Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would not say his name because I am not allowed to do that, but it was the Leader of the Opposition who did that. Just to put it into context, they were not exactly friends; I would argue that they did not get along. Yet the member for Carleton, the current Leader of the Opposition, liked that so much that he was willing to put aside his differences with Erin O'Toole to celebrate …
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Madam Speaker, he is absolutely right. Conservatives always talk about axing the tax, but in reality, the only thing they want to axe are people's rebates. The only thing they want to axe are the rebates people get through the Canada carbon incentive. Everything else, they are fully prepared to keep in place, including the GST that they ran on axing when they ran on it back in 2021.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want the member to go back and review Hansard, review everything I said, and if he can find where I said this is only about essential goods, I will buy him a GST-free beer in December. He will not find it, because I never said that. What I said is that this would cover a whole host of goods. As it related to diapers, I was not saying that billionaires do not buy diapers. What I wa…
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Madam Speaker, I am not one bit surprised Conservatives are not happy to hear that. We should hear some earth-shattering testimony from the mayor of Brampton in relation to foreign interference during that leadership contest. I will bring this to the issue we are talking about right now. We are talking about removing the GST on some essential items during a time when Canadians experience, and will…
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Madam Speaker, wow, that is unbelievable. I have been sitting here, for 10 minutes, listening to a Conservative member talk about taking care of the most vulnerable people in our community like he somehow cares. Are we kidding? He is trying to lecture us on giving supports for the most vulnerable in our communities. He has voted against every single measure. His former government, the Conservative…
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Madam Speaker, I would ask for a couple of brief moments to report on some breaking news that came out of the public safety committee moments ago. Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton and former leadership contestant for the Conservative Party, has been summoned to the committee to talk about foreign interference and what he witnessed during the Conservative leadership convention. I think all memb…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last week our government announced measures that will provide financial support for Canadians over the holidays. These measures should be supported by all MPs. However, we know the Leader of the Opposition has muzzled his members. According to one Conservative MP, we recently learned that “Everybody is being watched. What we say, what we do, who we talk to.” The leader of the Conserva…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, on a point of order, it certainly is not appropriate to be calling people names in the House, even if the member is going to suggest he was trying to be kind. The reality is that he meant it in a sarcastic way and I would encourage the Speaker to encourage him to withdraw that.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, it was very refreshing to hear a Conservative speak off the cuff and not read out an AI-generated speech. I appreciate that. I notice that the member spoke, very importantly, and I would agree with him, about supporting our military. I am wondering whether he can reflect on the fact that the only time in modern history when our military spending dropped below 1% of our GDP was while…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, we know that Conservatives spend a lot of time speaking in the House. As a matter of fact—
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I went through it. I read it out. I do not think the member was listening to me. I went through the document in my speech and highlighted the important parts of it. The member tries to conflate the issues. He said that I said this is not important and what Liberals have been talking about the whole time is strictly the issue. I would love to get to the bottom of the issue. I would l…
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Madam Speaker, I find it hard at times with respect to the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan. He promised years ago to invite me to his podcast so we could debate there instead of the crosstalk like this, but he has yet to do that. I am still waiting for the invitation. I find it very interesting, especially when the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan asked who wrote them. If he l…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I have had my heart broken many times. I can assure the member that this incident with the NDP does not measure up. In conclusion—
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I will only use 30 seconds to plug a band I recently saw on Wolfe Island, in my riding. It is the Grievous Angels. The member for Timmins—James Bay is the lead in this band. They are really great, and it was a great opportunity. I was so thrilled he came to my riding and was playing there. I would encourage anybody out there to see the Grievous Angels anytime they have an opportunit…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I will interrupt the 15 minutes of the day the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan tables petitions and table one of my own. My petition is from residents in my riding who are concerned that radio and television journalists and the loss of local programming are impacting them negatively. They are bringing to the attention of the government the crucial role of local coverage a…
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Madam Speaker, the point is that we are here today on the concurrence motion because of Conservatives' unwillingness to let us vote on a motion that they tabled. Just think about that for a second. For anybody out there who might be watching the debate, who may have just happened to come across the channel and who is just watching for a second, I want to tell them about what has been going on in t…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I want to start by saying that I agree with that member. What happened in Montreal is absolutely disgusting, and we all need to stand against that. Peaceful, legal protest is completely in order. When it is not legal, then it is not in order. I must admit, I was a little taken aback. I was working away here, I heard her say something, and I had to stop to get my staff to go back, re…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
I cannot let this one go, Madam Speaker. Moments ago, the member said she called on the convoy to not block the streets, but she had a post on Facebook on January 31, 2022, where she said, “Meeting with hard working truckers in Ottawa!” A story in a Lambton newspaper says she told the Prime Minister to sit down with these people and talk to them. I cannot find a single comment online about her tel…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, if the member would like to avoid answering my question and talk about Bitcoin and what he perceives the Conservative policy to be around that, I would encourage him to do that. On two occasions, the member said that there had never even been a compromise, that nobody even offered a compromise. The Speaker literally is telling us what the compromise is. The Speaker, through a ruling…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak to this concurrence motion. I cannot help but wonder why we are still stuck in this same place. Conservatives continue to insist that we cannot get on with regular business of this House and discuss really important measures. For example, I would love to hear the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan's position on the recent announcements that were made by…
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Madam Speaker, I can assure the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan that it definitely was not the same Conservative staffer who writes every single speech that I get to listen to on a daily basis from Conservatives, and it certainly did not come from AI either.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the good news is that this concurrence motion is time-allocated, so it is going to be voted on eventually. In my speech, I spent a solid eight or nine minutes noting specifically the checks, balances and measures in place for any public servant, that they have accountability and that they have to inform their supervisor of the activities they are engaging in. Those are the kinds of …
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Madam Speaker, I am not suggesting I am the government's victim. Who are the real victims in all of this? The victims are Canadians. They are the ones not having their representatives doing work for them for 29 sitting days while the Conservatives have jammed up the House until we “call a carbon tax election”, like we hear them say over and over. At some point, I think everybody has to realize it …
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Madam Speaker, I love how the member twists the words. I did not say “normal procurement” or “this is normal procurement”. What I said was “procurement is normal”, and there is a big difference. Procurement happens. It is a part of what we do, how government operates, and at times it can be in the best interest to procure services. We accept and believe in that. As I indicated in my speech, we als…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, what is most telling about the fact that the first question came from the Bloc is that no Conservative member in the House chose to stand up to ask me a question on what I was talking about. To answer the member's question, reports come to the House all the time, as he knows. Some reports get a lot of their details from committee embraced and taken on by the government through forms o…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Outremont for splitting her time with me. I appreciated her comments and what she has provided today in terms of the substance of the issue and the report, which is a very important report. She spoke very passionately about why that is and the deep connections the issue has to her community. I am going to spend my time talking about why I think we are ev…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am not dreaming up conspiracy theories. I am just laying out the facts, which are very clear. The Conservatives do not want anything to happen in terms of a study on foreign interference at the public safety committee. They are stopping that from happening. The Leader of the Opposition refuses to get his security clearance. That is a second fact. Another fact is it has been widely r…
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Mr. Speaker, my guess would be, why do we need a special committee when we already have multiple committees that could look at this? For example, the public safety committee is trying to look at this. Nobody from this side is trying to avoid looking at the issue. Conservatives are literally blocking the ability to do that. The foreign affairs committee could also look at it. I imagine we would get…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order. Just as a reminder to the member, I would invite him to introduce the motion again.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by many Canadians. They are bringing to the attention of the House the fact that the RCMP has reported that the Government of India has interfered in Canada's elections. It has also murdered, threatened and extorted Canadians on Canadian soil. The petitioners find it deeply troubling that the Leader of the Opposition continues to decline to get a security clea…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am fully aware of the insanely busy agenda going on right now at SECU, as well as the games that Conservatives are currently playing there. In particular, they have been filibustering and introducing motions to prevent one thing, which is the study on foreign interference by India and Russia. By introducing the amendment in the House, the member is trying to get an order from the …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we know the last couple of years have been particularly challenging and although inflation is continuing to come down, households have not particularly started to feel that. That is why we introduced very important measures today to provide relief to Canadians. It is yet to be seen whether or not the Conservative leader will allow his MPs to vote in favour of what is so important for …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, when the petition is tabled, the member will be able to read it. It is specifically given to the House of Commons to encourage the Leader of the Opposition to get his security clearance.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move: That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, during the debate pursuant to Standing Order 66 on Motion No. 69 to concur in the twelfth report of the Standing Committee on Human Res…
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Mr. Speaker, I have never been heckled when giving a petition before, but I will continue. The signatories of this petition, and my job is just to deliver it on their behalf, are calling on the leader of the Conservative Party to get his security clearance and take action to help stop foreign governments from interfering in Canada and targeting Canadians. I am happy to present it on their behalf.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I find it really interesting to hear the member say that the government is just making talking points when a lot of the speeches that have been given by Conservatives, and I think this member was the 171st Conservative to speak to this, were generated by AI. I take some offence to that. In any event, if the opposition wants to bring forward a motion, which it has, and the motion is …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, therefore as demonstrated by the tweet and by the agreement from the Conservatives that is coming from across the way, the Speaker's chair, not you although in this particular case filled by you, but the role of whoever happens to be sitting in the chair, is not being treated in an impartial and non-partisan way. I am bringing this to your attention not to protect your honour and your…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The first is on the departure of radio and television journalists and, in particular, how we are continuing to see a disappearance of crucial local coverage in our communities. The signatories of the petition are calling on the government to extend the Canadian journalism labour tax credit to include radio and TV. They are asking the government t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from many Canadians who are calling to the government's attention the fact that the RCMP has reported the Government of India is interfering in Canada's elections and murdering, threatening and extorting Canadians on Canadian soil. Petitioners are also bringing to the attention of the House that it is extremely troubling, what is being learned about what the Leader o…
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, I certainly appreciate the passion and the energy of that speech. I thought the member was very effective at communicating some of the struggles we are dealing with in the chamber right now. He talked about how he came here to be able to represent his constituents and work as a parliamentarian, but we cannot because we seem to be at a logjam in terms of our ability to get past one s…
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, I am fully aware of the concurrence motion that we are debating today. I just wanted to set some of the context in which I find it troubling that we are having to debate these issues through concurrence motions. We should be debating housing through government legislation, which the NDP was able to successfully contribute to not that long ago. That is what we should be debating. We …
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, I will admit from the outset it will be hard to follow that act. That certainly was a very impassioned speech. I always enjoy hearing from my colleague in the Bloc when he has thoughts to offer in this place. However, he was absolutely right on a number of issues. I agree completely with him. For starters, there is the fact that we have not been able to continue to work on the impor…
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan is heckling me right now, so I will use him as an example. The member—
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition really likes his slogans, and he is very effective at taking an issue and confusing it so Canadians cannot really see what the objectives are. The Leader of the Opposition will say that the housing accelerator fund is a program that has never produced any housing. If we go back and look at everything they have said in the House, we see that 19 of the Con…
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, yes, it is a great program. That is where we are right now. It is important to ask who Conservative MPs are representing in the House. Do they represent their communities or do they represent the Leader of the Opposition? I think it is pretty evident from everything that has gone on in the news, the stories we have heard about the Liberal Party and what we talk about in caucus that …
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, what is the member talking about when he says “our approach is fiscally responsible”? The only thing he has been able to offer is to say that the GST would be removed off purchasing homes. That is great for somebody who is purchasing a brand new home. I guess that will benefit them, but what about everybody else who is not building a new home? How is he able to stand in the House an…
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, the member did not answer my question, but notwithstanding, I will take the bait. Will the member tell us, please, about all this housing that the former Conservative government built? They want to take credit for all the housing that the market built back when they were in government before. However, the reality is that, when it comes to actual affordable housing units, the leader …
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, I would like to read a quote: Here, we should be encouraging our municipalities to build housing more rapidly. I will ensure that the funding for municipal infrastructure corresponds with the number of houses that the municipality manages to build. I will require every big city to increase building permits by 15% per year or they will lose their infrastructure funding. Do members kn…
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, I did not ignore the member's first question. On the contrary, I acknowledged, at the beginning of answering the question, that I knew what he was talking about. I know about the housing built in Kingston that he was referring to. However, I thought it was more important to talk about affordable housing: housing that is supplemented by the government, housing the government helps to…
Read full speech →Concurrence in Committee Reports
Madam Speaker, I never once said that this debate was not important and was meaningless. I started my speech by talking about the Conservatives using the House in a meaningless way, because they are doing that through their filibuster on the other issue. Then, after the member who just asked me a question rose on a point of order to bring me to relevance, and rightly so, I started talking about th…
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