Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I realize that it is not the member's position for Canadians to spend more of their money, to have Canadians with more of their money in their own pockets to make the best decisions for themselves, but there is no dental plan here. Frankly, I would not want the member on my negotiating team, because she did not negotiate a dental plan. There is nothing in the legislation that she is s…
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Mr. Speaker, if I may, I just want to give a quick shout-out. I do not often spend holidays away from my family, but I would like to thank the Ottawa Jewish community for the warm welcome and the meaningful prayer and introspective services that I took part in today. What happens when young people do everything in this country that they were asked to do? What happens when they do everything they a…
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Mr. Speaker, I am actually not going to comment on the condescending speech that I just got from the member opposite about how this place works. What I will comment on is that this plan, or lack of a plan or lack of a dental plan or lack of any details at all, does one thing and one thing only. It drives the cost of everything up in this country and Canadians are suffering. It ought to be clear by…
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Mr. Speaker, the dental care plans for low-income families exist. They exist at 70% across most of the country. If the member opposite read the legislation, she would realize that there are no details in the bill and there is no dental care plan. I expect her to yell behind me, but that still does not change the fact that it is not there.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it has been 1,000 days since IRGC terrorists killed 55 Canadians in the plane they shot down, 1,000 days for the families who still have not been given the justice they deserve. How is banning a group that has murdered Canadians, that brutalizes its own citizens and that oppresses minorities even a question for the Liberal government? How is it okay to allow terrorists associated with…
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Mr. Speaker, we should have the strongest sanctions, but we do not. In 2018, every member of the Liberal cabinet voted to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Yesterday, they would not reaffirm their position. What happened in between? The IRGC has blown up a plane, killing 50 Canadians, and they have killed thousands of innocent people, including Mahsa Amini. The IRGC terrorists have organi…
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Mr. Speaker, the virtue signalling of the government's fake feminist foreign policy needs to stop. Projecting lights on the buildings of Parliament is not going to punish the brutal dictatorship’s morality police from killing women. It will not get justice for the victims of 752. The government has failed Iranian Canadians. It has failed to protect the freedom of women demanding it. It has failed …
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Mr. Speaker, this weekend, millions around the world protested the brutal dictatorship in Iran, demanding freedom. Students at Tehran's Sharif University are being brutalized and arrested by the regime. Fifty thousand people came together in Richmond Hill to demand that the IRGC be listed as a terrorist organization, and the Prime Minister did not even bother to respond to the invite. MPs passed a…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been consultations among the parties and I believe you will find the unanimous consent of the House for the following motion: That the House stand in solidarity with the people of Iran fighting for their freedom against Iran's tyrannical dictatorship and those protesting the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police, becaus…
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Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer says that 60% of Canadians in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario get less than they pay for the carbon tax. It does not work. It does not reduce emissions. The Liberals actually voted against scrapping the GST off fuel costs. We had that opposition day. They already opined on that. The GST on top of a carbon tax is squeezing Canadians to the p…
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Mr. Speaker, across the country, Canadians are struggling. They are struggling with 40-year highs in inflation. They are struggling with the highest interest rates in the G7. They are struggling with the highest housing prices on record. Gas, groceries and home heating are not luxuries. They never have been, but they are getting further and further out of reach for Canadians, and that is an indict…
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Mr. Speaker, 40-year highs in inflation and taxes that are going up on January 1 and on April 1, and this is what the member opposite is talking about. His constituents ought to see this. Instead of voting for tax relief, instead of voting to cancel the tripling of the carbon tax, he is talking about cryptocurrency. That is a shame.
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Mr. Speaker, it must be a rude awakening that the leader of the member's party is not invited to their own convention for people his party used to represent in Saskatchewan. It used to be the party of workers. Taxes on Canadians' paycheques have gone from $3,400 to $4,100. It is a $700 increase. If the member does not understand that is too high and Canadians cannot afford it, I am not sure what h…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax is going to be tripled. Not only can Canadians not afford it, but it actually does not work. It does not reduce emissions. It is not a solution. It is not a climate plan. It is a tax plan. The member opposite ought to understand that. We are open to solutions that will actually help people. We have brought forward a solution to help people, and that is to stop the tax h…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Bill C-230, presented in this House by my friend and my colleague, the member for Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek. The bill we are debating today is worth more than a casual dismissal, as I have heard done in this debate by so many. The bill, if supported, would provide the protections for charter rights of medical professionals who object to providing or participatin…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the minister knows she is collecting more in EI premiums than she will pay to workers, and the finance minister ought to know that the EI surplus goes to their coffers to feed their out-of-control inflationary spending. The government cannot simultaneously say it understands the pain of Canadians and raise taxes on them. I will ask this again. Will the government cancel the January 1 …
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Mr. Speaker, 40-year highs of “Justinflation” is where we are at. Payroll taxes have gone from $3,400 to $4,100 under the government, a $700 increase, and the planned EI premium hike is yet another increase on paycheques. When Canadians are struggling with paying their bills, the government's next move, on January 1, is to raise EI premiums on their paycheques. When will they finally give Canadian…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Sunday night marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. It is a time for new beginnings. It is one of the most sacred days in the Jewish calendar, the first of the high holy days and the 10-day period of repentance in which Jewish people around the world reflect on our faith. It is a time for our families to come together and celebrate the gifts of the past year, reset…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer says that 60% of households in Ontario, in Alberta, in Saskatchewan and in Manitoba pay more than they get back. It started at $30 a ton. Then it was $40 a ton. Now it is $50 a ton, and the Liberals are on track to triple it to $170 a ton. Emissions have gone up. The price of everything has also gone up. I will ask again. When do the Liberals plan to s…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal carbon tax is up 25% to $50 a ton. It does not just increase the cost of gas; it increases the cost of everything for Canadian families. Many Canadians pay more in carbon taxes than they get in tax rebates. Worse, the Liberals miss their targets, and by a lot. Inflation is out of control and Canadians are struggling, and the Liberal plan is to triple the carbon tax. Will t…
Read full speech →Mr. Speaker, there are certain days in history when the world stops and listens, and everyone remembers where they were when they heard the tragic news of what happened that day. For some of my colleagues, it may be the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated. For others, it may be when Princess Diana died or 9/11. Those days, however, feel far away from our lives and they are, in part. They are…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals want to make inflation about international events beyond their control. They blame Russia for the rising costs of food and gas. They blame travellers for their airport mess. They blame Canadians for waiting too long to renew their passports. They blame individual complexities for the immigration backlog. Skyrocketing housing is not their fault either. The government is qu…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Canadians across the country are experiencing an unprecedented backlog in the processing of passport applications. Wait times are exceeding the normal standards, and the government's inability to meet demands is affecting Canadians' ability to obtain the necessary documentation to travel. They are being forced to take time away from work, to wait in lineups for hours and hours, someti…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it is not another Raptors NBA championship, but it is worth celebrating. Last week, Andrew Wiggins was instrumental in the Golden State Warriors winning their fourth NBA championship in eight years. He is a Thornhill boy and that is why it matters. He went to Glen Shields Public School and then Vaughan Secondary School, where he became the world’s top-ranking high school ball player. …
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With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Public Safety Canada and current delays faced by travelers at the Canadian border: (a) what are the CBSA's current standards for border screening wait times; (b) what is the CBSA's target date to ensure all screenings are completed within normal or minimal wait times; (c) how many CBSA officers were working at points of entry as of (i) Janua…
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Mr. Speaker, it is another week and there is more chaos in our airports. Even if one wanted to go anywhere, getting a passport is turning into a Canadian-made nightmare. The minister is claiming there is a surge in applications, but that is just not true. Over the past 10 weeks, the surge the government is talking about has been only half of what it was before COVID. If no one was laid off and no …
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the parliamentary secretary can tell us what she thinks the word “surge” actually means. Passport Canada is at 48,000 passports this week. She just said that. They used to do more than 90,000 before COVID. I have a few simple questions: How many passports are in the queue? Can she explain why she is telling Canadians about a magical surge that is not happening? When can she gi…
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With regard to the current processing delays of immigration applications: (a) what is the average processing time of a permanent residence application; (b) what is the average time between a candidate's initial application and the receipt of an interview for the purpose of obtaining permanent residency; and (c) how many applicants have had to undergo two or more medical exams due to the expiration…
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With regard to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and current delays faced by travelers at Canadian airports: (a) what are the CATSA's current standards for security screening wait times; (b) what is CATSA's plan to reduce the long lines seen at airport security screenings before the summer travel season; (c) does CATSA have any specific targets for reducing passenger wait times…
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With regard to the Memorial to the Victims of Communism: on what date is the project expected to be completed?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I do not think there is a single tax cut that they would support on gasoline. This is a party that wants to see gas prices get higher. It would be better if the member opposite just told us that. The Liberals want to see the price of gas be over $2. That is part of the plan. Cutting the GST, which is a tax upon the tax, will give real relief at the pumps for constituents in his ridi…
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Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time today with the hon. member for Beauce. I rise today on behalf of so many in the great community of Thornhill to speak in favour of this motion, and I will add my voice to the chorus of those calling on the government to finally tackle the cost-of-living crisis in this country. Canadians like those in my own family and in my community chose to make Canada …
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Madam Speaker, I will be brief. Just because we ask the government or tell the government that we think the carbon tax should be eliminated, or just because we want a GST cut, or just because we have proposed solutions a number of times, it does not mean they are wrong. They are absolutely right, and we are going to continue standing up for Canadians in the House every single day until it gets don…
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Madam Speaker, I enjoy the work that my hon. colleague and I do on the transport committee, where we have heard expert after expert tell us that these mandates no longer make sense. We have asked the government, for months and months, to provide the specific scientific data. They have not, and they will not, and that is because it is vindictive and punitive to people who do not agree with their wo…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is playing catch-up by hiring a fraction of those who were fired because of these mandates. The information disclosed by the government revealed that it failed to spend nearly a quarter of CATSA's budget last year, despite record lineups, delays and staffing shortages at our airports. We know that the Liberal vaccine mandate is keeping millions from flying. Are domestic t…
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Mr. Speaker, it has been months and the fiasco at our airports continues. Believe it or not, it is getting worse. There are more cancelled flights, longer lineups, more delays and lost economic activity, and our international reputation is in jeopardy. The minister blames travellers and is telling us that things are just as bad in other countries. Despite all the chaos, experts are saying that dro…
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Mr. Speaker, nothing says, “Happy Tourism Week” like the arbitrary, unjustified extension of the restrictions and mandates in Canada's airports. Airports, airlines, chambers of commerce and health experts have all called for an end to mandates, and, this week, even members of the Prime Minister's own caucus said that these restrictions do not make sense anymore. What was his response? He doubled d…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this weekend over 15,000 in Toronto’s Jewish community gathered for UJA’s Walk with Israel. It is the biggest event of its kind in Canada. Running for more than 50 years, it supports UJA projects that help vulnerable populations in Israel. While it is one of the most successful events in the community, corresponding with Yom Yerushalayim, which commemorates the reunification of Jerusa…
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Mr. Speaker, our airports are still in the news for their worsening delays. The minister blames travellers, and the parliamentary secretary has now taken to blaming stakeholders. He has the health advice, but no one is allowed to see it. That means it is a secret. The Prime Minister once said that Canadians deserve the most transparent and open government in the world. Would the minister describe …
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have been asking the government to release the metrics and the science it has been using to justify the travel restrictions and mandates. Last week, no one in this House could produce any. Today, at committee, the transport minister finally admitted that he has specific advice that led to the decisions to keep the random testing of 4,000 passengers a day and the mandates…
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Madam Speaker, I listened to that speech and parts of it made very little sense in this House in terms of what we are talking about today, but I want to ask the member a pointed question. Is he aware that the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada told airports, carriers and airlines that testing would be out of airports in January? Is he aware that it is May, and the government has done …
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Mr. Speaker, the airports across the country are still grinding to a halt, and the government says that it is people's fault. There are people who are waiting months and months for passports, while the government tells them they have to line up at 4 a.m. For basic government services, the government says it is sorry and to take a number. The parliamentary secretary has said testing 4,000 traveller…
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Mr. Speaker, there are few interactions that are memorable in this place for a new member and even fewer that are genuine, especially for a new member, and that describes the few interactions I have had with the member opposite. I would like to thank the member for his service to this country and this place. I look forward to seeing that continued service in the next place.
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moved: That, given that, (i) Canadians are currently experiencing unacceptable wait times at Canadian airports, even though airports are still operating at reduced capacity, (ii) current restrictions have been cited by experts as ineffective and contributing to additional delays, costs, and confusion, as well as acute labour shortages, (iii) Canada's international allies have moved to lift COVID-1…
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Mr. Speaker, they are laughing at this. We are hearing laughter on the other side of the House at the suffering of Canadians. The people's voices this party brings forward in this House each day might seem like strangers to the people laughing on the opposite side of this House. They are not strangers. Some of the hon. members forget that those they have othered, the ones they continue to actively…
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Mr. Speaker, I am actually sad to answer this question, because I would hope that the member opposite would have a question related to what we are speaking about today and related to the punishment that the government has imposed on over four million Canadians who still cannot get into an airplane. There are 4,000 tests happening at an airport all day, and it is happening only in Canada. I would h…
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask the member to look at everywhere else in the world. I would ask him to ask himself why the science is actually different in this country and whether mandates have increased vaccination on the third dose. The answer is, not really. We have heard from public health experts and doctors who have said that these mandates do not work. We have heard from the travel industry, whic…
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Mr. Speaker, I always appreciate the member's interventions and I like the work that we do together on the transport committee. We did speak about the labour shortages, and it is a very real issue in airports. One of the ways we can solve that is to bring back all of the people that the government fired because of the federal vaccine mandates. We heard from witnesses in the committee that there ar…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, what I do know is that the government has not shared any data. We have asked it consistently to table any of that data and public health advice. What we know is that the Prime Minister wears a mask in the House and in parts of this precinct, but he does not wear one in Ukraine.
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