Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member said this was a historical moment, and it is a historical moment. That is one of the most positive speeches I have heard from the opposition in a long time, with a constructive approach to building good government policies and strengthening bills. He talked about the police being effective. He talked about being very supportive of many of the measures. It is a huge contrast…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member talked a bit about some of the pieces that will have an impact on businesses and our border and will enhance our system overall, with more compliance issues. Would the member care to expand on some of those pieces that will be important for building a stronger border and immigration system in Canada?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this country has been built by immigrants. Outside the indigenous community, we are all from immigrants at some point in time. Immigration is part of our past; it is part of who we are today, and it will be a big part of who we are in the future. I know that constituents in Pickering—Brooklin share many different immigration stories. How important is it to get the immigration file rig…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, as members and a new government come forward, we all have to work together to find solutions so that we can help build a stronger country for all Canadians.
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, this is astonishing. I do not think folks on the other side have read the throne speech, because it is full of different solutions, ideas and themes, but what a throne speech really does is set the tone for the direction in which a government is going. I would be happy to talk about some of those—
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, as Canadians, we need to rethink how we approach trade. I meet with people who are promoting Africa and the African diaspora within the Americas. We have to look for alternative ways to build trade. In the Americas alone, there are 220 million people of African descent. Throughout the Caribbean and throughout America, there are chambers of commerce. We need to tap into those networks …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, when we look at history and the position of Liberals across the country and among members of Parliament, there is no question that, in the House, we have been at the forefront of looking for ways to mitigate climate change. We, as a country, are looking for different ways to do it, but I would say that all people in the House agree that we need to keep our country clean, and we need t…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member on his recent election. I do not know if the member read the actual throne speech, but I would advise the member to take a look through it, because there are a lot of concepts and ideas. Some are traditional ideas that Liberals hold as values, but we do talk about lowering taxes. We talk about removing GST from homes and apartments. I am hoping that the membe…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak today. I will be sharing my time with the member for Willowdale. First, I would like to congratulate all members of the House. As they say, there is not a bad seat in the House of Commons, so congratulations. We have a lot of work to do. Welcome to the 45th session of Parliament. I just reminded myself that throughout our political careers, we sho…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I congratulate the member. I want to find out if the member is going to be supporting our initiative to lower income taxes for Canadians.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last week we found out the Conservative leader was silencing his members from supporting any federal funding for housing in their communities. It must have been very difficult for Conservatives to oppose funding for much-needed housing projects in the communities that sent them here to advocate for housing, not to do the opposite. Imagine how difficult it must have been for the member…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, October 6 marks the electrical injury day of recognition, an initiative led by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Canadian Electrical Contractors Association, the National Electrical Trade Council and other industry groups. The day is dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of electric shock injuries, which can have long-term health effects with no cure.…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, a lot of the debate today was based on climate change and its impact on agriculture. In 2024, the Conservative Party voted to reject a call to actually recognize climate change in Canada. In Ontario, 70,000 people work within the agriculture sector. It is a $60-billion sector. It is important to make sure we preserve and keep the integrity of the land and the weather conditions in o…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the two following reports of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association: the report respecting its participation at the bilateral mission to Cameroon, Yaoundé, Cameroon, from November 13 to 17, 2023; and the report respecting its participation at the observation mission on the mar…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is an important question. We have such a beautiful country, from coast to coast to coast. There are so many different nationalities, a mosaic of different cultures, and it will always be difficult for us to find the perfect date. However, as MPs, we should be trying to accommodate people when possible. That should be a common-sense approach to picking an election day, and I thi…
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Madam Speaker, my father is legally blind, so I go with him when he votes. I am always amazed at how he is accommodated. The first time we went when he needed assistance, I wondered how they would do it, but it was very professional. If we can look for ways to strengthen the process, through consultation with the disability community, and make it more accessible, it would be a huge priority for me…
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Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to stand in the House of Commons on behalf of the great people of Don Valley East to speak to a very important bill, Bill C-65, the electoral participation act. The chief government whip talked about a noble pursuit to actually look at legislation and look for ways to increase participation, which is essentially what the bill is attempting to do. As members of Parli…
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Madam Speaker, the member has been around here for a while, and he is a smart guy. He knows the process. The bill goes to committee. If improvements can be made, the member and his team can bring forward suggestions. I was given 10 minutes today to address the issues that I though were very important. That is why I talked about privacy, accessibility, integrity and trust. They mean a lot to me.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-397, an act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Department of Employment and Social Development Act. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure today to table my first private member's bill. In 2020, I was in the U.K. when my mother passed away. As members know, when a loved one passes away there are a lot of administrative processes people have to go through. The private…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, many young people in my riding of Don Valley East are worried about not being able to find a place to call their home. They see housing being used more and more as a way to make money, and it is hurting their possibility of home ownership. Can the Minister of Public Services and Procurement tell this House what the government's plan is to make housing more affordable and to help build…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is quite obvious that the Conservatives do not believe it is a good idea to invest in children. We are talking about a budget that would help feed young people who need food, fix teeth, invest in mental health and the most very basic form of child care, which is essential for strong families. Why does the parliamentary secretary believe that investing in children is one of the best…
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Mr. Speaker, one of the benefits of being Canadian is that we come together and work together to build national programs. Historically, through the provinces and the federal government collectively, we have built a strong health care system. Provincially, we have a universal education system. These things work. Over the last few years, we have seen the introduction of benefits for pharmacare and c…
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Mr. Speaker, the member spoke for 20 minutes about many different subjects, but he still did not have much clarity on a very simple bill. Just so Canadians know, the pharmacare bill speaks to supplying people who are diabetic with medicine and supplies, as well as supplying people with contraception. The member opposite said many different things, and he talked about process. Do you believe that t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our government presented Canadians with a housing plan that will increase the housing supply across the country. A core measure of the plan is the removal of GST from new apartments, student housing and co-operatives. Earlier today, the House debated the Conservative leader's housing plan, Bill C-356. The bill would actually put the tax back on the construction of middle-class apartme…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the really important question because there are many children across this country, in all regions, who still face challenges. I will say to those children directly that I will continue to work as hard as I can, like I have over my 20 years in politics, to ensure that we continue to fight and to build the best supports and programs aimed at children. In this budg…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I think this is a perfect example of where ideology overtakes common sense and decency in politics. Here, we have a situation where one in four young people are going to school hungry in this country, and some provinces may be responding well and some may not be responding well. We have an opportunity, as members of Parliament, and this goes back to my point that we have choices to ma…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak in the House today. On April 16, the government introduced a new budget. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister of Finance for bringing forward a document that reflects where this country is today and aims to tackle some of the big challenges we face, but that also looks for ways to seize the opportunity to help build a better…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 19th report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities entitled “Implications of Artificial Intelligence Technologies for the Canadian Labour Force”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive r…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there are politicians out there who want to create the image that this country is a dim, miserable place; I refuse to believe that. This is a country where one can go out and seize opportunity and where governments, schools and so many great people will invest in young people and in recreational programs. I spoke about, for example, nutrition programs. We have perhaps the most freedom…
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Madam Speaker, there are many pieces within the budget that speak to affordability issues. The member opposite brought up an issue from his own constituency where a family is going through a challenging time. Would he not agree that some of the affordability measures, such as the student nutrition program, the dental program, these pieces that we have built on, like child care in the past, are goo…
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Madam Speaker, I am proud to be part of a government that is bringing forward new national programs like child care, student nutrition, a dental plan and pharmacare. It has been decades since a government in this country has moved forward with such massive programs. In fact, we have not seen this type of movement for many decades. I would like to ask the minister about the relationship we have wit…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I just want to have some clarity on this. The member said that he would challenge any of the 118 Conservatives on the opposite side to a public debate in any forum in front of any audience, either back home or in Ottawa. Does that include the Leader of the Opposition?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for bringing clarity to the House in regard to the various positions of different parties. Not too long ago, the Conservatives actually denied at a convention that climate change was taking place. In the last election, they flip-flopped and had it as part of their pillar within their campaign platform. Can the member reflect on the Conservatives' various p…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker as we come to the end of Black History Month, it is important to recognize that Black Canadians continue to make important gains and contributions to our country. They continue to make history, and yesterday, history was made. Ms. Lillie Johnson was awarded the Order of Canada for her outstanding work in health care and advocacy for sickle cell awareness. At 101 years old, Ms. Johnson …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2015 to 2024 the International Decade for People of African Descent. This proclamation recognized the over 220 million people of African descent in the Americas and in Canada. The government has fully embraced the UN's proclamation by investing in and developing new programs to help support Black communities in Canada. Can the Minister of Diversity a…
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Mr. Speaker, I have been an elected member for 20 years, whether on the school board, provincial government or here. Fighting crime has always been connected to what I have worked on in my life, and there has always been a correlation between good investments in programming and preventative measures. Crime cannot be dealt with entirely through policing. The Conservatives seem to have a very narrow…
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite spoke a bit about the Conservative approach to finding solutions to this challenge and referred to those solutions as simplistic. Does she believe that the Conservatives' position on how to go forward in finding solutions actually would result in some real solutions in the long term to take on this issue?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there has been a lot of discussion in the House on this important issue today. We have heard many comments about the Conservatives in past governments making cuts to mitigate the effectiveness of fighting auto crime, but we have also heard about the tactics they have used in the House and in the committee structure to stop the process of finding long-term solutions. The member hinte…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have noticed that, over my last two years in the House, Conservatives use crime as a mechanism to anger Canadians. The simple fact is that, yes, crime has shifted in the last few years, but there is no question that Canada remains among the safest countries on the entire planet. In fact, there was a report that just came out for travellers in Canada, and it said that Canada was th…
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Mr. Speaker, the member started her speech by talking about woke policies. She used the word “woke”. I have always been a person who has invested into preventative measures, like acknowledging things like systemic racism and acknowledging that we need to invest into communities where there may be some disaggregated race-based data that would contribute to making those decisions. Does the member op…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to wish every member in the House a happy Black History Month. February is a time when we can remind ourselves of the contribution of Black Canadians in our country, contributions that go back hundreds of years to help build a beautiful Canada. It is also a time for us to remind ourselves that there are still barriers in place that we have to remove. Could the Minister for Dive…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am a proud Canadian. I am proud of this nation's bilingualism, and I am proud of the federal government's role in promoting both official languages. In the House of Commons, it is a privilege for me to hear both official languages being used. Therefore, I was both shocked and disappointed at the Canadian heritage committee this morning when a Conservative MP asked a francophone mini…
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I will continue, Mr. Speaker. Thanks for the advice.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, sometimes the truth hurts. When Conservatives stand in this House and vote against a free trade agreement with Ukraine, it hurts members on the other side because sometimes they do not have the power to stand up and actually do what they believe and they just follow the direction, through party discipline, of their leader. I understand it can hurt sometimes. Then they look for other w…
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Mr. Speaker, I have been interrupted several times by members opposite, because it does hurt Conservatives. Half of them probably believe in climate change and maybe the other half do not. I am making that assumption based on previous statements and voting records. It must really hurt to be part of a party that does not believe in climate change or a free trade agreement with Ukraine to help suppo…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for recognizing this important program that is essentially going to build thousands and thousands of units across this country. I am proud to be part of a government that is investing in a GST rebate that will not only be for apartments. We are going to be investing in co-ops, in first-time buyers and building the next generation of homes across this country.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for her words. I think this is an issue that deserves our attention in the House. I have two daughters, so I know who Billie Eilish is. In all seriousness, I remember reading a book called Empire of Illusion by Chris Hedges, a professor at the University of Toronto. There was a whole chapter that talked about this exact subject, what it does to young men a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I think the member opposite needs a time machine, because if he goes back to the period from 2010 to 2015, he will know that the Harper Conservative government ran five straight deficits, with $55 billion in deficits in 2010 to 2011 alone. Do people know what we got with that? We got the exact same plan. Every single time the Conservatives come into power, it is like a game plan tha…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to stand in the House of Commons on behalf of the good people of Don Valley East and speak to this important bill that really looks at housing. It looks at providing a GST rebate, and it really does speak to making life more affordable for Canadians. I am proud to be a Liberal. I have always been proud of being a Liberal. I am proud to be a Liberal because…
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Mr. Speaker, the member talked about hard times. As he was asking the question, I reflected on the fact that I had the opportunity to meet three young people from Ukraine in the back today. I was thinking about their hard times. In Canada, we have some pretty rough times. There is an affordability challenge. Ukraine right now is going through a war, and the Conservative Party, the opposition, vote…
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