Government Orders
Madam Chair, the question of visa-free travel can be looked at and considered. I also point out to the hon. member that the government, in fact, has acted proactively, going back to January, by putting in place a plan to ensure that individuals in Ukraine who had applied to Canada for work permits, for example, would be given support to have their applications approved. Individuals in Canada who a…
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Madam Chair, to that last point, obviously it is a dangerous time. That goes without saying. Individuals will have to think very carefully about what they do. I know there has been enormous interest expressed by individuals not just in Canada but throughout other democracies in going to Ukraine and assisting in the form of a volunteer force. We saw something quite similar materialize during the Sp…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, it is an honour for all of us tonight to come together and discuss this. I hesitate to use the word “debate”. It has been a very good discussion. We have seen a free exchange of ideas across the aisle. It is a testament to the fact that this issue does unify us. Even in war, we find inspiration. We find so many examples of inspiration to draw upon in Ukraine, the way that its people a…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore. We have reached a critical point, a fork in the road, in the history of Canadian democracy, and that needs to be acknowledged. There is no Canadian exceptionalism. If there is not any American exceptionalism, and we know that is one of the founding myths of the United States in terms of its democracy, it is al…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague who is just down the road from us in London. I know her and like her, but I do not know where to begin as there are so many things that she said that are outright false. One point that I think has caught on among the public, because I have had a number of constituents who have asked about it, is the freezing of bank accounts. If there is such a w…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I took special care in my speech to emphasize the importance of the charter. As I said at the outset, the Emergencies Act is subject to it. It is time limited for a period of 30 days. It is geographically focused. If police need those powers, then those extra powers are available, but if they do not need them, they do not need to use them. Therefore, I do not know where the concern …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would tell my colleague that I am quite interested in learning more about the bill. It was introduced by the member for New Westminster—Burnaby, if I am not mistaken. I will look at the details of it. I know it has raised interest in this House. I have been very clear on what we saw in London a few days ago with respect to the raising of the Confederate flag. It is completely unac…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I have two questions. First of all, would the member acknowledge that the Emergencies Act brought in place by a Conservative government is subject to the charter? The charter still reigns supreme. Would she acknowledge that? Second, how does she feel about the fact that the Conservative Party is now on the opposite side of this issue, not just with respect to where the government sits…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I think the member did a very good job of outlining why these measures are justified. I want to ask her a question about what will happen after in terms of combatting hate, and what members of this House, across party lines, can do to do just that. We have seen hate expressed by the alt-right in the United States in recent years, and evidently it has made its way northward, unfortun…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member spoke well, as he always does. He is one of the youngest members in this House, if I am not mistaken, but he is also one of the most thoughtful I have had the chance to work with. That is why I was surprised, when he spoke about inflation, that there was no reference made to the global situation and putting inflation in a global context, the way the pandemic, for example, h…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, our colleague has done incredible work over the years as the chair of the seniors caucus. I wonder if she could share with the House the way that work has informed her understanding of the bill and how the bill would impact seniors in her riding.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the past few weeks have made clear that our democracy can be, and is being, threatened. Constituents are rightly asking what the federal government is doing on their behalf. The invocation of the Emergencies Act is an extraordinary measure, but one that is justified by the current circumstances. Certain extra powers will be given to the federal government so that it can help bring the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is modest, so she did not point out the incredibly important work she has done to advance diabetes research in Canada. London is home to Sir Frederick Banting. Of course, those who know anything about the history of diabetes will know the important work that he did to advance insulin. So many have benefited from that. Where I am going with this is that I wonder if th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is always interesting to hear from the member opposite. We are discussing a bill relating to seniors tonight. I have a question for the member. Does he still agree with his party's position, which apparently has not evolved, at least not that I am aware of, that the age of eligibility for OAS should be 67, which they changed it to a number of years ago under the Harper government…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for York Centre. I am very proud tonight to rise and speak on behalf of our side to Bill C-10, an act respecting certain measures related to COVID-19. I am thankful for giving the bill the attention and priority that is required. As members are aware, we have committed through this bill to continue our support of provinces and territories, w…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, first of all, words like “hypocrisy” have to be used very carefully, if at all, in this House. I think it is important to maintain basic decorum. I do not know the member very well, but I would hope he would live up to the honour of the office that he holds. The health minister is doing exactly as we would hope. He is looking at the science and listening to the health experts. On the …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his service. I do not know him that well, but I have always known him to be someone who cares very sincerely about the work and who has done a great deal for his constituents. On this matter, we will disagree a bit. If we look at what the federal government has done since the onset of the pandemic, it responded very swiftly. It made historic efforts to put in pl…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the member a question relating to vaccine mandates. Given the fact that rates of hospitalization continue to be a challenge in Canada, how does the member feel about vaccine mandates?
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, in debate, obviously we exchange points of view. Here is a point of view I want to quote. It reads as follows: “I spent the week undergoing the Siege of Ottawa.... I ask that we clear the streets and that we stop this occupation controlled by radicals and anarchist groups.” Those are the words of the Conservative Party's previous shadow critic for public safety, a member of the House.…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as I rise for the first time in the 44th Parliament, I want to express my sincere and profound gratitude to the residents of London North Centre for electing me to be their member of Parliament for a third time. A concern consistently brought to my attention by those constituents is the affordability of child care. The average London family is paying more than $15,000 annually per chi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank colleagues on the environment committee for the work they did, at least those who collaborated on the bill. The outcome is really a testament to their hard work on behalf of Canadians. For my colleague who just spoke, I am looking for a very simple yes or no on this. Does he believe global warming is a fact and that human beings are the primary cause of that phen…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, each member of Parliament is able to serve because of people who freely give of their time for a cause larger than themselves. That is the kind of person Peter Regan was. Last week, Peter passed away as a result of acute myeloid leukemia. He is survived by his devoted wife Lissa; daughters Amy, Sarah, Mary and Leah; his grandchildren Sydney and Thomas; and siblings Shelley, Sue, Judy,…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to the remarkable lives of the Afzaal family. Salman, Madiha, Yumna and Talat were tragically killed nine days ago in a senseless act of hate and terrorism. My community of London continues to be in a state of shock, profound sadness and anger as we try to come to terms with what happened. This past Saturday, in a moving funeral service, we said goodbye to four rem…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have known the hon. member for a number of years now as he was my seatmate prior to the pandemic. As a result of that, I know that during his time as a member of provincial parliament in Ontario and certainly since 2015 in federal politics, he has been a champion for seniors' issues. We heard him speak passionately about provisions in the budget that will assist seniors, but I won…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, it has been interesting listening to the debate tonight. I have to say it is disappointing to hear opposition colleagues, particularly the Conservatives, politicize this issue so often, not always, but quite often. Let us keep in mind that there are thousands of jobs at stake, direct and indirect. Those folks are Conservative, Liberal, NDP and Green supporters. Some do not vote, but t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have met the challenges of COVID head-on, but remain concerned about the future. Over the last year, countless Londoners have told me about the CERB, wage supports for businesses, and other supports and how they sustained them during the pandemic. Budget 2021 lays out a vision where women, men, families, small businesses and communities are able to plan with greater confiden…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, our colleague spoke very passionately and eloquently about national unity in the context of this debate. He talked about the fact, and it is a fact, that the west is tremendously important in Canada and remains tremendously important to this government. The member is someone who grew up in the Prairies. He is someone who represents Manitobans in the House of Commons. Could he emphasiz…
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