Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my speech, in 2017, the federal government applied to the court to make sure that they notify the residents. If we look at the question the member has brought forward with respect to the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister is taking responsibility for this country, and he wanted to ensure that Canadians understand that the federal government will not negotiate private pr…
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Mr. Speaker, I talked about the Prime Minister taking responsibility to make sure Canadians know what our position as a federal government is, that we will have their backs. I will reiterate one more piece. The federal government would never negotiate Canadians' private property, but also, as members know, private land ownership and land deeds fall under provincial jurisdiction. This is why I am s…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his hard work on this issue as well. With respect to the other members who are involved, the concerns are there. What they have shared is about having an opportunity to be involved in the case. I would like to mention that the member for Richmond Centre—Marpole, who has been talking quite a bit about this, sat as a Richmond city councillor when this issu…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that if we listened to colleagues who spoke earlier, the fearmongering we are talking about has to do with what the members opposite are implying: that private property lands will be taken away. I come back to the issue at hand. This is a provincial matter. I have outlined how the federal government cannot and will not negotiate private lands. Most of these questions should be…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak today on the matter of the Cowichan court decision, as it has understandably raised questions in the House; in my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia; and across Canada. Let me first say that our government disagrees with the Supreme Court of British Columbia's decision and that we immediately appealed the court decision. As the case is before …
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Mr. Speaker, respecting the spirit of truth and reconciliation, Richmond residents in my hometown are seeking clarity following last summer's Cowichan decision and recent federal agreements with first nations in British Columbia. To dispel the misinformation, it is important that we continue to provide clear, factual information and constructive leadership as Canada moves forward with the importan…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that Bill C-266, An Act to establish a national framework respecting skilled trades and labour mobility, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Milton East—Halton Hills South for supporting this bill. It is always a huge honour to stand in the House and speak on vital issues for Canadians. Today, I have an opportunity to speak at leng…
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Mr. Speaker, I am surprised to hear that the member believes that things are working well between provinces, as they all are working hard to find ways to remove internal barriers. With the bill I talked about today, and I said in my speech, the framework that would be developed would be in conjunction with provinces and provincial labour associations so it would not exclude any province. In the un…
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Mr. Speaker, the member has been part of the opposition for many years and was previously in government. This has been a problem for decades, including under the Conservative Harper government and in numerous provincial Conservative governments. The truth is that federal and provincial governments have allowed the problem to fester for decades, and it is time to end the status quo. The member oppo…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for seconding the motion and for talking about young people. This is exactly what the bill would do. It would bring respect back to skilled trades and allow young people to think about the possibility of getting involved in something they may wish to do. They may want to be part of the national shipbuilding strategy and to work in Vancouver, but they are located som…
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Mr. Speaker, global conflicts and chaotic and irrational decision-making with critical oil supply chains have led to increased global prices. While these events seem distant, they are already pushing prices higher at the pump and the grocery store and causing Canadians to rethink where they are booking their summer holiday. Budget 2025 laid out how Canada's new majority government will create a mo…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, representatives of the Kidney Foundation of Canada are on the Hill this week. March 12 is World Kidney Day, and the foundation is launching its national strategic framework for chronic kidney disease, Canada's first unified road map to move kidney care from reactive and fragmented to proactive, coordinated and resilient. As someone born with a solitary kidney, who has undergone dialys…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-266, An Act to establish a national framework respecting skilled trades and labour mobility. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present my first private member's bill. Movement of skilled labour across Canada is essential to the country's economic development, productivity, infrastructure, delivery and competitiveness. However, regulatory barriers, as well as inconsis…
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Mr. Speaker, in 2025, the port of Vancouver had a record-breaking year for exports, moving more Canadian goods to global markets than ever before. This is a point of pride for the constituents in Richmond East—Steveston, who help power this success every day through their work in trade, transportation and port operations. Could the Minister of International Trade update the House on what this reco…
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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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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.
Read full speech →Government Orders
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, whether the member likes it or not, Bill C-16 reinstates mandatory minimum sentences.
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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, 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, I heard from the member across—
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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 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, 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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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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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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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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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, 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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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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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, 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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