus service that goes from Fort McMurray down through Edmonton and all the way to Calgary. It is called the Red Arrow, and it is a spectacular service. In my time as an MLA, I took the Red Arrow on a few occasions because it would cost less money, it was a more humane way to travel and it was better for the environment.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am still new here, but I believe chapter 13 states that we are expected to show respect for one another and differing viewpoints. What I have been hearing repetitively from the member opposite is absolute disrespect, whether it be to the member for Wellington—Halton Hills—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, members are expected to show respect for one another, and what we just heard was absolute disrespect and is going to create disorder in this chamber.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Courtenay—Alberni for his passionate work on this file. We share an idea of seeing a world free from addiction. I would also like to thank two very dear friends of mine, Eric and Sheldon, for their assistance with this speech today, especially for sharing their experience, strength and hope with those suffering from addiction and helping them find a pa…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last night I got a call from my friend Andrew Boitchenko. His cousin Natali and her seven kids have now managed to make it out of Ukraine. He has a safe home for them here in Canada. Natali and her family have left behind missile strikes, bombings and soldiers in the street, and they are looking for safety, security and family. They have that here in Canada and the only thing standing…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry, but over half a million innocent people have already had to leave everything they have ever known, many with just the shirts on their backs. What we are witnessing is a humanitarian crisis. Many are looking for temporary safety here in Canada, because ultimately Ukraine is home and when it is safe they will go back home. Will the Prime Minister commit to providing funding …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I, like many Canadians, am a proud descendant of Ukrainian immigrants. Seeing the solidarity of Canadians with Ukraine has reminded me that this conflict is not just personal for Canadians with direct ties to Ukraine. This conflict is personal to parents who are seeing families separated by conflict. Seeing parents fleeing with their children and sending them to safety before returnin…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise and speak on behalf of the constituents who elected me to come to the House. It is important to lay out that within the Emergencies Act there is a threshold that has been established to justify its use, which is when a situation “seriously threatens the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, my colleague made some important points. It is important to talk about history so we do not make the same mistakes over and over. It is important to know why the Emergencies Act was created. I think it is important to understand the reasons why it was used previously. I talked about that in my speech, and I will continue to reiterate the facts.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I do not believe the member was accurately portraying what I heard from that news conference. I think it is very important to highlight the fact that the blockades at our borders were resolved before the invocation of the Emergencies Act, therefore showing that there are laws currently in place in this nation in our provinces and communities that could have resolved these problems.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry. The fact that members fail to give respect to members as they are giving their speeches is something that is a problem in the House. I believe right now what we need is honest, open communication and servant leadership. We need de-escalation and compromise. We need to make sure we are trying to get to a resolution peacefully. My mother was a very wise woman, and she used t…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry. Sometimes, when we are passionate about something, we misspeak, even when we are reading something. I apologize for saying “uninformed” instead of “informed”.
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