Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, since 2015, child poverty is down by 38%. That is because of programs such as the Canada child benefit. That is because of programs such as affordable child care, which is available all across the country. We are working with families. We are working with youth and children, and we will continue to do that work together. We hope the opposition gets on board.
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Mr. Speaker, competency would be not voting against legislation, bills and programs that actually put food in the stomachs of kids, such as the Canada school nutrition program, which is feeding over 400,000 children this year, in partnership with provinces and territories. Every time there is a measure put forward by the government to ensure that kids have food, parents have child care or parents …
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Mr. Speaker, maybe the member opposite missed the announcement where the government already took action to change EI to make it easier for workers that are impacted by unfair and illegal tariffs to access EI, including waiving the one-week period, keeping their earnings and making sure that people can access EI in areas where unemployment is growing. We will continue to work on EI and make sure th…
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Mr. Speaker, we have talked about the reduction in child poverty, but for adults between 18 and 65, it has gone down by 26% since 2015. That is in large part because of the programs that we have put in place to help families. We want to talk about reducing costs of food. The Canada school food program reduces costs of groceries on average by $800 a year for every family. Let us see if the Conserva…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for having such compassion for the constituents in her riding, as we do all across the country. People who are living with disabilities have the right to be fully included in community. They have the right to live a decent life, just like the rest of us. That is why the government is proceeding with the Canada disability credit. That is why we are also work…
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Mr. Speaker, nobody should go hungry in this country, and that is why we have taken extraordinary measures to support families just like the constituents the member spoke about. Since 2015, child poverty is down by 38%. We have a ways to go, but we have to continue working together to get the full benefits of this work.
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Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have seen a significant decrease not only in child poverty but also in youth poverty and seniors' poverty, which means that the measures we are putting into place to support Canadians, whether it is the Canada child benefit, dental care or affordable child care across this country, are working for Canadian families. Of course we need to do more, and of course we need to…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, we do thank the postal workers who, every single day, service our communities. I will say this: The best deal is the deal that the parties arrive at themselves. Federal mediators continue to work with the parties on a solution, and we know that Canadians are relying on them to get this right.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is focused on making sure that employers have the quality, skill and talent they need to grow their small and medium-sized businesses and ensure that corporations across the country have the kind of innovation and talent they are asking for. I would recommend that the member listen to and check in with the employers in his riding who are talking about the need for more …
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Mr. Speaker, we have already taken actions to strengthen EI and to remove some of the challenges that workers who are facing unemployment have in accessing EI. We know that we need to respond adeptly as these tariffs threaten our workers across Canada, and that is exactly what the Prime Minister has asked me and my colleagues to do. We will continue to be there for workers. We will continue to hav…
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Mr. Speaker, I share the member opposite's deep and profound concern over ensuring that Canadian young people get opportunities across the country, especially in their first job. That is why it is so exciting that Canada summer jobs will provide almost 70,000 jobs this summer, with great first-time jobs for young people all across the country. These are quality employers and quality jobs, and I lo…
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Mr. Speaker, we hear the member opposite talking out of both sides of his mouth. On one side, he is talking about the need to do something: to do something about unemployment and do something about youth having excellent experiences in the workforce. On the other side, he is talking about the need to reduce spending. We know that we can do big things together. That is what employers want across th…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise and represent Thunder Bay—Superior North for a fourth term in the House of Commons. This government is very focused on protecting workers and on making sure that youth and, indeed, workers of all ages have the skills and abilities to thrive as our economy transitions. I will work closely with my partners and members across the House to make sure that all Canadi…
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Mr. Speaker, that woman might feel like a token, but I never do. I earned my seat in the House of Commons, and I am proud of it. Why do the Conservatives not like numbers? It is because the numbers do not speak in their favour. There are 30% of seats that are taken by women, and fully 17% of the seats are on this side. More than half the women elected are Liberals; the other half are in the rest o…
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Mr. Speaker, here is something tangible the Leader of the Opposition could do: In the next election, he could have more women run and get more women in the seats if he really wants to prove his credibility in terms of standing up for women. Let me give some statistics. Currently in the House of Commons, 16.9% of the women elected sit on the Liberal benches. How many are there on the Conservative b…
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Mr. Speaker, that member is fully endorsed by the anti-abortion organizations that look for candidates, indeed, a full 40 of them over there, who bully women when they want to make choices about their own reproductive freedom. It is a little rich for members of Parliament from the opposition to get up and say they stand up for women when on the back side they are working as hard as they can to res…
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Mr. Speaker, what is so encouraging, and I would say that it is not often that I find something encouraging from the Conservative Party, but what is encouraging to hear is their staunch support for indigenous procurement. I agree with the Conservative Party that we have to work hard to make sure that indigenous businesses are the ones that actually profit from indigenous priorities. I want to than…
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Mr. Speaker, it is great to see so many questions on indigenous priorities in this House. I want to thank the member opposite and hope that she will work with her party to ensure the safe passage of Bill C-61, a clean drinking water act for first nations, which was co-developed with first nations in this country. There are many opportunities for the party opposite to support indigenous priorities,…
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Mr. Speaker, just moments ago I was speaking with the national chief about the shenanigans that are happening at INAN committee as the Conservatives attempt to undermine the study of the water legislation that so many first nations have poured their heart and soul into. They are preventing it from getting to this place and hopefully eventually to Senate. They talk about standing up for first natio…
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Mr. Speaker, it seems apparent that the Conservatives only want to talk about reconciliation when it is an allegation. They do not want to talk about reconciliation when we are talking about investing in first nations housing or helping indigenous people ensure their opportunities to have economic success or procure from the government in Canada. Why do they not want to talk about that? Their reco…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the members of the INAN committee, who passed a government amendment declaring it a human right to clean drinking water on first nations. That is historic for this country. I really hope the member opposite will help ensure that we have a smooth passage of the bill through the House and into the Senate, so we can get this law in place and protect water for generations …
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Mr. Speaker, this morning we heard the sad news of the passing of the Hon. Murray Sinclair. Let me take a moment before we begin today to say a few words about him. As a former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray was determined to help Canada reckon with its colonial realities and bring healing to this country. He was a visionary and a leader, and his kind a…
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Mr. Speaker, for a moment I thought my official critic was going to ask a question about indigenous peoples, but again we saw a return to Conservative talking points, not the kinds of things that matter to the first nations people I have been working so hard with, along with my colleagues. In fact, that member voted against indigenous health care, the Grassy Narrows care home, emergency management…
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Mr. Speaker, who puts women's right to abortion care at risk? It is a Conservative caucus over there, with a third of their members having been green-lit by anti-choice organizations across this country. Members across the aisle have voted consistently for backdoor anti-abortion legislation and the leader will not stand up for the rights of women in this country. That is what is putting the women'…
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Mr. Speaker, this morning I woke up and read the most disturbing article. It was an interview with the former Conservative member of Parliament, the member of Parliament for Richmond—Arthabaska. He said he left the party in part because his conscience could not stand for the attack on women's rights and freedoms that embeds the inroads that anti-abortionists have made with the Conservative Party. …
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Mr. Speaker, we have answered that question already in the House several times. The real question for me today is, how does the member feel about the anti-abortionists she sits with every single day in her caucus, with a leader who will not march in pride with the LGBTQ community, with a leader who will not stand up for the rights of the most vulnerable in this community and with a leader who atta…
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Mr. Speaker, for years we have been hearing rumours about the Conservative Party of Canada's leader, and now it is out in the open: His party is full of people fighting to restrict the freedom of women. The MP for Richmond—Arthabaska, a former Conservative member, acted with his conscience to stand up for women. Why will the other members of the Conservative caucus not do the same? In fact, what t…
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Mr. Speaker, what would the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the Conservatives, do if he was the prime minister? He would cut things like the Canada summer jobs program, something that exists in every one of our communities, which is so important to employers and so important to kids. Do members think that we would be able to maintain our progress on clean water? He would cut funding to fir…
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Mr. Speaker, I just met with the chief from Tataskweyak a few hours ago. We talked about the importance of Bill C-61 and the work that Tataskweyak and the other communities have done on the legislation to ensure that we never go back to a time when well over 145 communities were suffering through long-term boil water advisories. That is the work the government will continue to do in partnership wi…
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Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Indigenous Services and FedNor, I hear first-hand from rural communities hit hard by climate change. Just yesterday, we heard from chiefs from Northwest Territories talk about the most severe drought they have seen in their lifetimes. In fact, it is putting their livelihoods, their ability to gather food and their ability to get goods up and down that river at risk.…
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Mr. Speaker, I will always commit to working with first nations leaders on their infrastructure priorities. As the member opposite knows, there is a $380-billion gap in infrastructure left after generations of neglect of first nations communities. We have increased spending on first nations infrastructure priorities by 1,800%, and we are going to continue to do that work. We are going to continue …
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Mr. Speaker, every step of the way over the past nine years, the government has worked with first nations leaders, indigenous leaders across the country to restore rights, to restore self-determination and to restore funding that was under heavy attack from the Conservative Party of Canada. We have so much more to do together, including working on mental health, which the government continues to s…
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Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we have been doing over the last nine years, cleaning up the mess that the Conservatives left behind. We have made over $8 billion in investments in clean water operation plants across the country. We have legislation, incidentally, tied up in committee. Hopefully, it will get to the House shortly. I will be testifying tomorrow about the legislation. There are hun…
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Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have lifted 145 long-term boiled water advisories together with first nations. We are going to continue until we get the job done. As a matter of fact, that member opposite has an opportunity to help make sure we never return to the situation that we found ourselves in 2015. With Bill C-61 at committee, nearing study, I hope we will see a safe passage of that legislatio…
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Madam Speaker, as the member knows, there is a direct link between climate change and the extreme wildfires that we have been seeing across the country, worsening for first nation members. We have changed the way that the Government of Canada supports first nations so that they have the supports financially and from a self-determination place to be able to protect their communities. The good news …
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Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. I have noticed over the last several months a decline in the tenor of the House. It is disturbing to me as a member of Parliament to hear other members of Parliament use names and slurs toward constituents. These are Canadians we are talking about. When we are calling each other names and calling constituents names, we can do better. I am the member of Parliament for …
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I really appreciate your moderation today. It is very refreshing to hear you speak about how we should treat each other in the House. However, when a member begins a statement by accusing another member of being “ableist”, in fact, that is the name-calling that you just called out. We may have different perspectives on how to get to a better Canada that is fairer and kin…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is right. We all have to do more to protect the lives of indigenous people, in particular first nations children who are many times more likely to die in a house fire than their non-indigenous counterparts. That is why we have invested over $136 million for first nations' self-determined projects to reduce the risks of fire, including making homes safer and ensurin…
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Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what the government has done with the renewed health transfers, separate money and $2 billion dedicated to first nations leaders who are working on health transformation and self-determined health care services across this country. On top of that, there is another 10 years of funding for the First Nations Health Authority to continue to plan and deliver health services…
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Mr. Speaker, after a decade of nothing happening under the previous Conservative government, we launched the national housing strategy, and we have been working with communities, with first nations leaders and with indigenous organizations to ensure that people have access to the kinds of housing they need. We are not going to stop until every person in this country knows that there is someplace t…
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Mr. Speaker, it is really heartening to hear the member of Parliament from the NDP speak so eloquently about the need to move quicker on alleviating long-term boil water advisories across this country. Since we have taken office, we have lifted over 145 long-term boil water advisories and prevented well over 200. We are going to continue that hard work. I assume her comments mean she is going to s…
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Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the path that our government has been on, working hand in hand with first nations and indigenous leaders to ensure that programs and services delivered by first nations and indigenous people are available to their members so that people can heal from the trauma of colonization, something that just yesterday our government stood up with many survivors across the country…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to be part of a government that understands by indigenous, for indigenous housing, and that is exactly what we are doing by launching the $4 billion urban, rural and northern housing strategy. Already $300 million have been dispensed through an organization led by indigenous leaders determining how best to use those funds so that first nations, Inuit and Métis people hav…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a question for the Ontario government. On this side of the House, what we have been focused on is ensuring that every indigenous child in this country has a fair chance to succeed in their educational journey. In fact, when we took office 10 years ago, we saw a chronic underfunding of first nations education systems so that education rates were appalling across the country, le…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pontiac for her work on access to education. Since 2016, we have increased funding for education by 80%. Budget 2024 will help us build and renovate more than 200 schools in first nations communities for 35,000 students. The evidence is clear. Students are more motivated when they see themselves reflected in their learning.
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Mr. Speaker, this government has been investing in historic ways to close the infrastructure gap for first nations communities across the country. I do not know where the member is getting her information from, but it is incorrect, quite frankly. We have spent all of our housing allotment every year. In fact, we have accelerated our expenditures in housing, and we are working with first nations on…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to be part of a government that puts indigenous children first. First nations children are getting the services they need after a decade of neglect, with the previous Conservative government ignoring their needs, leading to historic lawsuits and, of course, the compensation required to make up for such a terrible omission. We are making it right. We are ensuring that no …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Brampton South for her advocacy. She is right that for too long indigenous people have been facing discrimination as they access health care. However, everyone in the country has the right to quality health care. In 2018, our government contributed $158 million to plan the replacement of the Weeneebayko hospital in northern Ontario. As I said in the House last m…
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured today to be working with our indigenous partners. We work with first nations people every single day to do the kinds of things that the member opposite is talking about, closing infrastructure gaps and lifting boil water advisories. Ninety-six per cent of first nations now live in communities with access to clean water, and we will not rest until it is done.
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Mr. Speaker, we have come a long way since 2015. In fact, we have seen an increase of 185% in spending on indigenous priorities. Just today, I stood with a national chief, who talked about the improvement of the relationship between Canada and first nations people. We made an announcement that we would support Ontario to deliver health care in the Weeneebayko health area for $1.2 billion. We will …
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