Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, when the government's decision put salmon farms in the Discovery Islands on notice, there was no transition plan for affected workers. Now, 15 months later, the government has spent over $20 million in PR exercises, but not a dime for worker transitions. The government's decision on the Discovery Islands deadline is three months away and there are still no transition supports for the …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, there is still no answer for workers. With regard to the expropriation of quota from crab and elver fishers, the minister told the fisheries committee that no decisions have been made on either the crab or elver fishery, yet DFO officials have written to crab fishers that the quota cut of 50% was final. They also told elver fishers that the 14% cut was final. Does the minister underst…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member asked when we will stop speaking to the bill. I would never encourage members of the House to stop speaking about a bill as significant as this, with billions in spending, no accountability and coming from a government that let the priorities pass on for months before it even introduced it. Therefore, I will take no lesson from this member about when we should and should no…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today representing the people of North Okanagan—Shuswap as I speak to Bill C-8, An Act to implement certain provisions of the economic and fiscal update tabled in Parliament on December 14, 2021 and other measures. That was three and a half months ago, and 21 months after the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Much has changed in the past months since this bill…
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Mr. Speaker, there is no question that there is a drastic shortage of affordable housing, and housing of any sort, across this country. That is because people have flocked into the housing market as an investment. They have not seen the investment in rental housing being as productive as it used to be, so we have seen a reduction in rental housing in some areas. In consultations with elected repre…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, obviously housing is top of mind for many members and, I think, for Canadians right across this country. Incentivizing the construction of residences, whether single-family or multi-family apartment buildings, is where the federal government can make a difference regarding that growth in new inventory that is desperately needed across the country.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for asking me what I have been doing to reach out to people who disagree with me. I listen to them. I hear their phone messages. I receive their emails. There have been thousands of them over the past few days and weeks, unprecedented numbers. I read their emails. I listen to their messages and phone them back when time permits. That is unlike the Prime Minister w…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the correction from the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. I wrongly inserted the word “our” in my comment and I apologize for that. I talked in my speech about the motion put forward on our opposition day a week and a half ago. It was voted down by members opposite. It would have seen hope for Canadians to move forward, a plan and some sort of timeline to get past the re…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the indigenous connections that I have made since being elected in 2015 continue to build. We have built relationships and have a better understanding of the cultures. That is something I will strive to continue to build as I continue as a member of Parliament and I will continue to push that among the members I serve with here and all members on all sides of the House, so we can bu…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, today I join fellow members of Parliament in debating the government's invocation of the Emergencies Act and the extraordinary powers of the act that have never been used by any government since the act was created in 1988. As the House debates the matters in front of us today, I believe the responsibility each of us carries individually to our respective constituents and the respon…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, we are debating the Emergencies Act because of a political crisis of the Prime Minister’s own making, a political crisis here in Ottawa because of his failure to act sooner. There is another crisis building across our country that he and his government have failed to act on. Canadians are seeing the rising cost of living impacting them in their homes and in their backyards, in my ridi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, at the fisheries committee, officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency could not identify who in government is responsible for ensuring imported seafood is not caught illegally or by using exploited workers. Illegal harvesting and the use of exploited workers are despicable. The government needs to get serious about stopping these a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is an honour today to rise to present a petition, on behalf of Canadians, recognizing that the evidence now makes it clear that the Chinese government's treatment of the Uighurs meets most, if not all, of the criteria for genocide as outlined by the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Therefore, the petitioners are asking that the House of Com…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the impact of labour shortages on Canadian fruit growers and fruit processors: (a) what are the government's estimates on the shortage of workers during the 2021 fruit harvesting season, broken down by region; (b) what was the estimated loss of yield or production in the Canadian fruit industry in 2021 as a result of labour shortages, broken down by region and crop; and (c) will (i)…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are paying more for food, and the government is making it more expensive. Last March, the government blindsided spot prawn harvesters with a decision prohibiting a packaging practice that has been in place for decades. The government's decision is to increase plastic use and packaging costs, making Canadian food less affordable for Canadians already facing bigger grocery bil…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, the member mentioned the child care program agreements that are being put in place. I would like him to tell me how these programs are going to work for families in smaller rural communities, like Grindrod in my riding of North Okanagan—Shuswap, or Lumby or the Scotch Creek area, where there are no government-organized day care services. How about shift workers who do not work nine-…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will make it quick because the member already responded that he does not know how this legislation will apply to companies that contract to federally regulated corporations. Had the government not thought about how the bill was going to apply to Canadians? It is another example of legislation put forward that is not fully thought out by an inept government. Why was it not thought …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Fleetwood—Port Kells and like my colleague from Courtenay—Alberni, I worked with him on the fisheries committee for a number of years. Could the member explain how the bill would apply to companies that work or contract to federally regulated employers? We know that it applies directly to federally regulated corporations that are under federal regulati…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last June, the government announced the Pacific salmon strategy initiative and talked about bold, transformative action. At the same time, the fisheries minister doubled down on the government's refusal to quickly mobilize proven actions needed to restore Pacific salmon. Five months have passed and the salmon populations are still in trouble. Can the fisheries minister tell us what th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this House today. Once again, I thank the voters of North Okanagan—Shuswap for trusting me to represent them here in Parliament. As I open, I must also recognize the individuals and organizations in British Columbia and beyond who stepped up and continue to mobilize in support of British Columbians during wildfires and flooding this year. While all British C…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his concern for seniors. As I mentioned in my intervention, it depended on how seniors applied for the program. For some it was counted as taxable income and others it was not. The ones where it was considered as taxable income are now seeing their GIS payments clawed back. We have had constituents in tears on the phone because they cannot afford their rent, or …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg North for his very often speaking points in the House. We have supported these programs as they were rolled out to ensure that the people who needed the support the most got that support, but we were not supportive of large corporations paying out executive bonuses. We were not in support of frauds, people receiving benefits who were not entitled to the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell for his presentation today. The concerns in my riding are growing every day. I have food processors who cannot find employees. They bring them in as temporary foreign workers. Now changes are being made, and they are not tied to those jobs anymore. The employers pay the cost of bringing them in, and they are leaving those jobs to go el…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to return to the House as the member for North Okanagan—Shuswap, and I thank the voters, volunteers, family and friends who supported me here as their voice. Like so many British Columbians, my constituents have persevered through the pandemic, wildfires and flooding that have ravaged our province. Now more than ever, they need action and results and I am here to be thei…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, the member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon's riding has seen devastation, as has mine and those of the members for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola and Abbotsford. I have advocated for the infrastructure that has been lost and needs to be rebuilt and the infrastructure that communities across our ridings have been asking for for a number of years now when I make an annual submi…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise to present a complementary report to the report on Pacific salmon. As the fisheries committee has studied the state of Pacific salmon over the past 15 months, the evidence we received has consistently pointed us to the stark and inescapable conclusion that the vast majority of Pacific salmon stocks continue to decline toward the point of no return. Throughout t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this transport minister and his cabinet colleagues left our international borders open for too long. Flights were coming into Canada carrying COVID-positive individuals as the virus was spreading around the world, and was continuing to be brought into Canada. Yet, we had tourism operators, like guide outfitters and fishing lodge operators, who were crying for assistance. They had COVI…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, as this parliamentary sitting nears conclusion, I stand in appreciation of Canadians I have been honoured to work with through the challenges of the past 16 months. I send my thanks to my team in Ottawa and at home in the North Okanagan—Shuswap. To Joel, Chelsea, Mary, Penny and Teresa, I give my thanks for being on the front line of the thousands of calls, emails and letters the of…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I listened to the minister's speech. He went on at length about what the Liberals had spent on the defence department and how they had acquired planes, jets and so on. With the morale that has been developing because of his actions and inaction in his role, how can he expect to have personnel to man this equipment and fly these planes when the minister has failed to maintain the trust…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I note that the hon. member and the hon. member for Winnipeg North have taken up full half-hour speaking slots this evening, shutting out other members from being able to speak. We have not heard from other members of the Liberal Party. Is that because their side does not want other members to speak to this, to defend this attack on freedom, or is it because their freedom of expressio…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and, from what I am seeing from the current government, possibly a privilege to be able to rise and speak to Bill C-10. I rise representing the good people of North Okanagan—Shuswap. I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill. Bill C-10 is the Liberal government's attempt to have the online streaming giants contribute their fair share to Canad…
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Mr. Speaker, it was the removal of section 4.1, which protected user-generated content. That was in there. There was very little debate about the potential risks of the bill when that was in it. Why did the government remove that and then, after the Canadian public and Conservative members of Parliament raised alarms over that, start to backtrack? Obviously, it was a wrong move. Why?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there were so many amendments put forward at the end of committee stage that were not even debated. We do not even know what those amendments were, because members were not been able to speak about them. I was there when there was and attempt to pass an amendment from our Conservative colleague that would have limited the restrictions on undertakings with more than $50 million a year …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the best example of time allocation by the Liberal government was about a year ago when it decided to prorogue Parliament because it did not like what was happening within the ethics committee and the discovery of the WE scandal. That, to me, was the grandest, most absurd application of time allocation that anyone in Canada has ever experienced.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House today to speak to Bill C-30, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 19, 2021. As always, I rise to represent the good citizens of the North Okanagan—Shuswap. They have been doing their part during this pandemic, but have seen this government let them down. In previous budget debates and examining the Libe…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of one of the most upbeat advocates I have ever known. Petronella Peach, or Nel, as most knew her, immigrated from Holland. Nel was born during World War II and often spoke of her love of Canada and our role in liberating the Netherlands in 1945. Throughout her lifetime, Nel took on many challenges with a positive attitude and a strong voice for al…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to question the minister from Saint Boniface—Saint Vital on the budget. He talked a lot about support for indigenous communities and so on. I recently met with a number of the first nations bands in my riding of North Okanagan—Shuswap. They pointed out the difficulty in receiving funding for infrastructure projects. Some of the freshwater programs have been completed. The…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I know my constituents of the North Okanagan—Shuswap are good people, willing to support their country, but they are growing weary because the government has failed to protect Canadians. Businesses are closing, workers are out of jobs, families are hurting and loved ones continue to be lost. Now Canada is lagging far behind our peers in vaccine delivery. The government has also failed…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last December the fisheries minister announced her Discovery Islands decision. She did not base the decision on science, she did not base the decision on advice from her department and she did not base the decision on transparent and balanced consultations. The Discovery Islands decision is part of the minister's larger pattern of announcing surprise decisions that put British Columbi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the fisheries department's reinterpretation of regulations completely blindsided spot prawn harvesters in B.C. DFO's reinterpretation would actually force spot prawn harvesters to degrade their catch and accept less money for their work. What was the minister's response? She deferred the harmful measure for a year, creating even further uncertainty. Whether it is this year or next, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is interesting to hear the member speak about the programs the government has rolled out and all of the help it is trying to provide, but this week my office has been working with a constituent who is unable to access the emergency rent subsidy program because of the limitations that have been put around it. The program is not for people who rent through a family relationship. In…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, recently the hon. member for Niagara Falls and I co-hosted a virtual town hall with my constituents of the North Okanagan—Shuswap. We heard that Marcia operates a bed and breakfast and has been left behind by the government’s faulty programs. Cheryl works with a small non-profit that has also been left out of relief programs. Tyler started producing hand sanitizer when Canada had none…
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Madam Speaker, certainly the member and I share concerns about what is really needed to help Canadians through this pandemic. We need economic recovery and jobs. That is why we are debating this bill. It introduces $25 billion in new spending as part of a deficit that looks to be closing in on $400 billion this year. We want to investigate and debate this economic implementation act very carefully…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with the member for Carleton that unless we get our spending under control, the risk of increased interest rates is an incredible threat to this country. I lived through the recession of 1981-1982, when basically there were so many jobs lost that one could not buy a job. Interest rates were over 20%. I personally paid over 9% on a primary mortgage. Our second mortgage was ov…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to speak in the House today representing the good people of North Okanagan—Shuswap and take part in the debate on Bill C-14, the economic statement implementation act of 2020. Here we are today, at the end of February, debating an economic statement, not a budget, from last year. We are debating the 2020 economic statement today because the government has not tabled …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the member for Courtenay—Alberni knows how important tourism is, as I do here in the North Okanagan—Shuswap, and I want to talk about how long the government has been failing our tourism sector. We are going on almost a year now since we started calling for vaccines, rapid testing and so on, so that we could keep our tourism sector open. I see it as a failure of the current governme…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, things are not good on the west coast either. Canadians who depend on fisheries have been let down by the minister. Investments across all sectors are being shelved because of uncertainty and instability. The minister's rejection of viable, science-based proposals is keeping Canadians off the water. Even indigenous food, social and ceremonial harvest rates have been undermined by the …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, Conservative governments negotiated almost 50 free-trade agreements with countries including the U.S., but the current Prime Minister was a no-show with the initial trans-Pacific partnership, resulting in the U.S. dropping out of that agreement and eventually resulting in additional concessions being made by our supply-managed sectors. Dairy farmers in my riding of North Okanagan—Sh…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to take the parliamentary secretary back to the member for Don Valley West. In his intervention, he stated that he supports Canadians using Canadian oil and supports the export of Canadian oil. As the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, I would hope he supports those comments and takes them, along with the member for Don Valley West, to the Pri…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in my riding of North Okanagan—Shuswap to present a petition signed by Canadians who are distressed by the atrocities facing Uighur Muslims and what they are being subjected to by the Chinese Communist Party. There is now growing international consensus on recognizing the situation of the Uighurs as genocide. The petition calls on the House of Commons to recognize that th…
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