Routine Proceedings
With regard to the government's economic advisory panels: (a) which taxes has each advisory panel recommended that the government raise in order to sustain higher levels of federal spending; and (b) at what levels did the advisory panels recommend the taxes be raised to?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the impact that government tax increases have on Canadians: has the government done an analysis on how Canadians will be impacted by future tax increases, and, if so, what are the details, including findings of any analysis conducted, broken down by type of future tax increase?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard the service costs on the national debt: has the government analyzed how much the debt service costs will go up based on an interest rate increase of (i) one per cent, (ii) two per cent, (iii) three per cent, and, if so, what are the projections for how much the debt service costs will increase?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it happened in broad daylight, right in front of the Langley Sportsplex where my grandkids play hockey, right beside a day care where moms and dads were dropping off their kids for the day. It was a gangland-style killing, the third last week in Metro Vancouver. Clearly, organized crime is not paying any attention at all to the government’s ban on firearms. When will the minister shif…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I listened with great interest to the comments from my hon. colleague where he said that the government deficits are not the problem; inflation is, and as long as inflation is low, then deficits are the right thing to do. He rested his case on inflation being low last year, this year and into future years. However, I speak to young families in my riding for whom home ownership has a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to government statistics related to small businesses: (a) how many small businesses have debt levels that put them at serious risk of insolvency or closure; and (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by sector?
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, it is a problem if the partnership is with foreign corporations that are controlled by foreign nations that are not friendly to us; that is the problem. I do not think there is a problem with universities partnering with well-funded, responsible Canadian corporations.
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, there are severe economic strains and stresses throughout Canada's economy. Universities are not immune from that. I do not know the source of all the financial blows for Laurentian University, but universities are primarily a creature of the provincial government. I would encourage the government to work together with the university community to keep that university alive and well.…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I would do whatever is possible to protect the French language. It is a part of Canada's culture. We must defend it and protect it. I recognize what the hon. member is saying about our living right next door to the United States, an English-speaking country of about 350 million people The French language needs proactive investment and protection. It is a beautiful language, but it d…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I thank my whip for that. I will be splitting my time with the member for London—Fanshawe. Laurentian exemplifies the duality of Canada, but, unfortunately, today it finds itself under creditor protection under the CCAA, the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. I do not know the arrangements and circumstances under which that had to become a reality for it, but it is indeed sad. I un…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I am so interested in speaking to this topic, a university in Sudbury, Ontario. I am a member from the west coast of Canada, almost as far away from Sudbury as one can get in Canada, and I am speaking on the heels of a member of Parliament from that region. I have a great deal of respect for that, and I speak tonight with a bit of trepidation. The reason I am so interested in the topi…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I have a question about funding for universities, which of course is a big challenge for all universities. I know that Laurentian University is not really a research-focused university, so the question is more general. Does the member see a role for universities to partner with responsible Canadian-controlled corporations, to be more entrepreneurial and to raise money in that way to…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, the member talked about her previous professional experience in university administration. I wonder what her thoughts are on the state of Canadian research university entrepreneurial initiatives. How are we faring compared with other world-class universities?
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands talked about universities having to think outside of the box. I wonder what her comments would be about universities partnering with responsible, Canadian-controlled corporations that have a good track record of social responsibility to fund research chairs and to partner with the intellectual property assets that would come out of that very valua…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague talked a lot about the investor-state dispute resolution chapter and gave a number of interesting examples of lawsuits where things went wrong. Any time that parties, corporations big or small, or countries are doing business with each other, there is the risk of commercial disagreement that could lead to litigation. Therefore, we need a dispute resolution mechanism. If…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, $1 million is what gets pumped into Vancouver's or Victoria's economy every time a cruise ship stops by on its way up to Alaska, but the government’s outright, year-long ban will kill all of that. Right now Americans, who are miles ahead of us in vaccinating their citizens, are planning a workaround to avoid Canadian ports altogether. Does the minister recognize the government’s botch…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am so happy to hear that at least some air transportation links to northern communities like Smithers and Prince George have been restored. How important are transportation links into northern Canada, though Smithers is not really that far north, to Canada exercising its northern sovereignty?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague talked about tourism and the negative impact COVID-19 is having on cities, villages and towns along the St. Lawrence River. My question is about the impact of the shutdown by the federal government on the cruise line industry, which is so important to my home province of British Columbia and also to Quebec I am sure. Does he have any comments about that?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that was a very heartfelt speech by my colleague. He talked a lot about the airline industry and said the government has not been there to support it and the people who do business with airlines. My question is about the related industry of aerospace and aeronautics, which is important in my colleague's province and in my province of British Columbia as well. I am thinking of Abbots…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that the United Kingdom negotiated trade agreements with several other countries, but Canada did not. We came to a memorandum of understanding, but we did not finalize that agreement. What does say about the Liberal government's priorities when it comes to negotiating free trade agreements?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his enlightening speech on Bill C-18, the Canada-U.K. trade agreement. Could he comment on the inherent advantages of Canada entering into a trade agreement with a country with whom we share common law, common parliamentary tradition and common contract-negotiating strategies?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am very familiar with the member for Surrey Centre's riding, having spent my whole professional career working there. Can the member comment on the significance of Canada's entering into a free trade agreement with a country with whom we share so many commonalities, such as common law, respect for the rule of law, our parliamentary traditions and so many other values? Is this a mode…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would request a recorded division.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague told us very convincingly that the actions in China do fit the definition of genocide, and he also said that the world is watching this debate. What negative impact would it have on Canada's reputation among the community of nations if this motion put forward today by the opposition fails in the House? What negative impact would that have on our reputation internationally…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for St. John's East for his well thought out speech and for presenting in such a convincing manner that the actions of the Chinese Communist Party against the Uighur minority do in fact fit the definition of genocide. He also showed in a very convincing manner that other nations must act. My question for the member is this. How beneficial would it be for Can…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my question is dealing with trade with China. China is an important trading partner of Canada, and it has been suggested by some that this action by Canada's Parliament might have a negative impact on our trade with China. What are his comments about that?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am tabling a petition submitted by a group of Canadians who wish to draw Parliament's attention to an ongoing campaign of Uighur birth suppression by the Chinese Communist Party, which includes forced sterilization and abortions, as well as the evidence that Uighurs are being subject to ant-religious indoctrination, forced labour, separation of families and even organ harvesting. …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am happy to hear he agrees with the answer my colleague from South Surrey—White Rock gave. I listened to the answer and thought it was very good. We want to get Canadians back to work. We want to get away from a credit card economy and move to a paycheque economy. I am sure all Canadians agree with that. People should not have to go into debt just to stay alive and keep their fami…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, $1.1 trillion is a lot of money. That is what the national debt will be at the end of this fiscal year in accordance with this fall economic statement that we are debating today. It becomes very intimidating when we measure that national debt against gross domestic product, the GDP, in analysis of how well the economy can manage the debt. Just a few years ago it stood at 30%, but by…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would remind Canadians that the Liberals ran an election platform in 2015 of balancing the budget in year four, which would be 2019. By the time we got to the end of that mandate, they were nowhere near that. They had given up any pretense at all of ever aspiring to balance the budget. Yes, the economy was strong during their first four years. That is the heritage of the good fisc…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, health care is obviously a very important aspect of people's lives, and certainly during a pandemic. I think there is a misconception that the Conservative Party would cut health spending. It would not. We recognize how important it is and we will be there to help Canadians when they need it.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, today we have a rare opportunity in this parliamentary session to advance freer trade between age-old friends, two democratic nations, two advanced societies, that share so much history, culture, legal and parliamentary structures, and also language. Some years ago, President Kennedy said this with respect to another great friendship, the one between Canada and the U.S.: Geography h…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we have not seen the text of the agreement yet, due to the delays in getting the negotiations started even though we all knew that Brexit was a reality. As for Ireland, it is a good friend of Canada, a member of the international community, and I would of course support freedoms and prosperity for those people. However, until we see the text of the agreement, I would reserve any fur…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as I said in my intervention, free trade has never been the government's strong suit. Liberals knew about Brexit just like the rest of the world knew about Brexit. These negotiations could have started much earlier, but that does not seem to have been the government's emphasis. Indeed, by the end of December, the U.K. had negotiated its Brexit deal with the European Union. Why could…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, international trade comes under the jurisdiction of the federal government, but, that said, for negotiations to be successful and for there to be broad acceptance of any international agreement or treaty, there needs to be broad consultation with provinces, stakeholders, unions and everyone who might be involved and might be affected by that agreement. Yes, I would say that the broa…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to medical equipment, excluding personal protective equipment, purchased by the government related to the government's COVID-19 response: (a) what is the total amount spent, broken down by type of equipment (ventilators, syringes, etc.); (b) what is the total number of contracts signed for medical equipment; (c) what is the breakdown of the amount spent by (i) province or territory, (i…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to personal protective equipment (PPE) purchased by the government since the COVID-19 pandemic began: (a) what is the total amount spent on PPE; (b) what is the total number of contracts signed for PPE; (c) what is the breakdown of the amount spent by (i) province or territory, (ii) country where the vendor is located; and (d) what is the total number of contracts signed broken down by…
Read full speech →