Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member talked about how we talk tough, but we are doing more than just talking tough. What we are seeing here is a war of words. Quite frankly, we have made major additions, not only with bringing back mandatory minimum sentences but also with everything from Bill C-12 to Bill C-2, the borders act. We can talk about strengthening something, but we need the Conservatives to stop bl…
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Mr. Speaker, we have heard from many members across the way who claim that it would allow house arrest for serious crimes, such as extortion. This is simply incorrect. Conditional sentences or sentence orders are never available when the sentence is two years or more, which is typically the case. We also maintain mandatory jail time for extortion involving restricted or illegal firearms, as well a…
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Mr. Speaker, I talked about how criminals adapt fast and how we have to stay ahead. Many of the measures we have introduced, many of which the member just indicated, build upon things that we have done, things like Bill C-70, the foreign interference act. It has many measures that will help us deal with the issues around extortion. We need to move quickly on all of the measures that have been intr…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for all of his hard work, especially on this topic and the challenges we are seeing with extortion and other crimes. We all know that as criminal organizations evolve, they look at new ways to do things. Can the member for Surrey Newton let me know what he is hearing on the ground about the kinds of changes being made, and how important people think these ch…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for St. Catharines. Today, I will focus on how our immigration system responds to concerns about non-citizens who are accused or convicted of serious criminal offences, as well as the decision-making process of admitting, investigating and removing a non-citizen. I want to emphasize how upholding these rules, and the independence of these proc…
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Mr. Speaker, I heard from the member across—
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Mr. Speaker, whether the member likes it or not, Bill C-16 reinstates mandatory minimum sentences.
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I have already answered the question. Mr. Speaker, the member needs to read the legislation and join us. Let us make these changes quickly. I know members across the way from British Columbia want this to happen very quickly.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my dear friend and colleague from Kingston for his passionate speech and for talking about the importance of having meaningful dialogue in the House. He spoke about opportunities. British Columbians in Richmond and people from across the country want to know what opportunities we are working on right now. Could he shed some light on real, meaningful things that are hap…
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Madam Chair, I would like to inform my colleague from the Bloc Québécois that it is not just Quebeckers who are concerned about the forestry industry. I will be sharing my time with my dear friend, the member for Trois-Rivières. As a B.C. member of Parliament, this issue hits close to home, as it does for all British Columbians. It affects communities from Richmond to Prince George, which is why I…
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Madam Chair, I thought the member opposite was going into his speech. Quite frankly, I am not sure I heard the question, but I empathize with every member who is concerned about the forestry industry and what is happening with the challenges we are facing with the United States and the tariff issues. If the member had listened to what I talked about, he would know that I spoke a lot about diversif…
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Madam Chair, when a tree falls, the earth shakes, and it was not us who made the tree fall. If we look at the fact that the United States has chosen to take up this fight with a trusted partner, we are doing what we are supposed to do to help the industry. We are not only providing supports for the industry and the affected workers and families; we are also helping the industry move forward in dif…
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Madam Chair, we are not talking about handouts. Workers need support at a time when we are negotiating a deal, and we have to get the best deal for their families. What we are hearing from the other side is to just give them any deal, with no consequences regarding a potential strong future for the industry. What we are talking about is prosperity for the industry and looking forward to a stronger…
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Madam Chair, again, I empathize with every British Columbian standing up today and asking questions and talking about this.
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Mr. Speaker, the member does great work at the mighty OGGO committee, which I miss dearly. I like the MURB program. I think it is a fantastic model where Canadians can engage, help, and be part of the solution to build more homes. With respect to how that framework works, there is still a lot of work to do. I am happy to speak with the member across some time to talk about how we can implement som…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here speaking to budget 2025, a Canada strong budget, and, specifically, elaborating on actions the Government of Canada has proposed to take on housing and infrastructure. I will share how the government is building on previous investments in housing by introducing more options for Canadians who need housing they can attain. Federal efforts require construction and…
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Mr. Speaker, the Canada Infrastructure Bank does amazing work. My time right now is being spent at the industry and technology committee. Every witness we have had at that committee has talked about reinvesting in Canada, and the Canada Infrastructure Bank helps us do that. I can give an example: In my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia, there is a district energy project that the Canada Infra…
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Mr. Speaker, if the member looks at the plan that the Prime Minister has introduced for lowering the debt, it is the first time in Canadian history that we have seen an operational budget that has been split from an investment, or capital spending, budget. It was outlined in budget 2025, the “Canada Strong” budget, that $60 billion of operational spending will be reduced in the next five years. I …
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Mr. Speaker, last spring, my hometown of Richmond voted for a government that would develop clean, reliable electricity to power our economy. In British Columbia, the north coast transmission line has just been referred to the Major Projects Office. It will twin key transmission corridors, reinforce B.C.'s clean grid in the northwest and support industry while connecting communities. Can the minis…
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Mr. Speaker, just prior to the member's speech, we heard a speech from a Richmond city councillor who is also currently sitting as the member of Parliament for Richmond Centre—Marpole. I got a little chuckle out of his speech because he talked about wasteful spending. Let us look at the Lulu Island waste-water treatment plant, the Iona waste-water treatment plant and a number of infrastructure inv…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's forestry industry, anchored in my home province of British Columbia, is not just a regional asset; it is a national economic engine. I recently met with the BC Council of Forest Industries and forest sector leaders to discuss how we can support this valuable sector, which provides over 200,000 jobs and contributes over $25 billion to our GDP. The United States' tariffs on sof…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia, known for having the longest life expectancy in Canada, was recently recognized as Canada's most active city, winning the ParticipACTION Community Challenge, presented by Novo Nordisk. ParticipACTION is a national charity that has been dedicated to promoting physical activity in Canada since 1971. The most active city award came with $100,000…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we are all looking forward to the budget on November 4, and we will see many of those measures in it. With respect to the member's question on how many officers have been hired, we have committed to 1,000 police officers and 1,000 CBSA officers. Just last week, I had the opportunity to make that announcement in British Columbia, and it was very welcome by all police agencies t…
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to be here today to speak to Bill C-12. The bill proposes amendments to various acts that would make our laws even stronger and that would keep our families, children and communities safe while protecting privacy and charter rights. The bill would help the government fight the flow of illegal fentanyl, enhance the integrity of our immigration and asyl…
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Mr. Speaker, fentanyl, precursors and issues related to crime and strengthening our borders have had an impact on our communities. Over time, these issues change and evolve, and we need to evolve and bring in new measures. That is what we are doing at this point. If we look at strengthening the borders by adding police and CBSA officers, with the new search warrant measures and all the resources a…
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Mr. Speaker, the member is still the chair of OGGO, and I look forward to, at some point, maybe sitting in or substituting for somebody. I know of the very important work the committee does, and I miss it. As for the member's question, perhaps the chair of OGGO could have representatives of Canada Post come to the committee and further share their thoughts. As I mentioned, this is important work t…
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Mr. Speaker, during the parliamentary recess weeks, I, along with my Pacific colleagues, worked actively on the mandate set out by our right hon. Prime Minister to engage with industry in all sectors to identify Canadians who want to collaborate, invest and join us in building Canada. Can the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources please elaborate on how British Columbia is contributing to this …
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think there is a member in the House who does not have a story they can share from their community or who has not been touched by the issues of fentanyl, opioids and the flow of precursors. There is the Tablotney family in Richmond, who I had the opportunity to table a petition for, and they were asking for a sustainable, national ad campaign to raise awareness of this at all…
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Mr. Speaker, not only do we know, but we actually have a plan. I am sure the member has heard the Prime Minister talk about a plan to make sure that we can continue to provide funding for important programs, such as the CDCP, and at the same time look at our operational spending and make those reductions and find those savings so we can continue to serve Canadians in the right way.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think I mentioned anything about stealing from anyone. I am talking about providing services, health care and programs, not only to the benefit of Canadians, but also to the benefit of our economy. We are making people more productive so they can do things that they may not have been able to do previously. Today, I was focusing on those programs.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for sharing the story from his community. When we look at this, and I will speak specifically to the CDCP program, and when we talk about the economy, this is actually a productivity program. People can get the care they need and maybe get an opportunity to get a job that they could not get when they did not have that care. I thank the member for raising a very impor…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to appear before the House today to talk about the main estimates, but I want to take a moment to thank my friend, who went before me. I share the respect she showed for our military and those who serve to protect the freedoms we enjoy. I thank her very much for that and her heartfelt speech. Voted expenditures cover an extraordinarily wide range of programs and activi…
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Mr. Speaker, again, I can talk about the advancements. We are talking about creating jobs in the sector, and if we continue to work with the nations that are also advancing in this way, that is exactly what we will do.
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Mr. Speaker, I heard someone say “choice”, and that is their choice, actually. Families want to save money at the pump. Workers want to participate in building the vehicles of tomorrow. Municipalities want to electrify bus fleets, and I have had the opportunity to make major announcements in the electrifying of bus fleets in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Also, young Canadians want to inh…
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Mr. Speaker, in the speech I made, I talked about how we are aligned with other nations that have the same focus for 2035, nations like the U.K., the E.U. and China. If we do not work with them and alongside them to make these advancements in technology, we are going to fall behind. I do not know why you do not want to work with us on that.
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Mr. Speaker, my question for my dear colleague from Winnipeg is this: Despite generational investments into things like the SkyTrain in my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia, and other transit operational investments that have been made, how important are electric vehicles to our province of British Columbia, for example, where there has been tremendous climate impact from wildfires and floods…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Terrebonne today. I rise today not only as a representative of my constituents but also as a voice for Canadians who believe in a cleaner, more prosperous future for our country. We are at a turning point, a moment that calls for both courage and collaboration. Climate change is not a distant threat; it is a present reality, and in my home…
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Madam Speaker, it is extremely important, as I mentioned, to be talking about the advancement not only of the technology but also of the innovation, and about creating these jobs, which every other nation is focused on also. We do not want to be left behind in those. More importantly, as I mentioned earlier, air pollution from road transportation emissions in Canada costs approximately $9 billion …
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Mr. Speaker, the plan was rolled out in phases, as I indicated, and it was a success, with more than four million Canadians being approved to be part of the plan and more than two million having already gone to get care. The plan, as it was presented, was effective and efficient, and people are getting the care they need.
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Madam Speaker, as we look forward to making these investments, I think it is important to look at whether we can make the vehicles cheaper. This is why, when we work with other nations that are doing the same, I think we can look at different options to make them cheaper for people.
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Madam Speaker, I rise here today recognizing that we stand on the traditional territories of the Algonquin nation. I want to congratulate you for your role again here as Assistant Deputy Speaker. We are debating Bill C-2, which would enact several legislative amendments, including important measures to help detect, deter and disrupt cross-border money laundering and terrorist financing networks. T…
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Madam Speaker, there is also the work I did with the member across, but I did not catch what he said. We spent some time on the mighty OGGO committee, and I know he probably wants to see me there again. Everyone in this House knows the sacrifices families make for us to be here, and their strength helps us do the important work we all do. I remember my wedding day 23 years ago. In my reception toa…
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member and I shared some time on committee, and he will know that I worked quite hard in the 44th Parliament to address the issue of foreign interference. That is why we brought in Bill C-70, which includes the registry and other measures like security of information. Through it, enforcement can take place on issues of foreign interference when it has to do with things like…
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Madam Speaker, under the previous Harper government the number of CBSA officers was reduced. We have made a commitment to increase the number of CBSA and RCMP officers by 1,000. I think it is an integral part of what will take place beyond the introduction of Bill C-2. We will make those announcements in the coming days.
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Madam Speaker, the member for Waterloo is one of our hardest-working members. I want to congratulate her on being re-elected for a fourth term in this House. I have heard this question a lot from constituents. Many of them are happy to hear we are working expeditiously and very quickly on these amendments.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to be re-elected, and I am very grateful to the residents of Richmond East—Steveston for placing their trust in me once again to serve as their voice in the House. I dedicate this statement to the memory of a childhood friend, Sukhi Bahia, who sadly passed during the election. One election issue raised in our community was the urgent need for mental wellness and wrapar…
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Mr. Speaker, countries and businesses around the world are heavily investing in artificial intelligence. The benefits of this cutting-edge technology are already growing, finding efficiencies and spurring innovation. It is imperative that we secure the Canadian advantage. Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry update the House on how he is making sure that Canada leads the global s…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to welcome the Canadian Construction Association to the House today. Canada's construction industry is widely known to be about building structures and developing critical infrastructure, but it is important to recognize that construction is at the heart of our nation's economic strength, shaping communities like my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia and building the founda…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise to present a petition from 513 members of my community, Richmond. The undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call on the government to implement a sustainable and continuous national ad campaign targeting those statistically most affected by the harms of the unregulated drug supply, to address the harms of using drugs alone by advertising the Lif…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my dear friend and colleague from Surrey—Newton for all his hard work in bringing light to this issue. As we heard from the Prime Minister during his testimony, it is important for members across this House from the South Asian diaspora to bring these issues forward and raise them so that we can get to the bottom of many of these issues. What else has the member hear…
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