Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I am not very far from the hon. colleague, and I could not hear. Therefore, I am asking for this member to be able to start over in speaking to his private member's bill.
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Madam Speaker, we have a bill before us, Bill C-14, that takes into account a number of policies on bail reform. Included in Bill C-14 are parts of Bill S-233, or my private member's bill, Bill C-321, which would have made it an aggravating factor in sentencing if the victim of violence was a firefighter, health care worker or first responder. Would it not send a message to the firefighters on the…
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Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I know that all members appreciate the sacrifice that firefighters, first responders and nurses have—
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions behind the scenes, and I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent—
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Mr. Speaker, first responders, nurses and health care workers serve and protect our communities every day. They put their uniforms on every day knowing that their lives will be on the line. They run toward danger. They mend our broken bones. They hold our hands as we take our last breaths. What we have just seen from this Liberal government is shameful. Just before QP, I rose and asked for unanimo…
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Madam Speaker, we have a piece of legislation before us, Bill S-233. It has gone through all levels of committee. My comment to our hon. colleague is to work with me; let us get Bill S-233 passed as soon as tomorrow. It does not have to go through a lengthy process. We can then send that message to the firefighters, paramedics and health care workers who are watching this debate right now. They fe…
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Madam Speaker, I do not have a crystal ball in front of me. I deal in facts. We do not know what next week will bring, but we have Bill S-233 here, which is a complete bill, has gone through all the process and could be passed today. That is a good-news story for this House. Whatever happens next week or in the near future, who knows? However, what we can say is that we came together, we valued ou…
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Madam Speaker, it would have been law. The sad thing is that it would have been law. However, I can say that all sides of the House, both here in Parliament and in the Senate, worked tirelessly to get this done during the last Parliament. Colleagues who are in the House right now worked tirelessly to get this done. It is a plea, because this is weighty stuff, hearing the stories of another firefig…
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Madam Speaker, it is great to see you in the chair. It is great that we are having this debate today. I want to thank our hon. colleague from Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations for sharing his time with me. I believe its name has changed, and I hope that is the new name. Today, we rise to talk about Bill C-14. However, if members will pardon me, I am going to talk about those the bill has an impact…
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Madam Speaker, I have worked collaboratively across all sides of the House for the last three years in the work on Bill C-321, an act to amend the Criminal Code as it pertains to first responders and health care workers. I worked collaboratively across all sides to get it passed unanimously in the last Parliament at all stages. It did, but the dissolution of Parliament made it fall off the Order P…
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moved that Bill S-233, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (assault against persons who provide health services and first responders), be read the first time. Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to introduce Bill S-233, an act to amend the Criminal Code for assault against persons who provide health services and first responders. I would be remiss if I did not thank my hon. colleague from Oshaw…
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Mr. Speaker, it seems that the only opportunity that our hon. colleague across the way is looking for is to gaslight this side of the House and gaslight Conservatives. He again brings up comments that were made by our leader when, in fact, he himself is on record as calling our national police force racist. Our current Minister of Public Safety commented, “We've seen a continuous issue of racism t…
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Mr. Speaker, we are hemorrhaging jobs, and they are offering a band-aid. Canadians do not want handouts; they want jobs. The forestry sector supports over 200,000 direct jobs in 300 forestry communities nationwide. That is more direct employment than Canada's steel, aluminum and automotive sectors combined. The Prime Minister campaigned on negotiating a win with the U.S. Instead, since he took ove…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, first responders, nurses and health care workers serve and protect our communities. They run toward danger, they heal our broken bones and they hold our hand as we take our last breath. However, what we have seen in the last 48 hours by the Liberal government, which is using frontline heroes as political pawns, is shameful. I received a message from a first responder late last night w…
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Mr. Speaker, it has been 10 years, and the Liberals have failed to secure a softwood lumber agreement. In the meantime, over $10 billion in tariffs and duties on Canadian lumber has been collected by the Americans. Thirty mills have been closed in B.C., and tens of thousands of Canadians have lost their jobs, over 2,700 in my riding alone. These are 2,700 families who cannot afford to put food on …
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Mr. Speaker, I just read the notice that the government has taken up excerpts of our bill, Bill C-321, but I have not had a chance to look at whether they go far enough. We know the Senate just passed Bill S-233 last night. It is back in this House as we speak. My understanding is that Bill S-233 is complementary to the new bail reform bill. We also know that Bill C-321 passed at all levels in the…
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Mr. Speaker, that is the only way to get anything done. We have to have a multi-tiered plan to work on this. Because we have a nation filled with different jurisdictions, like the provincial jurisdictions, regional jurisdictions and others, we have to work with these groups and each province to make sure we are doing something. Moreover, we need leadership at the top. Somebody has to take the rein…
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is new here, so I will forgive him if he is not aware of my record. I am who I am. My stripes have never changed, and he can ask any of his long-standing Liberal colleagues that. My record stands for itself.
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Mr. Speaker, we are here to talk about Bill C-12. I am going to focus my speech. As many of my colleagues in the House know, I do a lot of work with our first responders and our veterans. I do a lot of work dealing with mental health throughout our country, so I will be spending a majority of my time talking about fentanyl and how it has had just an incredible, devastating impact on our country. I…
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Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we have a black hole when it comes to statistics. We know that those numbers are likely much higher. The numbers we have are only the ones that are reported. Due to the stigma surrounding addiction and suicide, many cases are unreported. I believe those numbers are actually higher.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, since 2015, 11 mills have closed in my region. That is over 2,700 jobs lost, with 2,700 families that cannot feed their kids, cannot pay their mortgages and cannot pay their hydro bills. Vanderhoof lost 500 jobs. Prince George lost 1,000 jobs. Williams Lake lost 1,070 jobs. Quesnel lost 150 jobs, and 100 Mile House lost 160 jobs. British Columbia used to be the largest producer of sof…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, on World Mental Health Day, let us remember that there is no health without mental health. Every day, 12 Canadians die by suicide and a further 200 attempt suicide. That is 73,000 Canadians per year, and thousands more struggle in silence. Earlier this week, I received a message from the wife of a first responder who died by suicide. She asked me to remind my colleagues that…
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Mr. Speaker, I take this very seriously. I believe the member for Winnipeg North is a veteran, so I understand he has skin in the game, too, and takes it seriously as well. For the last 10 years, I have been here, working respectively across all party lines. We know the government filibustered the defence committee for three months. We know the Prime Minister's Office covered up the investigation …
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Mr. Speaker, I was going to ask a question about Bill C-11 today, but the minister brought up a number of points regarding veterans, Canadian Armed Forces members and personnel, their service and the PTSD related to their service. In 2017, I passed a bill here in the House, Bill C-211, which made Canada the first country in the world to develop a national framework with respect to post-traumatic s…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Winnipeg North has been here long enough. He knows he needs to be directing his comments through you, the Chair. He continues to answer and go through and say “you” and use those terms. I ask that he show respect to you, Mr. Speaker.
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Mr. Speaker, I know my hon. colleague has done a considerable amount of work on this. I sat through a lot of testimony when I served on the national defence committee and the veterans committee. All of the testimony was absolutely horrific and hard to hear. Many of the victims are still in the CAF as we speak. They were when they brought their cases and complaints forward. How do we ensure these v…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our hon. colleague for his service to our country. I know this member very well, and I know this is near and dear to him because of the time he served on the committee. He listened to the testimonies of the victims, as I have. Our hon. colleague Is a veteran, a committee member and a friend and colleague to some of these victims; I want to know just how important this …
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate our colleague for the work that she has done on these committees. During the 10 years I have been here, she has been a stalwart supporter of victims of military sexual trauma. I am going to ask the same question I asked earlier on. How will the victims be protected by CAF structures as they wait for justice? It is a concern as both systems have been split and we still hav…
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Mr. Speaker, business owners in my province feel like they are under siege. There are break-ins, theft, arson, smashed windows, extortion and open drug use. Prolific offenders are wreaking havoc on our streets. In Kelowna, a recent report reveals that just 15 criminals were responsible for over 1,300 police reports in 2024. The Liberals' catch-and-release Bill C-75 forces courts to release violent…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised bail reform, and he has broken that promise. Last fall, a senior in my riding, Bob Hubbard, returned home to find his home being robbed. When he tried to stop the perpetrators, they ran him over, dragged him down the road and left him for dead. They were caught that same day and released hours later, while Mr. Hubbard lay in hospital with life-threatening i…
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Madam Speaker, I have a tremendous amount of respect for my hon. colleague. I will finish the way I started, with a simple question: Do our communities and our country look the same as it did in 2015 when the government took power? The answer is no.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Souris—Moose Mountain for his kind words. I immediately felt the weight of the world on my shoulders when he said that he was looking forward to my speech. I am going to be very plain and blunt for a change—
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Madam Speaker, he is heckling me right now, and he is laughing. He is laughing at the suffering of those in my riding. It is gross, yet he continues to do this time and time again. I can just say, shame on him. Madam Speaker, 53,000 Canadians have lost their lives in the overdose crisis since 2016. I will mention Brianna MacDonald, a 13-year-old who, last year, lost her life in a homeless encampme…
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Madam Speaker, as a matter of fact, when the town of Williams Lake, the mayor and council, wanted to declare a state of emergency it was actually over one prolific offender. When four to five or five to six prolific offenders are in jail, the crime rate goes down. When they are out of jail, the crime rate goes up. That is the reality. The member does not want to believe it. He does not want to agr…
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Madam Speaker, I guess I ruined my own video. We will just edit that out. We are here today to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart in our communities. The hon. member for Winnipeg North mentioned me in his speech a little earlier. He said could not believe the member for Cariboo—Prince George used these words and exaggerated the state of the crime rate. I promise I did not exagg…
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Madam Speaker, total violent crime in our country is up 54% to 55%. Homicides are up 30%. Sexual assaults are up 75% to 76%. Total firearms crime is up 130%. Extortion overall for our country is up 330%. In my home province of British Columbia, it is up 481%. Overdose in my province is the leading cause of death for youth and young adults aged 10 to 18. That is under the Liberal government. That i…
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Mr. Speaker, I guess I have hurt his feelings. All I was going to say is that the member espouses, every day, the Liberal talking points. He does a great job for his team. I am just saying that there are a lot of other MPs on the other side who are probably waiting to give their maiden speech. Food insecurity has gone up 128% since the Liberals took power. One in four Canadians cannot afford basic…
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Mr. Speaker, the Retail Council of Canada says that record levels of theft from stores took place in 2024: $9.1 billion. The number one item being shoplifted was meat because Canadians cannot afford to put food on their tables. They are resorting to theft to try to feed their families, yet the Liberals say Canadians have never had it so good. Is that wilful ignorance, honest ignorance or just plai…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague, who has done an incredible job on this file. He was doing his intervention and rattling off numbers on Canadians who are desperate and cannot afford to put food on their table; all the while, the Liberals were heckling and laughing at the situation. As a matter of fact, as he mentioned, food insecurity is up 128%. The Retail Council of Canada reported that r…
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Mr. Speaker, our hon. colleague never misses an opportunity to stand and debate. Every day, he stands up. There are a lot of newbies on the other side of the bench who are probably waiting to get their—
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in six months, the Prime Minister has proven he is good at only one thing: breaking promises. He promised the fastest-growing economy in the G7. Instead, he delivered the fastest-shrinking economy. He said Canadians should judge him by the prices at the grocery store. Food prices are now higher than ever before, since he has been Prime Minister. “Build, baby, build”, the Prime Ministe…
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Madam Speaker, we cannot open up social media, turn on the TV or radio or open a newspaper without seeing another violent repeat offender being released and wreaking havoc in our communities. In my riding of Cariboo—Prince George, I think of Mr. Bob Hubbard, a senior who returned home last fall to find his house being robbed. When he tried to stop the robbers, they ran him over with his own vehicl…
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Madam Speaker, I listened intently to our hon. colleague from Brampton, which is a hotbed for violent offenders, repeat offenders and a lot of crime, a lot of headlines in recent weeks and days. Her speech focused on a number of different areas. She said the province was not doing its job, that the municipalities were not doing their job and that everybody else needs to be doing their job. In my m…
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Madam Speaker, we know that in the communities in my riding, 98% of the crime is created by five or six prolific offenders. When they are in jail, the crime rate goes down. When they are out of jail, the crime rate goes up. Municipalities are crying for reform, police associations are crying for it and the provinces are crying for it, yet the government continues to refuse to act. It is being obst…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to expenditures by government departments or agencies on cloud services, broken down by fiscal year since 2021-22: (a) what was the total amount spent on cloud services from (i) Amazon, (ii) Amazon Web Services, (iii) Microsoft, (iv) Google; and (b) broken down by vendor in (a)(i) to (a)(iv), what is the nature and criticality of the government functions and data that rely on their clo…
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Madam Speaker, it is great to see you in the chair. It is great to be back. It is always interesting: The Liberals break something, and they blame everyone else for the accident and for breaking it. I want to thank our hon. colleague for her thoughtful presentation and intervention today. I have two questions: Does the government have any idea how many people would be granted citizenship automatic…
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Madam Speaker, I love the comment from our colleague across the way, saying we should not worry, it will all get sorted out and Liberals will work with everybody to make things better. I have been here for 10 years and have yet to really see any of that take place. In the office of my riding of Cariboo—Prince George, the immigration cases far outweigh any of the other cases we do. They are absolut…
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Madam Speaker, our hon. colleague from Winnipeg North stands up once again, points fingers and says that all the Conservatives say is, “It is broken.” Well, this file is broken, and the truth is that the Liberals broke it. Our country was built on the backs of immigrants. Immigration is so important to our country, yet the Liberals broke it. They lost track of over a million immigrants coming into…
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Madam Speaker, to my hon. colleague from Winnipeg North, Conservatives are listening to Canadians. Canadians have concerns. We are already facing hospital closures in our province of British Columbia. There are not enough doctors. There are not enough nurses to be able to fulfill the duties and the services that we need right now. The Liberals cannot tell us how many people they are going to bring…
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Mr. Speaker, this is a little bit out of the scope of my colleague's file, but the Liberals really missed a key opportunity with this piece of legislation. Over seven million Canadians are without a primary care physician. We are in a mental health crisis within our country, and they could have very easily included provisions for a blue seal program within this bill. I would like to hear our hon. …
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