Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House this evening to participate in the debate on Motion No. 86, which would create a citizens' assembly on electoral reform. I am one of the 20 members who has seconded this motion. I would note that members of all parties, with the exception of the Bloc, have seconded it. I want to commend the member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith for putting this forward, …
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise again in the House. I will be splitting my time with the member for Milton. It is a little frustrating that again we have a motion where we are debating the carbon tax in this place. As I suggested in a speech last Thursday, when we keep talking about the carbon price in this way, it gives the false impression that it is the price on pollution that is actuall…
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Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise again today, but it does feel like Groundhog Day. It must be a dozen times that we have had this same debate on the carbon tax since the member for Carleton became the leader of the Conservative Party. It is ironic because the same party ran on putting a price on pollution in the last election, and now, for probably the twelfth time, we are having this debat…
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Mr. Speaker, people in my riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country and right across the country are grappling with the housing crisis. Now, more than ever, they need more affordable housing options like co-ops. In my home province of British Columbia, 275 co-ops provide safe and affordable housing to well over 15,000 people. We need governments to build on this by promoting and e…
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Madam Speaker, I cannot speak to the numbers that are behind that. What we do know is that heat pumps save people, as I mentioned before, $1,400 a year if they switch from home heating oil to heat pumps. That is why we have had programs in place for multiple years now, like the greener homes grant, which is a $5,000 grant. We also have the greener homes loan, which people can access. I mentioned i…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my neighbour and colleague from North Island—Powell River for the question. Indeed, we are seeing the impacts of the climate crisis right across the country this year, particularly with record wildfires. It has caused untold economic and human harm. It is incredibly tragic to see. That is why it is so important not only that we do everything we can to mitigate emissi…
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Mr. Speaker, international, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing causes severe harm to species such as wild Pacific salmon and the oceanic whitetip shark. It not only causes economic harm to the thousands who rely on the regulated fishing industry, but also further endangers at-risk species and impacts indigenous communities that rely on certain fish stocks for food, and social and ceremoni…
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Mr. Speaker, exactly five years ago today, Parliament passed the Cannabis Act, legalizing access to recreational cannabis in Canada. It created a $43.5-billion boost to our GDP, 98,000 jobs and over $1.2 billion a year in tax revenue to the provincial and federal governments. It also created a regulated cannabis market that protects public health and has not increased youth consumption of cannabis…
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Madam Speaker, I quite enjoyed working with the hon. colleague on multiple different committees. The contrast with the policy that has been put forward by the Conservative Party is that it plans to get rid of the GST on only purpose-built rentals that are below market, not all rentals. Therefore, I think it is missing part of the puzzle to make sure we can get more rental housing built faster, par…
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Madam Speaker, when I left off in my speech, I was talking about some of the stakeholder reaction to the proposed measure to remove the GST from purpose-built rentals. The Squamish Community Housing Society from my riding stated that this “will have a real and meaningful impact on the delivery of critically needed rental housing” and “support lower rents for residents moving into newly constructed…
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Mr. Speaker, today is World Tourism Day. With breathtaking natural landscapes and outdoor activities, vibrant cities and delicious food, or indigenous tourism experiences, Canada stands out for all we have to offer the world as hosts. West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country is a microcosm of what Canada has to offer, with world-class skiing in Whistler, outdoor activities throughout Sea t…
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Madam Speaker, this is more inclusive. It is not just for below-market rental housing; it is for all rental housing, because we have a need right now to get as much supply to make sure we are able to meet the very high targets that CMHC said we need to meet: 3.5 million homes on top of what we are already building right now. A big part of this needs to be below-market rentals, but market rentals a…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for that good question. We could invite experts to come to committee to get more details on these issues. I know that to conduct these studies, the bureau needs resources. I think that is an issue we should study a bit more. We gave more money to the bureau in budget 2022, but if resources are the problem, then we need to look at that too.
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Davenport. It is a pleasure to rise in the House this evening. This is the first time I have had a chance to give a speech in this fall session after having been at home, like all other members, and having the chance to speak with constituents. It is very appropriate that I am able to speak in support Bill C-56, which is an act to amend …
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Mr. Speaker, today on National Indigenous Peoples Day, we recognize and celebrate the important contributions of indigenous peoples to our country, as well as the diverse culture, language and heritage of indigenous peoples. In my riding, I think of the work of the Lil'wat Nation to restore language to their education programs, the shíshálh Nation becoming the first self-governing nation in Canada…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer a few thoughts on Bill C-42, which proposes amendments to the Canada Business Corporations Act, or CBCA, and would make consequential changes to other statutes to create a federal beneficial ownership registry. This registry would be, arguably, the most important tool we could utilize to better detect, deter and prosecute money laundering, tax evasion, fraud an…
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Madam Speaker, the letter was seeking to specifically understand each jurisdiction's particular needs and any supports required to facilitate their participation in a pan-Canadian system. During the committee hearings, requests were heard to lower the ownership threshold to disclosure from 25% to 10%. First, it is important to point out that the decision to adopt a 25% threshold was made in 2018, …
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Madam Speaker, I would say my riding is the most beautiful riding in the country. I talked quite a bit about the rationale for keeping the disclosure threshold at 25%. It is important for it to be seamless in order to operate and communicate with all jurisdictions around the world that are implementing this system. Making sure we are consistent would be very helpful and seamless for the sharing of…
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Madam Speaker, the boreal caribou is a species found only in Canada. This species plays an important role in the culture and history of indigenous peoples in Canada and is central to the diversity of the boreal forest. The federal, provincial and territorial governments share responsibility for ensuring the caribou's long-term survival and recovery. Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister …
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Madam Speaker, I want to wish my hon. colleague from Courtenay-Alberni well. I know there have been some serious issues with forest fires impacting transportation throughout his riding. I wish him the best, and it is good to see him here. I very much agree with the premise of his question. The fact that we do not know how the quota is allocated is something of significant concern. I certainly supp…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Vi Roden as she marks the remarkable milestone of turning 100. Vi has dedicated the majority of her life to helping others, perhaps most notably by establishing Act 2, which has been supporting those who have suffered sexual abuse, violence and trauma. Forty-three years after she founded it, it is now a $2.2-million non-profit agency with 25 staff. Vi compassi…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Joliette for his question. I look forward to seeing his riding as well. That is a good question. We need to be able to determine the identity of the true owners of companies that come from other countries. As I said in my speech, this is a subject that could be researched in anticipation of future amendments to the act. I think this could present problems, …
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Mr. Speaker, I think being there in person can make the job of a committee chair a lot easier. It is not impossible to do it virtually, but they do need to have help on the ground to see how people are motioning and whether there is agreement in the room. I do not think it is absolutely necessary, but I have seen some chairs who are able to do it very well and some not as well. I think that, ideal…
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, that was one of the points I brought up in my speech. Hybrid allows for some of that flexibility, and we do need to get more women and more people from equity-seeking groups here in this place. Right now, for the first time ever, we have 100 women represented here. We need to find ways to encourage more people to be here, and if some of these issues are preventing that, we nee…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise this evening in the House to join the debate on Government Business No. 26, which seeks to make permanent the changes to the Standing Orders to allow members of Parliament to participate virtually in the work we do in this place. This motion is an important step forward in the evolution of our democracy, to make sure we are keeping with the times. I am part of …
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Mr. Speaker, I think that is one of the reasons we are having this debate this evening. When we started using this system, we had unanimous consent. To do our job, we need to hear the different perspectives and allow everyone to contribute to the debate. I agree that it is very important that the ministers be here to answer questions. I am here to listen to the member speak about what he would lik…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with just about everything my hon. colleague mentioned. While it is frustrating that we keep having this debate, it does give us an opportunity to talk about climate policy. We know that our province has many successful climate policies, but we know the climate crisis and the biodiversity crises are intertwined. One area where I have been very frustrated to see a lack of cha…
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Coast Guard protects our coasts and oceans from the Pacific all the way to the Atlantic and everything in between. Its work keeps Canadians safe on the water and creates the conditions for a thriving blue economy. Can the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard please inform the House how we are making sure that the Coast Guard has the ships it needs to…
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Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to join the debate today on Bill S-5, an act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, after having had the pleasure of working on it for over 15 meetings on the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, or CEPA, is Canada’s most important environmental law. CEPA is focused on preventing pollu…
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Mr. Speaker, it absolutely should not take another 24 years for us to address other areas of the act that were not addressed. There were many areas that were out of scope in the bill, and we should be looking at them. I mentioned a couple of them in my speech. I think those should be addressed, and I am sure there are many others as well. I hope that when this bill passes, hopefully very swiftly, …
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Mr. Speaker, I left off in my speech talking about a number of areas where this legislation could have gone even further to make it better. I am talking about mandatory ambient air quality measures and making sure we are protecting the right to a healthy environment. The last area I want to mention is that, while important advances were made in this legislation to create the ability of the governm…
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Mr. Speaker, I completely agree. We need to reform the way that environmental protection actions are done under the bill. I do not think that means the act is not enforceable. Rather, what these actions allow us to do is hold the government to account if it is not doing its job to enforce it. As someone who comes from an environmental law background, this is very much top of mind. I agree that it …
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Mr. Speaker, our best option to protect the environment would indeed be to include this right in the Constitution. I know that would be more difficult, because it requires the support of all the provinces. Other countries have included this right in their constitutions. I would be in favour of that. This bill will give us very good protections, but they require a very good implementation framework…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour the memory of Garry Watson, a founding father of Whistler ski resort. He was as responsible as any person for making Whistler the greatest ski resort and ski community in the world. In 1960, Garry saw the potential that Whistler presented as a world-class ski resort, and he dreamed that it would one day host the winter Olympics. By 1966, he had helped open the area to…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today in this House and speak to budget 2023 and, more important, Bill C-47, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 28, 2023. The budget this year comes at a time when Canada had the fastest-growing economy in the G7 last year and is projected to be the second-fastest-growing this year and when we have near record-low…
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Madam Speaker, there have been many years of work put into designing this new Canada water agency. We are excited that it is going to be in the Prairies, in Winnipeg. There are so many different federal agencies in Canada that have some type of responsibility related to water. This would provide an opportunity for all of those different organizations to collaborate in a very meaningful way so we c…
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Madam Speaker, I think it is very important that we remain fiscally prudent in this budget, and always. In my province of B.C., we have seen an example of perhaps too much spending. Recently, B.C. had its credit rating downgraded and we have not seen that in Canada. I think that is an important measure to understand the fiscal sustainability of this. There are some very important investments that …
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Madam Speaker, a commitment has been made as part of the G20 to phase out all fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. We brought that commitment up to the end of this year. We remain committed to doing that. I think it is very important that we do that because we know the world is quickly transitioning to a cleaner economy and there are tremendous opportunities for Canada, as we go forward, to do that. The…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present petition 12361388. It is a petition of constituents of mine and Canadians across the country of Iranian descent who are being wrongfully profiled based on their background and birthplace while travelling to the United States with Canadian passports. These are folks who are being denied entry to the U.S. without explanation, despite previous incident-free ent…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands for particularly mentioning the wrecked and abandoned boats program measures. As a coastal MP in B.C., I really appreciate the importance of those measures. It is really frustrating to see the scourge of some of those ships and what those do to coastal communities. I want to ask her about a different part of the budget implement…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from South Okanagan—West Kootenay for highlighting some really important measures in the budget this year. Given that this week is National Tourism Week, and I have the honour to work very closely with my colleague on the all-party parliamentary tourism caucus, I wanted to highlight some things in the budget that relate to tourism. There are some m…
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Mr. Speaker, with majestic landscapes, stunning wildlife, rich and diverse culture, and sophisticated cities, Canada has so much to offer. The millions of Canadians employed in the tourism sector are proud to show visitors our national treasures like the old-growth forests, beaches and coastal indigenous art on the Pacific coast, Banff National Park in the Rockies, stunning Niagara Falls in Ontari…
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Mr. Speaker, the First Nations Health Authority recently marked its 10-year anniversary as the gold standard for indigenous health transformation based on self-determination. The First Nations Health Authority has worked to improve indigenous health in a way that is respectful of distinct cultural practices and responsive to unique community needs. Could the Minister of Indigenous Services Canada …
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Mr. Speaker, the increasing impacts of climate change have made it clear that more needs to be done to fight the climate crisis, not less. National governments play an integral role in leading this work by greening their operations, an area in which Canada continues to demonstrate its leadership on the global stage. The net-zero government initiative invites governments from around the world to le…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to first congratulate my hon. colleague from Prince Albert on his anniversary today. I will pick up on a few things he talked about in his speech when he spoke of how things were under the Harper government, particularly on the environmental front. When we came into office, emissions were set to rise 15% by 2030. Now we are on a track to reduce emissions by 40% or more. I…
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Mr. Speaker, we know residential schools caused unspeakable harm to indigenous peoples, languages and cultures. Acceptance and compensation of the harms was a critical catalyst in the process of reconciliation. It took visionary and dedicated leadership to fight for the same justice for the survivors and descendants of those victimized by day schools. The systematic destruction of indigenous ident…
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Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate my colleague's question. We know that child care has to look different in different parts of the country. We need to work with the provinces to implement the system that works best for them. That is under their jurisdiction. That said, the federal government has a role to play in assisting the provinces and making sure that people have access to the care they ne…
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Mr. Speaker, much like the member for Peterborough—Kawartha, I have enjoyed working with the member in the context of tourism as well. Both of our ridings have a big tourism industry, and just like housing is important to have a workforce employed there, it is similarly important for ECE workers. We need to make sure that as we move forward with this agreement there is adequate housing in place. I…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been lots of misinterpretations about this piece of legislation, about what is in it and what is not. What this is really about is making sure we are providing high-quality, affordable, inclusive and accessible child care right across the country. It looks very different in each place. That is why I think it is really important that we get this right.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today for the first time in 2023 on behalf of the good people of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. I hope you have been able to have a very restful holiday season with your family, and that all members of the House have been able to do the same and come back recharged for what I am sure will be a very busy session. Over the course of the last mo…
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