Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of Bill C-222, the relieving grieving parents of an administrative burden act, also known as Evan's law. The bill is called Evan's law because it was inspired by the experience of a grieving family whose son Evan died while they were receiving parental benefits. After his death, the family had to deal not only with their loss, but also with the bureauc…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals failed to negotiate with Cowichan Tribes, so they got sued and lost. They told their lawyers not to argue fee simple property rights, so the one argument they need is not viable on appeal. British Columbians bought their homes, paid their mortgages and followed the law. They want answers, so we spent the week asking. Instead of answers, we got insults, intimidation and il…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for bringing this forward. I am wondering if, in his discussions with families and organizations that have been advocating for this, the member has seen first-hand the way that Health Canada's bureaucracy has created so much paperwork and administrative burden that it prevents people from getting access to health care. How would this bill help?
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Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the chance to speak today to Bill C-265, an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act regarding a list of therapeutic products pre-approved for special access. The bill attempts to address a very real and human problem. I laud the hon. member for Thunder Bay—Rainy River for bringing it forward so we can have the collective opportunity to think about and act on this importa…
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Mr. Speaker, the most important changes in life are often invisible at first. Seeds sprout underground before the first shoots appear. A ship that changes course by one degree makes no waves, but ends up somewhere entirely different. A coastline can look unchanged for years, while the tide quietly reshapes it, grain by grain. On August 7, 2025, when the B.C. Supreme Court released the Cowichan Tri…
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Mr. Speaker, I have to admit that I am confused by the hon. member's question. Of course we respect the Constitution. As for everything that I have stated in this speech, there is nothing in it that suggests that I want to do anything other than uphold it. Our proposal is to create a special committee. It is to work together. It is to find a way through this. The reason that I support that proposa…
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Mr. Speaker, I spoke about the negativity that comes across the aisle when we ask questions and raise issues. Stephen Harper delivered the residential school apology in the House. A Conservative government, led by former prime minister Stephen Harper, created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which resolved hundreds of specific claims, extended human rights protections on reserve and introd…
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Mr. Speaker, I tried to stick to some pretty boring, cold, hard legal facts in my speech. Unfortunately, this is a very complicated case. It has been made more complicated by the litigation decisions that the government made in this particular case. It has been made more complicated by litigation directives that, quite frankly, do not make sense to many Canadians. If we are going to move forward o…
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Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but reflect that if the circumstances were different, this would have been a very interesting discussion. I thank all of my colleagues for their commentary on case law and for all of the legal arguments that have been made. I am just wondering if, in the short time that we have left, my colleague might reflect a little on the fact that it is such a tragedy that the gover…
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Mr. Speaker, I was in the House for the first part of my hon. colleague's excellent speech and was delighted to be here today for the rest of it. Our ridings have a lot in common, even though they are on opposite sides of the country. They are resource-based. They are filled with families, and they are struggling right now, yet the members across the way continue to stand up and tell us that Canad…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's focus on supporting businesses in her community. She displayed a very admirable depth of knowledge of those businesses. Burlington, of course, is a region that is deeply connected to cross-border trade, where jobs and local growth depend heavily on the government being able to address these issues. She praised the government's swift action. I am wondering if …
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-11 was supposed to improve how justice works inside the Canadian Armed Forces. There have been serious and persistent concerns that misconduct, especially sexual misconduct, has not been handled fairly or independently in our military. The government dragged its feet for years. There were three reports done on this matter over a period of seven years. Finally, with the tabling …
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Mr. Speaker, I commend my hon. colleague for his desire to support the military. As he was in committee, he would have heard that people in the military need this choice in order to be supported. While Madam Justice Arbour's recommendations were right for the time at which they were made, the government took so long to act that there are better ways to address this.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his good question. This is something that I really struggle with, because we face allegations from our colleagues across the way every day in the House, that we are obstructionist or that we are standing in the way. Yet, this bill offers a phenomenal opportunity for members of all parties to work together to listen to Canadians to make a bill better. It hurts …
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Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege, before I was elected to this place, of being able to work with Madam Justice Arbour for a year when I worked at the ICTY in The Hague. I know the kind of work that she does. There is no doubt in my mind that the work she did and the report she provided allowed our military to make progress with respect to the issues that are addressed in this bill. I only wish tha…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have painted themselves into a corner. They failed to negotiate a treaty with Cowichan Tribes, so they got sued and lost in Richmond. Now the Prime Minister says he will advance “viable legal arguments to protect private property”, but the Liberals told their lawyers not to argue the primacy of property rights at trial. By now, it must have dawned on them that an argument…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I come from a place where we have stunning coastline, innovative businesses, delicious restaurants, talented artists and a mild climate that makes me want to put down whatever I am doing and take the dog for a hike. We have much to celebrate, but we also have one of the highest death rates from overdose in Canada, fuelled by an addictions crisis that is ruining people's lives, leavi…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his thoughtful remarks. As he can see from my exchanges with him and his colleagues in French, I want to understand the needs of all Canadians, including those in Quebec. We share concerns about forestry and the government's lack of attention to major challenges facing our communities. What struck me was the absence of the term “substance abuse”. The government …
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Madam Speaker, Loaves & Fishes serves more than 15,000 in more than 44 communities on the island. They are vital, and they are growing, with a new 24,000-square-foot warehouse set to open this month. Some 80% of Canadians say food prices have increased more than any other expense. Groceries, without meat or cheese, regularly cost $100 a bag on the island, yet the Liberal government continues to te…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned several cases where the government failed to consult properly and where it lacked transparency. He talked about a worrisome trend that we have seen this week now that the Liberals have a majority in committee. They have been holding committee meetings in camera and preventing Canadians and other parliamentarians from having access to important information and pa…
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member has done a tremendous service to our country today. Not only has she helped those who struggle with addiction, trauma and insecure housing to see themselves here in this place, she has also blazed a path for some of them to get here with her bill, which I will be proud to stand up and second in a moment. She inspires me and I just want to provide her with another opp…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his informative and enlightening speech. I have two questions for him. Given the uncertainties in the commercial launch market, what level of risk does he think the government should accept when looking to develop a new industry? Also, how can we ensure that taxpayers are well protected?
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Mr. Speaker, in communities like mine there is a lot of ambition around space launches. Communities like mine are still waiting to know when we are going to get a chance to clean up derelict vessels around the coastline. I have proponents in my communities who want to remove the boats, but the Liberals defunded and closed the program. When are you going to reopen it and deliver relief to my commun…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here today to discuss this important bill. It is a real opportunity to talk about issues that are important to our communities. The government has been incredibly ambitious with this bill, talking about the possibility of launching rockets into space from Canada and developing a national space program by 2028. Yet, in front of us we have a bill that is very easy rea…
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Mr. Speaker, this is actually a wonderful opportunity to indicate that I will be splitting my time with the member for Montmorency—Charlevoix. I was starting to talk about the fact that the bill is incredibly ambitious. It has ambitions of galactic proportions, in fact, looking to be able to launch Canadian rockets into space and to enhance our ability to participate in a space program. However, o…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for both his ambition and his optimism around this. If the bill does speak for itself, it does so very quietly, because it is quite thin on detail. Yes, we agree with the members across the aisle that there is an opportunity here, and we look forward to probing that opportunity in committee and being able to put some substance on the bill.
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Mr. Speaker, do not get me wrong. I really respect the fact that the government and my colleagues across the way are struggling to meet the world where it is and to find a good response for Canada in that context. However, there is a disturbing trend, and it does not just come through Bill C-28. It has also shown up in other legislation, like in the acts enabling the Major Projects Office or Build…
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Mr. Speaker, when I was a little girl, I thought these spaceships went to the moon and beyond through magic and that it was a wonderful, amazing illusion. As I look at this bill, I see yet another example of bills that are magic and illusion in the sense that they purport to put us on even ground with the G7 and to do wonderful and amazing things to propel Canada ahead in the world, but there is a…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, each April 28th we come together in Nanaimo—Ladysmith, throughout Canada and around the world to solemnly mark a day of mourning in memory of people who have lost their life on the job and to renew our commitment to safe workplaces. Whether someone is a chef on a ferry, a scaffolder on a construction site, a machinist in a mill or an administrator in an office, every worker deserves t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague has done an admirable job of breaking the update down into its various components. Like the members of the Bloc Québécois, the Conservatives believe in a smaller but more effective federal government that respects provincial powers by focusing on its core responsibilities. This update provides for the creation of a new federal fund and expands Ottawa's role in direct…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is rare that a member of the House has to begin a speech with a trigger warning, but while some of what I am about to describe is difficult to hear, it is necessary if we are to fully comprehend why we must act on the issue of intimate partner violence. For far too many people in this country, intimate partner violence is not a topic; it is a lived reality. My speech and the bill a…
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Mr. Speaker, as I approach the first anniversary of my coming to this place, it is a good chance to reflect on the lessons I have learned. One of the important lessons someone learns in this place is that just because we can do something, it does not always mean it is a good idea. The government motion we have in front of us would increase the size of committees, as well as the government's contro…
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Mr. Speaker, this weekend, a young disabled man was assaulted for the fourth time by a gang in downtown Nanaimo. He was badly hurt but so traumatized that it took his mom a day to get him to hospital while his attackers remain perpetually out on bail. Nothing the Liberals have proposed repeals the principle of restraint, which releases the accused at the earliest opportunity on the least restricti…
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Mr. Speaker, when the member says that we are only spending one day on this, he devalues everything I have done in my life and my career. This is not a one-day thing for me. I have a trade and a profession, and I value both. If the member would look at page 217 of the budget and see what the government is doing to restigmatize and continue to stigmatize the trades, perhaps he would speak to the pe…
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Mr. Speaker, the short answer to my colleague is no, I cannot make sense of why the Liberals are attacking us on question after question today as we try to focus on jobs for young people. I want to highlight the work that my colleague has done on this file. This is something that he has been focused on day after day. I have seen him talk about it to people in my riding when he has come to visit to…
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Mr. Speaker, there is a small passage buried deep in budget 2025. It sits quietly on page 217. There is no headline, no press conference and no public debate, but for many young Canadians and for communities like mine, it matters a great deal, because in that short passage, the government signals its intent to eliminate student grants for students attending private educational institutions. At fir…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not understand why the Liberals are opposing us on this matter. What I can say to those who are watching at home is that we value what they do and thank them for doing it, and to keep contributing to our economy, because there is a bright future ahead.
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Mr. Speaker, every one of these treaties is a contract, and every one of them is a contract between a first nation or an indigenous group and the Crown. All of them have dispute resolutions. Normally, when someone is in breach of a contract, they contact the other party and tell them they are in breach of this contract. The party either says, yes they are, or no, they are not. Why do we need a com…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a really simple yes-or-no question for the parliamentary secretary. Would this commissioner be necessary at all if her department simply lived up to its treaty obligations?
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Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleague a simple question. Would this new bureaucracy be necessary if the government and the ministers were fulfilling their obligations under these treaties?
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Mr. Speaker, I think a majority of the indigenous communities in the country join me in lamenting the fact that the government does not keep its word.
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Mr. Speaker, in my speech, I talked about the importance of building bridges. There is no question that there are things we could do with this $10.6 million that would benefit first nations and that would benefit Canada. The truth is that the reason to avoid spending this money is to keep the commitments and to implement the treaties. If we do that, what we would get in return is priceless. What w…
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Mr. Speaker, I come to the House from the traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Snuneymuxw First Nation and the Stz'uminus First Nation. We are also home to a thriving Mid Island Métis community. Getting to know people in these communities has deepened my understanding of the interconnectedness of people to the land, the human connection we all share and the link betwe…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not entirely sure that I see the connection between the notwithstanding clause and the bill that we are speaking about today. What I would say is that the Government of Canada needs to do a better job of connecting and communicating with Canadians so that they understand why it is making the decisions it is making and we can avoid disputes in the first place.
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Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member's question is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how important it is that, as members, we keep our word with our constituents and that we do not break our trust with them. The reason it has taken 20 years to get here is that the government has not kept its promise. These treaties need to be implemented, and all people in the House should be honouring their c…
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Mr. Speaker, the member says he disagrees with the decision and is appealing, but appeals are not do-overs, as the minister should have been told by her lawyers. The “raise it or lose it” principle is a core feature of how our legal system works. One cannot raise a new argument on appeal if one did not raise it at trial. My dad used to refer to this as the “you snooze, you lose” rule. In Cowichan …
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Mr. Speaker, there is secrecy, uncertainty and anxiety. Between the Cowichan Tribes decision and the Musqueam agreement, the Liberals and NDP have managed to throw private property rights into question for thousands of British Columbians. We need a game plan in this country on how we are going to get from where we are today to reconciliation in an affordable, reasonable manner, but the Cowichan Tr…
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Mr. Speaker, there is an old story about a traveller in the desert. Night had fallen and the air had turned bitterly cold. The traveller had just enough space and warmth in the tent to get through the night, but then a camel approached and asked if it could put its nose inside just to stay warm. The traveller agreed. It seemed harmless. However, then the camel asked to bring in its head and then i…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question. The hon. member has pointed out one of the really difficult issues that we are grappling with, with this government, which is that the Liberals talk, saying things that people want to hear. They talk about making changes that need to be made, but somewhere behind the scenes resources are not following the matter and Canadians are no…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for giving me the opportunity yesterday in the justice committee to ask questions about this very topic. It is a good example of how the Liberals give with one hand and take away with the other. It is incredibly important to protect children against predation, online and off-line. I hope that the government will see reason and restore the mandatory mi…
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