Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I would like to respond to the member by saying that seniors are exceptionally important to me and my riding. I spend a lot of my time listening to their concerns and many of the vulnerabilities they experience, which often relate to housing insecurity. I definitely agree this is an area I am pursuing actively and have been doing so since I was elected in 2019. Certainly, there is m…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, while I certainly appreciate the question, I do not know how it pertains to the speech I gave. However, it does pertain to the Speech from the Throne, so I will do my best to answer it. I do not have a specific time and date, but I can say that our dairy industry is exceptionally important to our country, our food system and our supply chains. We are studying that at the agriculture…
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Madam Speaker, yes, what my hon. colleague brings up is exceptionally important to this country and all Canadians. It is important to promote bilingualism and to ensure there is no loss of the French language. I think we need to do our best to protect it. I have been taking French lessons. I am not at a point where I feel confident enough to speak it yet, but I look forward to the moment when I be…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, over the past 18 months, our government has made historic investments in Canada's biomanufacturing sector to quickly reverse years of neglect under Conservative governments. Earlier this month, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry announced an exciting new agreement with Merck to manufacture life-saving COVID-19 therapies right here in Canada, in my riding of Whitby. Could…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Parkdale—High Park. I stand before the House as the member of Parliament for Whitby, but I grew up in Peel region. My father who was a homicide detective there for much of my upbringing and then moved to the National Parole Board. In terms of my life history, he spent most of his career catching individuals who were committing crimes in …
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Madam Speaker, that question gives me the opportunity to talk about some of those off-ramps for offenders, whether they be young offenders or federal offenders. From my perspective, there is a robust support system in communities that can help to effectively reintegrate offenders. Certainly, there is also a lot at the front end that we can do to deter gang violence and crime, and to prevent crime …
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Madam Speaker, I agree with the member's general sentiments. From my perspective, the opioid crisis and all substance use are health issues and should be treated as such. Our government is definitely looking at safe supply and harm reduction methods, and is making investments and headway in that area.
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Madam Speaker, in terms of the timing of this piece of legislation, there is no better time than now to deal with systemic racism within our justice system. It is long overdue. Evidence has been accumulating for decades on how ineffective mandatory minimum penalties are. In fact, they do nothing to deter gun crime. In essence, I am not really sure how to respond to the member opposite because, in …
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Madam Speaker, the overrepresentation of indigenous people in our prison system is a direct result of having mandatory minimum penalties entrenched in our Criminal Code. This is exactly what Bill C-5 would help to address, as it would repeal those mandatory minimum penalties. I think that there is much more we can do, but a lot of it has to do with the work our government is doing on reconciliatio…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I share the outrage of my colleague from Winnipeg North. From my perspective, we have the Christmas season coming and more people are going to be inside together in groups. We also have the omicron variant, and case numbers are climbing in other parts of the world. I think these supports are critical for Canadian workers and the businesses that have been hardest hit. Could my collea…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks, we have seen extreme weather events happening on both coasts of our great country. My heart goes out to the people of British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, as we watch the destruction occurring in their communities and the devastation it has caused for people. There is no longer a debate on whether climate change is real, or at least not on this sid…
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Madam Chair, I know the restaurant industry has been hit particularly hard. Many of the businesses in my riding are certainly concerned about their revenues not returning for many months to come. I wonder if the Minister of Tourism could speak to the amount of time we anticipate it will take to recover from COVID-19 and what we are doing for restaurants across Canada.
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Madam Chair, I also would like to ask the Minister of Health about research funding coming out of COVID-19 and to give the House an update on any COVID-19 research funding.
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Madam Chair, I have another question for the President of the Treasury Board. What has FedDev done to support jobs and growth in Ontario?
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Madam Chair, to the Minister of Tourism, in my riding, I have seen many businesses that are essential to the fabric of our local economy struggling throughout this pandemic. I know the minister has been working on this file and listening to many of our small businesses, which are essential in the hospitality and tourism industry. Could the minister update us on what is being done for those small b…
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Madam Chair, everyone has the right to live free from violence. However, unacceptably, too many people in Canada continue to experience violence every day because of their gender, gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender. This issue has only been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic in communities across the country. How does the funding in the supplementary estimates advance the natio…
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Madam Chair, on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, I am pleased to rise in the House. As many members know, the supplementary estimates (B) is the second opportunity for departments and agencies to adjust their 2021-22 main estimates. I am particularly proud to speak to the 2021 and 2022 supplementary estimates for Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Parks Canada A…
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Madam Chair, I want to thank the minister for his leadership and commitment to giving stolen lands back. The commitment our government made to lift all long-term drinking water advisories and ensure clean water for first nations on reserve is one of the most important promises we have made. We have made substantial progress, but there is still lots of work to do. The most recent PBO report stated …
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Madam Chair, indigenous communities have long asked for restitution of land and recognition of rights in Canada. After being sworn in, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations stated, “It's time to give land back.” Dispossession by settlers contributes to economic inequality and racial discrimination against indigenous peoples. Could the minister update the House on work to return stolen land to…
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Mr. Speaker, my constituency youth council has identified mental health supports as a key concern and priority for youth in our riding but also for all Canadians. COVID-19 has certainly created anxiety and led to an increased incidence of depression and anxiety, for good reason. Can the Minister of Health give us an update on initiatives and essential investments the department is making to addres…
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Madam Chair, it goes without saying that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to succeed, and that means paying women equally for work of equal value. Based on the most recent data in Canada, for every dollar earned by a man, a woman earns 89 cents, as measured in hourly wages for full-time and part-time workers. Can the President of the Treasury Board answer how the funding for public service j…
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Madam Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That, during the debates on Tuesday, December 7 and Wednesday, December 8, 2021, on the business of supply pursuant to Standing Order 81(5), no quorum calls, dilatory motions or requests for unanimous consent shall be received by the Chair.
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Madam Chair, the opioid crisis has been something that has been deeply concerning for all Canadians during this pandemic, and we have seen a rise in the number of deaths as a result of opioid use. I wonder if the Minister of Health could talk about safe injection sites and give us an update on safe drug supply.
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Mr. Speaker, in this case, our government has returned to the House with a stronger minority government and a new mandate for many of the things our government and Canadians are seeking in terms of progress. Contrary to the member opposite, I do not believe the election was entirely unnecessary.
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Mr. Speaker, let me congratulate you and the people of West Nova for your re-election. We appreciate the important role that the Speaker plays in our parliamentary system. As this is my first speech in the House in the 44th Parliament, I would like to thank the people of Whitby, who have put their trust in me to be a strong, rational voice for them in the House, and I do stress rational. Their tru…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree that our government has recognized that at this point in the pandemic we have transitioned to a new chapter. The Deputy Prime Minister said it best when she said it seemed like the darkest days of this pandemic are over. I cross my fingers and hope that this is true. Obviously pandemics are unpredictable. In terms of getting our economy back on track, that is exactly what we a…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that countries around the world are experiencing inflation, some more and some less. We know that Canada is being affected by global supply chain interruptions, and the shortage of supply of some items means the demand is outpacing the supply, hence the increased prices. Supply-side shocks also mean that there are added costs to getting products to market, again putting an upw…
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Mr. Speaker, in fact the program that we are talking about in Bill C-2 is called the tourism and hospitality recovery program. It targets all tourism and hospitality businesses to ensure they can still access the wage subsidy and the rent subsidy. It targets them in order to help them continue to recover. We recognize that because of the structure of their industry and how they have been uniquely …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as I rise in the House for the first time in the 44th Parliament, I find myself filled with excitement to be back in Ottawa and gratitude for the people of Whitby, who have once again given me the honour of representing them here in this House. There is no doubt the nation's business has never been more important as we face numerous challenges, including making life more affordable, f…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as we come to the end of this parliamentary session as well as out of the third wave, it is time to reflect on what we have accomplished this past session. Despite the challenges, I am proud of this government and everything we did to protect Canadian families, jobs and businesses at the height of the pandemic. This government created historic programs to help Canada weather the storm…
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