First Session—44th Parliament
Bonjour, colleagues. Good afternoon. Tansi. It is great to be here with you all today. First, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you on your victory in September's general election. It is a great honour to work with you here in Canada's Parliament no matter which party you belong to. I send my congratulations to everyone on their election to Parliament, especially the 49 newly elec…
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Mr. Speaker, we should not be in the position we are in today. There should not be a motion. We should not have to be speaking about this today. This should have been dealt with a long time ago. We should not have been in this situation three years ago with General Vance. There was knowledge of his improprieties and the sexual misconduct. To knowingly place him in that position was wrong. There ar…
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Mr. Speaker, I wish that we did not have this motion before us today. This is not something that is great for Canada or for our armed forces, but at the same time it is necessary. I am a bit frustrated and a little angry to be speaking to this today. The Canadian military forms an integral part of who I am, as an individual and as a Canadian, as is true for so many other Canadians. My father enlis…
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Mr. Speaker, I am a member of the Royal Canadian Legion in Maple Ridge, and I believe it is the largest in Western Canada. I certainly personally support our veterans, as I am a vet myself. It is very important, and I know the Conservative government will look after our vets. We are committed to that.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her question. I agree with her. It is unbelievable that we are in this situation. The minister said that he was not aware, but the other witnesses had proof that he was. It is therefore really unbelievable that he is still in his position.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Bloc Québécois member for his comments. He talked about his riding and about the restaurants, stores and small businesses that are closing because they cannot find enough workers. The same thing is happening in my riding of Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge. My colleague talked about incentives. Can he elaborate on that?
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Madam Speaker, the member spoke about no plan for the airline industry. I put a question to the Minister of Transport about the cruise ship industry. He had a plan. His plan was to start in springtime of 2022. He was totally blasé, not recognizing that it is a $2.6 billion industry. It would not even allow for technical stops. Does the member have any comments about that?
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Mr. Speaker, it has become very evident that there is a tremendous amount of virtue signalling from the Liberal government and from the Prime Minister. We heard comments yesterday from the leader of the Green Party. This has been ongoing, the pretending to be against harassment, sexual harassment, and yet they continue to allow these sorts of things to continue. It is embarrassing and it is a sham…
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Mr. Speaker, this week, the government undertook the modernization of the Official Languages Act. I am somewhat concerned about the timing of the bill's introduction. It will be a slap in the face to all those who have been waiting a long time for this bill if the government introduced it knowing that it intends to dissolve Parliament. Only the Liberals have that authority. Can the Prime Minister …
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With regard to federal transfer payments to Indigenous communities in British Columbia: (a) what is the total amount of federal transfer payments in fiscal years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21; and (b) of the amounts provided in (a), what amounts were provided specifically to Metis communities?
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With regard to the Interim Protocol for the use of Southern B.C. commercial anchorages: (a) how many (i) days each of the anchorage locations was occupied from January 2019 to March 2021, broken down by month, (ii) complaints received related to vessels occupying these anchorages, between January 1, 2019, and March 31, 2021; and (b) why did the public posting of interim reports cease at the end of…
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Mr. Speaker, as this session draws to a close, Canadians are upset with the Liberal government’s “do as I say, not as I do” attitude. The Prime Minister has failed to set a clear plan for international travel, and all of the jobs that go with it, yet he has no problem jet-setting into quarantineless, maskless, distanceless and, frankly, senseless behaviour. The Prime Minister says he is appalled w…
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Madam Speaker, local non-profits and our youth have faced great challenges during COVID. Canada summer jobs is supposed to help them. That is why it is disturbing to learn from applicants like the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society, the Fraser North Farmers Market Society and Northridge Church that, unlike past years, there is no flexibility on the number of positions, hours or weeks a job can last. …
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Mr. Speaker, deaths from overdoses are in the headlines often, and rightfully so. Last year, a record 1,700 people died from overdoses in B.C. alone, an absolute tragedy. Lurking behind this is an even larger issue of substance abuse and addiction. Over 20% of Canadians, or eight million, will battle substance abuse at some point in their lives. Addiction is not a respecter of gender, of race or e…
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Madam Speaker, seniors have been coming to my office quite upset. The issue is that they have received a link for the census, but they have no ability to go online. They are very capable of using computers, but they have no home Internet because they simply cannot afford it. They cannot make video calls to see their grandchildren, and they have been unable to visit during COVID. They cannot access…
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Mr. Speaker, last month I raised the issue of Alaskan cruise ships bypassing British Columbia. The minister was stunningly apathetic about the crisis. He dismissed safe technical stops, during which passengers stay on board. These would have kept our industry afloat. Recently, I met with U.S. senators. They were disturbed by the Liberal government’s unwillingness to show any bilateral accommodatio…
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Madam Speaker, the tax-filing deadline is right around the corner, and many Canadians and their accountants are stressed. The Liberals' delays in securing the vaccines allowed for this third wave to strike hard. So many Canadians have seen their jobs disappear or businesses close. Covering the basics like rent, paying the mortgage or groceries is difficult. They need relief from the extra stress o…
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Madam Speaker, a pandemic that has taken more lives than COVID is ravaging British Columbia. I speak of the opioid crisis. More than 1,700 people have died from opioids. In Maple Ridge alone, 500 have overdosed. Keeping people alive is critical, but helping them get a new life is so much better. That is what recovery is all about. Despite a lack of federal leadership, there are still some excellen…
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Madam Speaker, I want to talk about the former prime minister who was related to the current Prime Minister. The government start spending way more than the revenue it received. There were large deficits and increasing debt. The federal spending became 20% of the economy. Now it is 30%. We have a high debt crisis, high inflation and 650,000 people unemployed. Inflation is at 12%. Unemployment is a…
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Madam Speaker, I do not think members on the other side expect I will be glowing in my commentary regarding their budget. If they are, I am sorry to disappoint them. I was in the House when the Minister of Finance presented the budget, and I was taken aback at one point when she seemed to be very proud, in fact she mentioned it twice, that the Liberals only spent $354.2 billion. She said that they…
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Madam Speaker, it is interesting that the parliamentary secretary refers to the middle of last June about the opposition to the Liberals as far as their COVID response. It was around this time that the CanSino agreement was being made with China, and that led to the problems we are facing today. Does the parliamentary secretary not recognize that the incompetence of the Liberals has led to a big d…
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Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the member's analysis that the government has done an excellent job. The Prime Minister has a far-out target that would allow for success by September. Things are opening up in the States. Everybody there is now permitted to get vaccinations and we are locked down. I want to read a note I received yesterday from a constituent, who said: I am writing to you to voice my …
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Madam Speaker, I think it is very positive when we can see a lowering of the interest rates on credit cards or anything else. I think that has really helped people to purchase homes. However, what is positive can also be negative, because credit card rates will increase if the rates increase also, so it goes hand in hand. This budget is leading us toward inflation. That would lead to higher credit…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with the member from the Bloc Québécois. There should be more in the budget for workers. In my region, in British Columbia, cruises are one of our most important sectors. This is a $2.6-billion industry. The Liberals do not even want ships to dock for provisioning, even if the passengers stay on board and do not visit the area. That is very important. The government is telli…
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Madam Speaker, I want to say I agree with the member. We do support Canadian workers. It is really key. Conservatives have looked for ways of how we can help. How can we help Canadians? We are there. Not everything is bad in the budget. There might be a few things that need improvement and we will make some amendments, but most of it is a real mess. The situation is that one-third of the budget of…
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Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting a petition on behalf of the paintball and airsoft industries in Canada, in particular Panther Paintball and Airsoft Sports Park in Surrey, B.C. This is a locally owned business that for years has provided employment and a safe place for paintball and airsoft enthusiasts to come and enjoy their favourite games and sports. The employees and participants are very co…
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With regard to commercial space being rented by non-government clients (businesses, charities, etc.) from properties owned by the government and the impact of the pandemic: (a) what was the total amount of rent collected, broken down by month since January 1, 2020; (b) what was the total number of non-government clients as of March 1, 2020; (c) what is the current number of non-government clients;…
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With regard to the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman: (a) how many complaints has the ombudsman received during the pandemic, since March 1, 2020; (b) what is the breakdown of complaints by type of products or services involved; (c) what is the breakdown of complaints by type of complaints; (d) how many of the complaints involved tenders related to products purchased as part of the pandemic resp…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of concerned Canadians, including my own constituents, who are tired and frustrated with inaction by the government to clamp down on illegal marijuana production, including the exploitation of medical marijuana permits. Our communities are becoming less safe and less liveable as organized crime outfits are taking advantage of a system full …
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Mr. Speaker, the government tries to make Canadians believe that they are focused on helping them, but actions speak louder than words. This week I received an email from a single pensioner in my riding who got an EI repayment demand for $130. Contrast that with the calls I am getting from constituents, asking when vaccines are coming. They want to get back to work and off of EI, and return to a n…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of my constituent, Muhong Wang, and many other Canadians who are outraged over the atrocities carried out by the Chinese Communist Party against the practitioners of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline promoting principles of truth, compassion and tolerance, but followers are shown anything but those principles and are instead …
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Mr. Speaker, palliative care is where the emphasis should be. In talking to people who have been in distress, they have been able to manage the pain mentally and physically through that. However, the bill and the amendment do not talk much about medical assistance in dying. Rather, they talk about people who are not dying. This amendment talks about unfettered expansion of euthanasia, of assisted …
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Madam Speaker, Bollywood is a big deal for film production in India and internationally. Maple Ridge’s Dr. Biju Mathew’s book on Anand Kumar and the Super 30 is the inspiration behind a blockbuster Bollywood film starring Hrithik Roshan. The film dramatizes how Anand pours out his life to give underprivileged children in the slums the opportunity to overcome all obstacles to attend India’s top ins…
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Madam Speaker, I must say I was taken aback earlier in the day, when the member for Winnipeg North basically felt we were just stalling debate when talking about tourism. I phoned, about an hour ago, a fellow who sent me an email a year ago. He said he was one of one million Canadians who had lost their jobs because of COVID and that he had been in the profession for many years and does not like h…
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Madam Speaker, today I am presenting a petition on behalf of Canadians who are very disturbed about the atrocious treatment of the Uighur Muslims by the Chinese Communist government. These people have been subject to rape, sterilization, arbitrary detention, separation of children from families, invasive surveillance and forced organ harvesting. It is estimated that up to three million Uighurs and…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition with over 5,000 names on behalf of travel advisers across Canada. For the past year, life has not been easy for them. They have no revenue, as no one is travelling, yet they continue to spend countless hours on behalf of their clients, dealing with postponements, re-bookings and cancellations. Now they are very concerned that an airline bailout packa…
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Mr. Speaker, many residents in my riding are frustrated and fed up. Many medicinal marijuana growers are growing much more than their licences permit them to and have much more than a few plants, which is causing big problems within our neighbourhoods. All of this is happening without any proper supervision and enforcement by Health Canada. When residents have asked for help, it is a revolving doo…
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Madam Speaker, I am a member of Parliament from British Columbia. The softwood lumber industry has really been heavily impacted. Thousands of jobs have been lost. Mills have been closed everywhere, including a 100-year-old mill that is actually high tech, in my riding of Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge. There has been barely a whimper from the Liberal government. It talks about having conversations. Conv…
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Madam Speaker, yes, the aerospace industry is so important in my region also. There are many employees who work in it and we need to do all we can, but it seems as though the opposite is actually happening. On infrastructure spending, where is it? There is supposed to be $100 billion committed, but we do not see it.
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Madam Speaker, before I begin, I would like to thank my constituents for electing me 14 months ago and for sending me here to be a voice for them and to work on their concerns on their behalf. Who could have predicted that we would be in the situation we are currently in? However, my office has been open the entire time during this pandemic to serve, work for and help constituents. I am not able t…
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Madam Speaker, hindsight is one thing, but how about some foresight? It was tremendously lacking. How about just some sight? We would like to see some sight into Liberal expenditures. The Parliamentary Budget Officer certainly would like to know what is going on with the many expenditures. The Auditor General would like to know what is going on. We would like to know what is going on. This has bee…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her intervention. We certainly do need an economic recovery. That is vital. She spoke about the environment, and I believe that the Liberal government has made some real mistakes. The government imposed a new carbon tax that will impact agricultural producers and farmers. The government is imposing much too heavy of a burden on them in these difficult times.
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