Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this week the Liberals tabled water legislation that would fail to recognize clean drinking water as a human right. Today I stood with Grassy Narrows First Nation, where children continue to suffer mercury poisoning caused by decades of government and corporate neglect. This is a national disgrace. When challenged to deliver justice, the Prime Minister's response to a woman living wit…
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Mr. Speaker, this has been one of the most disappointing years of my nearly seven years in Parliament, watching the Carney government bulldoze constitutional rights and human rights. The final blow came this week when the Liberals tabled new water legislation after years of failing to end long-term boil advisories. This bill does not recognize safe, clean water as a human right for first nations. …
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to table e‑petition 7402 in response to Manitobans who are calling for a public health emergency in light of the preventable passing of too many community members in the recent weeks due to toxic drug supply. They are calling on the government to increase funding to substance use and addiction programs, the community action fund and the harm reduction fund …
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Mr. Speaker, the minister tabled Bill C‑37 yesterday, yet its definition of “First Nation lands” is limited to reserve lands under section 91(24) of the BNA Act. While the bill repeatedly references UNDRIP's application, it appears restricted to reserves. Indigenous peoples have rights that extend beyond reserve boundaries into their traditional territories. Can the minister confirm that UNDRIP, i…
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Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to table e‑petition 7135, which calls on the government to modernize the disability tax credit by revising its eligibility criteria and administrative interpretation to recognize the fluctuating episodic nature of disabilities such as multiple sclerosis and to align the DTC with the disability definition used by the Accessible Canada Act and the Canada Disability Ben…
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Mr. Speaker, lastly, I would like to table a petition from the residents of Canada that calls on the government to issue a directive under section 19 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act and order the CNSC to revoke the license of the NSDF at Chalk River.
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Mr. Speaker, I would also like to rise today to table a petition to put in place a horse export ban. The citizens in my riding are calling on the residents of Canada to call on the government, through the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture, to ban the live export of horses for slaughter by amending the health of animals regulations to prohibit this practice.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been one year since the Liberals fast-tracked Bill C-5, gutting environmental protections and indigenous rights, but now with Bill S-2, which would eliminate sexism and racism from the Indian Act, they suddenly hide behind the need to consult. First Nations everywhere have told the government that there is no need to consult on ending sexism and racism, so will the minister end…
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moved: Motion No. 1 That Bill C‑16, in Clause 28, be amended by deleting lines 9 and 10 on page 18. Motion No. 2 That Bill C‑16 be amended by deleting Clause 63. Motion No. 3 That Bill C‑16 be amended by deleting Clause 87. I am happy to rise today on Bill C-16, as this is a very far-reaching bill. My colleague and I have studied this bill very carefully and sought to amend it significantly while …
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Mr. Speaker, I was talking about deepfakes. In spite of the fact that the minister responsible for AI has been asked by several womens organizations and by people impacted by deepfakes, the government has voted to support media giants such as Elon Musk in programs such as Grok. I would like to note that this is a problem under the purview of the minister of AI, who has failed completely to address…
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Mr. Speaker, call for justice 4.5 calls for the immediate implementation of a guaranteed livable basic income as one of the key calls for justice to deal with the ongoing genocide against indigenous women and girls. I want to remind the Liberals that they agreed to implement the calls for justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, but where are they? They…
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Mr. Speaker, the legislation would not deal with the root cause. It would deal with the violence after it occurs. In my riding, there is a crisis of gender-based violence against women and gender-diverse folks. In the midst of it, there has been a massive cutback in funding to keep people safe before the murder or violence occurs. The government, if it is serious about community safety and about d…
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Mr. Speaker, the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal concluded that Canada's ongoing policies amount to genocide, pointing specifically to the government's seized value of indigenous lands, territories and resources. The tribunal noted that part of the issue is related to the failure of the government to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples. Will the government begin to uphold…
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Mr. Speaker, Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith, recently suggested that the Constitution be amended because she finds section 35 rights problematic for her pipeline dream. What is more troublesome, though, is that the Liberal Prime Minister has remained silent. However, that is not surprising, considering Amnesty International has confirmed that he has backslid on indigenous rights. Indigenous pe…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill S-205, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to introduce Bill S-205, an act to amend the Corrections and Correctional Release Act, also known as Tona's law. The purpose of Tona's law is to ensure oversight of and remedies and alternatives to isolation in federal prisons, also known as solitary confin…
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie's decision to leave the Liberal caucus was a principled response to the Liberal government's failure to protect us from catastrophic climate change. We see wildfire seasons, floods and whole towns and communities burning to the ground while people wait for another summer when they are going to be choking on toxic smoke. Will the government reverse i…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I want to be really clear. It took twelve hours for the last strikebreaking tactic to be used by the Liberal government to force mostly women back to unpaid work. The current government has a poor track record on workers' rights, including the only 30‑day time period for labour to respond to other attempts of the Liberal government to crush down the rights of workers. It is a shamef…
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Mr. Speaker, we know why grocery prices are so high. It is because there are a couple of grocery chains, including the ones owned by Galen Weston, that are hogging all the space in the market and price-gouging at the checkout. People literally cry when they buy groceries. The member's party has said nothing about the reality of this situation. New Democrats have a solution, and that is to offer a …
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Madam Speaker, I want to be really clear that the Conservatives are no friends of workers either, but I have to agree with my colleague. Our current Prime Minister seems to have a worse track record than Prime Minister Harper, if members can believe it, in the government's use of section 107, which brings up the reason that unions from across the country, including the CLC, which represents three …
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moved that Bill C-247, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, I would like to begin by expressing on behalf of the NDP our deepest gratitude to all the workers, unions and labour leaders who have voiced their support for this bill to repeal section 107 of the Canada Labour Code and uphold the right to strike. In just two years, t…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her good question. It is true that women have some of the worst-paid work and are some of the most exploited workers in this country. It is often a gendered issue. Look at Air Canada flight attendants. That was the most recent disgusting example of the government abusing section 107, impacting a career in which jobs are held primarily by women and gender-div…
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Mr. Speaker, I am presenting two petitions. I am honoured to table e-petition 7222, put forward by my constituents in Winnipeg Centre, condemning the Liberal government's unconstitutional and undemocratic Bill C-9, the so-called combatting hate act. The petitioners note correctly that through Bill C-9, the Liberals have contravened the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Bill of Rights an…
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Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take the opportunity to table e-petition 6709, put forward by condominium owners across the country, calling on the government to recognize that aging condo buildings throughout Canada are experiencing deterioration, while the high cost of construction has made it difficult for many condo residents, families and individuals alike to afford these repairs. We are ex…
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Mr. Speaker, workers know that progress is won by exercising their right to strike, including the the eight-hour workday, maternity leave and fair living wages, yet the Liberals keep violating this right by using section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to end strikes without a fair deal. That is why I tabled Bill C-247 to repeal this strike-breaking tool, and it is supported by the CLC, CUPE, CUPW, …
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition initiated by a strong fellow Manitoban, Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, which represents over three million workers across Canada. This petition calls on the Liberal government to end its strike-breaking tactics, repeal section 107 of the Canada Labour Code and uphold workers' charter-protected right to strike, something that thousan…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague that the Liberals have been sitting on this. On spreading disinformation and paranoia, I do agree with the Liberals on that, absolutely. I would liken it to the behaviour being perpetrated by the Liberals. I do not know why they are calling that out when they are doing exactly the same thing. To my question, we know that property rights are protected and, als…
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Mr. Speaker, as the court ruled, it is not a zero-sum game, which means that we have real examples where both realities coexist: private property and the recognition of aboriginal rights and title. I want to point out, though, that we are talking about this as if it is something new. That is actually false. In my discourse, I pointed to the Haida Nation case in 2004, where the court determined the…
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Mr. Speaker, the court documents say, “the plaintiffs [the Cowichan] seek declarations that the fee simple titles and interests in the Federal [claim].... They do not seek a declaration of invalidity regarding the fee simple titles held by private [property] owners.” There is no risk to private property. This has been indicated by the plaintiffs. Does the member opposite understand that?
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Mr. Speaker, workers from across Canada are supporting the NDP's Bill C-247 to uphold workers' right to strike and repeal section 107 of the Canada Labour Code. The Liberals have repeatedly used this undemocratic law to shut down strikes and undermine workers' fight for fair, livable wages. With Air Canada, the Liberals sided with CEOs and used section 107 less than 12 hours after flight attendant…
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Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the member opposite. Amnesty International confirmed the backsliding of indigenous rights by the Liberal government. I want to know if he agrees with me that the Prime Minister should do his duty and uphold the Constitution. Why is his government choosing to put forward litigation against constitutionally enshrined rights in section 35? That is not respecting the Const…
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Mr. Speaker, the member talks about how committed the government is to reconciliation while Amnesty International is being quoted as saying, “when it relates to Indigenous rights...we are stepping back”. The member talks about how great the Liberals are at consulting. Bill C-5, which was passed in record time, violates the constitutionally enshrined rights of indigenous people, yet for Bill S-2, w…
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Mr. Speaker, the previous speaker on the motion spoke of putting international law aside and sitting down together about a Canadian version of reconciliation. Does the leader of His Majesty's loyal opposition know and agree that the legislation we adopt in this place is presumed to be consistent with our international obligations, yes or no?
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Mr. Speaker, so here we are again, debating a court decision in the House of Commons, based on arguments that misrepresent and distort a ruling confirming the aboriginal title of the Cowichan nation. This motion does not reflect the actual goals of the nation or the findings of the court. Instead, it attempts to pit individual property rights against indigenous rights protected under the Constitut…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to speak to the multi-million-dollar project in question that was raised by Councillor Alexa Loo. This is what the bank said about why the project did not go through: National Bank initially said in a one-sentence response that “no specific directive has been given to our teams regarding this court ruling.” In a second statement hours later, the bank said: “We cannot comment on…
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Madam Speaker, today is International Workers' Day. It is a day when we honour workers' struggles for economic justice and human rights. Yet, the Liberals repeatedly use section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to trample over the right to strike. They cave to CEOs and their corporate buddies and undermine fair and collective bargaining. Will the government finally respect workers, defend their right…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' spring economic update lines corporate pockets while cutting life-saving addiction and mental health program funding. In one weekend, 10 clients at Main Street Project died from toxic drugs. That is one organization, and deaths are rising. Five years ago, the government backed the Health Canada expert task force on substance use but has failed to act on its recommendatio…
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Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals line corporate pockets with sovereignty incentives paid for by the taxpayer, the NDP is fighting to ban creepy surveillance pricing at the grocery checkout. The Liberals shut this down. They have a second chance. Today's spring economic statement is another chance to decide who they stand with: people getting ripped off at the grocery checkouts or companies that are…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Mirabel for his speech. I would like to address his comment regarding rain dances. I simply want to bring it to his attention. I would like to get the member's thoughts on the fact that the Liberal government has put forward a spring economic update that will not allow us to meet our climate targets, while putting billions in a sovereign wealth fun…
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Mr. Speaker, I am quite concerned. The NDP has a strict rule. We actually tried to pass a bill to not allow floor crossings but to leave that up to the electorate. The current Liberal government has passed several bills that are in violation of our Constitution and charter rights: Bill C-9, Bill C-5 and Bill C-12. Now, we are going to have a situation where the majority Liberals pass bills that ar…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister just indicated that the treaty formally recognizes Métis self-determination in Canadian law, but it is my understanding that Métis self-determination and self-government were already recognized under section 35. I am wondering if the minister could clarify that for me.
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is really clear. No legislation going forward, certainly not this treaty and certainly not the implementation bill, is without issue. All bills have amendments when they go to committee, and that would give us an opportunity to provide the clarity that is needed to help other nations, or even other Métis nations that are having difficulties with the bill, to have more assur…
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Mr. Speaker, it was such a pleasure working with my hon. colleague in the status of women committee. I certainly miss being on that committee. Part of the reason why modern treaties, when they are done right, are so important is that nations are able to determine how they wish to deal with those matters, and that includes the safety of their members. That includes women within their nation. Let us…
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Mr. Speaker, I wanted to ask my hon. colleague a bit more about the concern he has about the lack of provision in the bill to safeguard the constitutionally enshrined rights of other indigenous peoples, which was something he brought up a lot. I also wanted to ask for his understanding of the term that was used in the treaty, which is “collectivity” versus “peoples”.
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Mr. Speaker, no legislation ever goes to committee without critique. Committees are important to make sure we get things right, get other opinions, get expert testimony and make sure that, when the bill is actually signed off and passes royal assent, we do not end up in the courts. We need to make sure this is ironclad. This is a big deal for Winnipeg. As the hon. member mentioned, the Manitoba Mé…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to start by congratulating President Chartrand and the Manitoba Métis Federation for all of their efforts, and the Métis community of Manitoba. I rise today to speak to Bill C-21, an act to give effect to the Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty. At its core, the bill is about something fundamental. It is about whether we, in this House, are pre…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from Vancouver East for sounding the alarm on Bill C-22. As she has mentioned, there are many civil liberties groups speaking out against this bill, like they have done with the majority of Liberal bills that have passed How urgent is it for the Liberals to amend their bill to make sure that they are upholding the charter rights of people across…
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Mr. Speaker, big corporations and grocery chains have found a new way to rip people off. It is called surveillance pricing, which is using personal data to charge people more based on where they live, what they search for online or how often they shop. This is predatory, it is just plain creepy and it is driving up prices even higher during a cost of living crisis. Will the Liberal government supp…
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to table a petition from my constituents in Winnipeg Centre, who are expressing their concern with the government's ongoing violation of international law by its refusal to close the loopholes in Canada for weapons exports that enable Canadian-made arms to be used for war crimes and genocide. My constituents call on the government to close this loophole by …
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Mr. Speaker, I am so happy to hear that the Conservatives will be supporting the amendments coming out of the Senate, and I am shocked that the Liberals are so adamant to keep sexism in the Indian Act. That is going to result in the extinction of first nations people. As a first nations woman, I am very offended. I am wondering what led the Conservatives to take the right position in this instance…
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Jobs and Families said, “Nobody should [be expected to] work for free”, yet this came after the Liberals undermined the CUPE flight attendants' strike against unpaid labour by using section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, siding with their corporate friends. Last week, this anti-worker stance led to a final settlement that CUPE said was not the outcome the union fought …
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