Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, in December I specifically asked that the airline assistance plan not include executive compensation. Today we find out that Air Canada paid its executives more than $20 million in bonuses after receiving nearly $6 billion from the government. Why was the government unable to negotiate an agreement that left out executive compensation and instead focused on Canadian workers?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am certain I am not mistaken. The top five executives alone received close to $2 million each, while tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs or went on government programs. I was clear in my demands in December that it was workers who were desperate for help and not executives. Why was the government incapable of negotiating an agreement that excluded executive compensation ins…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the provinces have consistently had to react and respond to the shortcomings of the federal government since the very beginning of this pandemic. Since we saw the virus coming over the Pacific Ocean, we have been asking the government to respond. Its vaccine procurement and distribution has been the worst part. The provincial governments have reacted and responded. The federal gover…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to be here in the House. Of course, when I speak from home, in my riding, it is important, but when I am here, I find that my words have even more importance. I would just like to take a moment and thank my constituent, Paddy Bossert, for the beautiful pin she gave me. She and Dale Bossert have been big supporters of Calgary Midnapore for some time. The pin i…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present today, in both official languages, a petition to sanction corrupt Chinese officials from using Canada as a safe haven. This petition I present to the House today has been signed by constituents of Calgary Midnapore who are calling for the government to implement the Magnitsky Law against individuals in China's Communist Party who have orchestrated the to…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that the government has implemented a cruise ship ban until February 2022, but the U.S. has gotten smart and has passed legislation that allows ships to go from the U.S. to Alaska without stopping in Canada. This will absolutely devastate the cruise ship industry. Will the Minister of Transport work with the United States and implement technical calls?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, to my colleague from Battle River—Crowfoot, the sad reality is that the government will only ever act when it feels it can gain some votes and make some gains in the upcoming election, which it is planning for during this pandemic. Unfortunately, the aviation sector; travel and workers throughout—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I just want to commend my leader for doing incredible work with workers and unions since he was installed as the leader of this party. As Conservatives, we know that Canadians always make the best choices, whether it is about child care, dental care or preferred health care when they get the opportunity to choose for themselves. This is what we want. This is what the government has …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the U.K. has announced its restart plan for international travel, using the traffic light system, but here in Canada we are still stuck under the Liberals' third wave and the hotel quarantine program, with no end in sight. It is not just like flipping a light off and on; both airports and airlines will need time to get things up and running again. When will the government do the rig…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary talks about supports that were needed a year ago. They are a year too late. Canada has moved on. The rest of the world has moved on. The airline sector wants to move on to a restart plan. I will close with a quote from Mike McNaney, the president and CEO of the National Airlines Council of Canada, regarding the airports announcement this week: Today’s ann…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, for months I have been begging the government for a plan for the airline sector on behalf of the tens of thousands of workers who have found themselves without employment during this critical time of the pandemic. Unfortunately, my pleas have fallen upon deaf ears, as we see a piecemeal approach from the government, with little bits at a time and nothing sector-specific. There are b…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, this is my last statement of this session and possibly before we go to the polls. I am grateful for the four years that the good people of Calgary Midnapore have allowed me to be their voice, so I cannot let this opportunity pass without expressing the following. Mr. Prime Minister, you have failed the people of Calgary Midnapore. You have taken away their right to make a living. You …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I know the parliamentary secretary had a brief residence in Alberta. I had the pleasure of sitting on the status of women committee with him. The way out of this is the vaccine. It could not be more crystal clear than that, so the focus should be on receiving the vaccines, distributing the vaccines and getting them into the arms of Canadians. Everything that is going on now, this we…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I am always happy to be in the House to speak on behalf of my constituents, as I am a very proud member of Parliament from Alberta who was born and raised in Calgary Midnapore. It certainly has been a very difficult 15 months, which goes without saying. It is the reason that we are here this evening. The pain that I have seen around me has been absolutely extraordinary. I have watch…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I find the question from my colleague from the province next door so very disappointing. Posing the very question itself is not recognizing the origin of the problem, which is the federal government. I find the spirit of his question to be very disappointing. This is not a time for comparison of who is doing better, who is doing worse. This is a time for us to come together as Canad…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, the real fear for Canadians is that we will never get out of this, because they hear the words and see the attitudes of members such as the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. She raises a good point. There are no winners. The workers lose, the union loses, the businesses lose, and, ultimately, Canadians also lose. Unfortunately, there are no winners.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Unfortunately, I believe that there are similarities between the situation in the airline sector and the current strike. I also see similarities between this bill and Bill C-10. I absolutely agree with my colleague from Quebec. The current government finds it difficult to respect Canadians' rights, both the rights of individuals on the Internet…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member for Kelowna—Lake Country is also our shadow minister for export promotion and international trade; I will probably step on her toes a bit, talking about supply chain. She was also the 2006 RBC Woman Entrepreneur of the Year and, like me, she is an alumni of the University of Calgary, so to her I say: [Member spoke in Gaelic] [English] “I will lift up my eyes” is a transla…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member for Kenora has done incredible work for the north. I have worked hand in hand with him on the northern airlines, and he has been a fantastic partner. This is one of my greatest frustrations in my role as shadow minister for transport. I think we saw the greatest example of the government's inaction on this file in regards to coming up with a plan for the aviation sector a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present, in both official languages, petition e-2559, which calls upon the government to take further steps with the People's Republic of China. The specific actions are outlined within the petition as points of recommendation. I look back to the years of the Harper administration when government, in its foreign policy, went by the values of justice, democra…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands, who we are all so familiar with at this point. He is right. No, actually I do question the government's sincerity. More importantly for Canadians, as we head into the end of the spring session and into the summer, I question its competence. I actually think that is just as important, if not more so. There are always the two questio…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of serving on the HUMA committee with my colleague from Winnipeg Centre. I hope that she is doing well. Unfortunately, we have never had a federal New Democratic Party government, so I would not be able to comment on its performance, had it ever occurred in Canadian history.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to be here today and to contribute to this debate on Bill C-11. I have been here for four years. It is hard to believe, as I just had my anniversary on April 3, that I have been serving the good people of Calgary Midnapore for four years, which I am so fortunate to do. At this point in my political career, if I do not believe that the messengers themselves are …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. I did see that in the digital charter as well as in Bill C-11, but it is not enough, and that is not the only thing we saw that was inadequate. I think that is the case with all bills. Attitude is also a factor. In my speech, I gave a lot of examples where we can see that this was not enough. In my opinion, it started two or three years ago with th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, this week is a good week for one company. The Liberal government has been promising assistance for Canada's aviation industry for over a year, but nothing happened until this week, with a plan for Air Canada. Unfortunately, we need a plan for the entire industry. This piecemeal approach will serve only to slow the recovery and negatively impact aviation workers. Why did the governme…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, on Monday, the Liberal government announced a financial package worth up to $5.8 billion for one of Canada’s airlines, Air Canada. Not only does this package neglect the thousands of laid-off workers at Canada’s other airlines, but there were no new supports for airports, air traffic controllers or travel advisers with commissions at other airlines. Assisting one airline is simply n…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the impact of the travel restrictions imposed by the government during the pandemic and the study released by Statistics Canada on October 23, 2020, which provided estimates on the amount of job losses and gross domestic product (GDP) reduction resulting from the travel restrictions: (a) what are the updated statistics on the estimated job losses and GDP reduction for 2020; and (b) …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to statistics held by the government related to the Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) and reported pleasure craft incidents: (a) how many reported incidents took place each year on Canadian waters since 1999 (or as far back as PCOC statistics are available), broken down by type of incident (accident, injury, fine, etc.); and (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by (i) how many involved a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, what the member is really asking is how we can contribute to solutions in our own communities, and that is an excellent question. Personally, I try to meet with the YWCA to look for solutions as a member of my community on a regular basis. I am always very certain to attend the YWHISPER Gala, which directly addresses these issues we face, and which are really at the centre of this dis…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, yet there is no resolution. On Sunday, Port of Montreal longshoremen completely rejected the collective agreement proposal, and a strike at one of our most vital ports is looming. Our rail lines are reducing service, ships are being rerouted and we could see some major delays in receiving essential goods. Our reputation as a reliable trade partner is in serious jeopardy. Will the mini…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for Cloverdale—Langley City. As always, I look forward to her remarks. I find her to be an incredibly thoughtful individual who is constantly in touch with her constituents. I know she will add a lot to this debate. Before I begin my comments, I will compliment the member for Port Moody—Coquitlam. This is a member who joined our caucus after…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I think it starts here in the House with us all supporting each other and always respecting each other's positions and opinions. It starts with our work here together to further Canada because that really is our ultimate goal, to have a whole and complete Canada. It starts with us working together and not against each other.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for the work he and his party are doing in an effort to end violence against women. They do incredible work in this regard. I have the good fortune of sitting on the HUMA committee with some excellent members from his party. I definitely think we always have to be thinking of legislation that moves us in that direction. The first step is to think of legislati…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I think that we are here to help our constituents, whether they work for a big corporation or a small business. People who had a hard time finding work before the pandemic had a hard time during the pandemic and will continue to have a hard time after. I completely agree that we need to find ways to create new jobs for Canadians. I agree with m…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we are becoming all too familiar with the member for Kingston and the Islands' questions and their tone. Unfortunately, it is we on this side of the House who must work doubly hard to protect Canadians and advance their interests. As we have seen, the government is incapable. We knew it before the pandemic, but that has been verified throughout this process. Certainly, the governmen…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I agree with the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona. It should have been tenant-initiated and oriented. I think that would have helped incredibly from the outset. I have such respect for the member. I know that we share a background in foreign affairs and international development. We have had many lovely conversations about that, in particular on a flight. Of course, we dream abou…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, yesterday government members had their opportunity to show their support for the tens of thousands of airline workers who have lost their jobs, by supporting our opposition day motion, but instead they decided to vote against it and turn their backs on the tens of thousands of workers. We have been in this pandemic for a year now. When will we see a plan for the airline sector from th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I heard the member ask a very good question of the previous speaker, a member from the New Democratic Party, about systematic and structural change. I would like to put this question forward to him. Were he in the position of a minister, or advising a minister within the government as a member of the government, what would he implement and enact to ensure that the situation we are c…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am very proud to be here today speaking to Bill C-24. I want to recognize the excellent shadow minister in charge of this process: the wonderful member for Kildonan—St. Paul. It is excellent that she is leading the charge on our side for this. She is representative of a generation of young women who are excited about the potential future of our nation. The member and I are young m…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, well, for Canadians with no food on the table, it is not a game. Tens of thousands of airline workers are still without jobs and there is no end in sight. These workers are struggling to put food on their tables, yet the government has chosen to leave them behind. Therefore, I have this question for the minister. What would he like to say to all of these workers who are struggling to …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary mentioned the airlines voluntarily giving up these sun destinations. I wish that the government would voluntarily provide a plan for this sector after one year. We hoped for it in December, when Reuters reported that it was coming. We hoped for it two weeks ago, when it was reported in The Globe and Mail that it was imminent. Today the government had an o…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, on February 19, in question period, I asked the Minister of Transport the following: Madam Speaker, the minister is correct. He did appear yesterday at committee. Unfortunately, he got his facts wrong again about purchasing tickets to sun destinations. The minister said that it takes multiple tickets for an American carrier to take a Canadian to a sun destination, when in fact it on…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mégantic—L'Érable. Mr. Speaker, here we are a year later and I wish I had a different story to tell. I am starting to feel very much like a broken record, but the fact is we are having this opposition motion today because many Canadians feel left behind. Despite all of the comments and the facts and the quotes given by my colleagues across…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I spoke a lot about values in my speech. My colleague spoke a lot about transparency. I would like to know if he can give more examples about this government's lack of transparency, especially with regard to the pandemic.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as I said, I am very disappointed in the government's performance in looking out for Canada's interests comparative to the those in the previous administration, who were the masters and recognized the importance of looking for synchronicities and win-win situations with other nations. I definitely feel as though the current government has not done that. Once again, everything just s…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. Of course I have a lot of concerns about this bill, this agreement. I think that what the hon. member said complements my position that the government currently does not have a firm position on values. I think that the key to foreign affairs is to have values. I think the government currently has no values when it comes to foreign affairs in ge…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will begin my speech, as I do with so many of my speeches, with an anecdote. I am privileged to have the opportunity to be here in the House to represent the good people of Calgary Midnapore and be their voice, and I am going to tell one of my favourite stories. Several years ago, when I was a younger and fitter woman, I won the gold award from the Duke of Edinburgh. I was very ex…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent speech outlining the weaknesses of this proposition. I am very fortunate to be in the caucus of the official opposition with the member. She was a member of the previous administration, under former prime minister Harper. When we look at the current administration and the previous administration, on many issues we see some considerable differen…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has completely ignored the aviation sector, allowing tens of thousands of jobs to be lost with still no end in sight. With the lack of service to over a dozen airports and the loss of countless regional routes, our vast country is no longer as connected as it once was. Travelling to see loved ones or even for essential business now requires multiple layovers in …
Read full speech →