Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member again for the work he is doing. I briefly want to talk about the Canada summer jobs program, because I know it benefits young people across the country in all our respective constituencies. In my riding of Ottawa Centre alone, almost 600 jobs have been created. I run into young people who have taken part in the program in the past or are part of the program now…
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Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of cheering. It feels like the last day of school. That is how my kids felt this morning, by the way, as we were leaving home. This is a similar feeling. I also want to thank the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for his hard work. I know he works extremely hard on behalf of his constituents. I know he is a very engaged father. I have often seen him around here…
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Mr. Speaker, let me start by wishing you a restful summer. I know it has been a very busy sitting. I want to thank the entire House of Commons staff for their remarkable work in supporting us in the important work we do on behalf of our constituents. It is a great honour for me to serve Ottawa Centre.
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the annual report of the 2024-25 Canada account, as prepared by Export Development Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Indo-Caribbean Organization of Ottawa is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its annual multicultural event. This special occasion is a celebration of the culture, heritage and identity of the Indo-Caribbean community. It is an opportunity to recognize the many valuable contributions the Indo-Caribbean community has made to Canada, particularly in the national capital reg…
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Mr. Speaker, if Conservatives ever wonder why Canadians do not trust them and elect them as government, it is unserious questions like this, and what we continue to see in this House is great evidence of this. As all Canadians know, we are living in some very challenging times. We are engaged in an unjustified trade war with the United States. There are wars that are going on in the world that hav…
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Madam Speaker, our strategy creates a national AI literacy initiative that will reach one million post-secondary students and 3,000 teachers. It will offer up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians. We are also helping SMEs adopt AI by investing $1 billion in programs like regional AI initiatives and the LIFT program.
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Madam Speaker, it is a great joy to celebrate the Great Glebe Garage Sale in my community of Ottawa Centre. If anyone happens to be in Ottawa, in my community, on the third Saturday of every May, the Great Glebe Garage Sale is the place to go. For 40 years, neighbours have participated in this sale. People can get such incredible, great deals on hidden treasures that people have stored in their ba…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate that the opposition has a job to do, which is to critique the government, but, as a government, our focus is to build our economy. That is why we have been working very hard to make sure that we diversify our trade and that we open more markets for Canadian businesses. The results are coming in. It has been reported that 88,000 new jobs have been created. We are also no…
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Mr. Speaker, all goods entering the country are subject to import controls and rigorous verification processes. The Canada Border Services Agency conducts risk analyses to identify and intercept any goods that are likely to have been produced using forced labour, and it reports back to Parliament every year. We will protect Canada's interests while standing up for high labour standards for all wor…
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Mr. Speaker, it is worth repeating that forced labour is completely unacceptable. We take all steps necessary to ensure that we keep our supply chain free from forced labour. We, in fact, put a lot of work and rigour into ensuring that, in all our trade agreements, we have stringent labour standards and provisions according to international labour standards. We will continue to do that work. We wi…
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Mr. Speaker, as the minister before me said, forced labour is absolutely unacceptable. That is why we are always working hard to ensure that we have our supply chain completely protected. That is why various departments within the Government of Canada, as per the strict laws we have in place, work all the time to ensure that we stop any shipments that are a result of forced labour. In fact, that i…
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Mr. Speaker, forced labour is unacceptable. We must ensure that our global supply chains are free of these kinds of abusive practices. We are working closely with the relevant minister and the entire government to reduce forced labour in the supply chain. This is also why we are making it a priority to have comprehensive labour provisions included in the free trade agreement, to promote internatio…
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is time to get serious. I think members of the opposition and Canadians know that we are in very uncertain economic times and that we are engaged in a trade war that is not of our making. That is why the Prime Minister and the government have a plan. That is why we are so focused on diversifying our trade and engaging in free trade agreements with countries around the world…
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Mr. Speaker, the members opposite can be as gleeful and as jovial as they want, but Canadians know that this is a very serious moment for our country. That is why they require serious leadership. That is why they have elected a leader and a party that have a plan to diversify our economy. We not only will engage with the United States and Mexico to get the best deal possible for our country, but w…
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Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to attend a flag-raising ceremony at city hall in my community of Ottawa Centre to celebrate Africa Day. Representatives from multiple African nations and leaders of the African diaspora came together to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the African Union and its work to advance a more peaceful, sustainable and prosperous Africa. The continent of Africa is big an…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians recognize that we are living in some really economically uncertain times. There are unjustified tariffs on Canadian autos, steel, lumber and aluminum, and there is a war going on in the Middle East that is impacting our economy and the global economy. That is why this Prime Minister and this government have a plan. Our plan includes diversifying our trade, making sure that w…
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Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what we are doing. We are living in uncertain times, and our focus is on creating more opportunities for Canadian businesses, including our hard-working farmers, to be able to export around the world. In fact, if we talk to farmers, we hear that they are very excited about the opportunities we are creating for them in India, China, the Philippines and other ASEAN cou…
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Mr. Speaker, we are engaged in active negotiations throughout the world to create more opportunities for Canadians to create more good-paying jobs for our farmers and for our industries across Canada. That includes a negotiating agreement with Mercosur, which is the fifth-largest trading bloc in the world, with a GDP of somewhere between $3 trillion and $3.5 trillion. In that process, we are worki…
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Mr. Speaker, today, along with parliamentarians, members of the Canadian Armed Forces, veterans and families, I had the honour of attending the groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of the construction phase of Canada's national monument to the mission in Afghanistan, a permanent memorial to the 158 members of the Canadian Armed Forces and seven civilians who lost their lives. It is also a tri…
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Madam Speaker, climate change is a global challenge that calls on all countries to act. It also presents opportunities for those willing to invest in the future. In our spring economic update, we renewed Canada's international climate finance to help scale up investments in sustainable solutions across the developing world. It means crowding in private capital, including through FinDev Canada, to …
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Mr. Speaker, we are focused on making life better for Canadians. One of the many measures in the spring economic update is the changes to the disability tax credit, which would make it easier for Canadians living with disabilities to be approved for the financial relief they deserve. These changes will streamline the application process by immediately certifying anyone who has their disability cer…
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Mr. Speaker, these are very serious times in our country, in fact globally. Canadians understand that we are living through a precarious time and that we have to work extremely hard to ensure that we build our economy and invest in Canadians so they are supported through these difficult times. Canadians deserve serious leadership, and that is precisely what the Prime Minister and the government ar…
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Mr. Speaker, you missed an amazing basketball game this Wednesday. The all-party basketball team made up of MPs and staff was victorious yet again this year, by just two points, against the parliamentary press team. It was done to support Christie Lake Kids, which is an incredible charity in my community of Ottawa Centre that provides recreational supports for so many kids in our community. The ch…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the government will continue to work hard to get the best deal with the United States for Canadians. Our criterion is simple: The deal has to be one of the best deals. However, Canadians also realize that if our country relies on only one country for its trade, that could turn into a weakness. That is why it is imperative that we work hard to diversify our trade…
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Mr. Speaker, we are building big things again in Canada. After generations of studies and delays, the federal government is delivering on an essential high-speed train that will connect the most densely populated part of our country, and Ottawa will be at the heart of the new Alto high-speed train. The mayor and the City of Ottawa recognize what a transformative project this will be. The Ottawa Bo…
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Mr. Speaker, Eid is a time to celebrate with family and friends, and for communities to come together in joy and solidarity. I was happy to join members of my community in Ottawa Centre and the diplomatic corps at a celebration organized by Abbis Mahmoud and Koussei Kurbaj that combine the Eid celebration and fundraising for the Ottawa breakfast program. The program is run by the Ottawa Network fo…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to be absolutely clear to all members of this House: Forced labour is unacceptable. We must ensure that our global supply chains remain free from these abuses. That is why we prioritize the inclusion of comprehensive labour provisions and free trade agreements to promote international labour standards. We also work with Public Safety to reduce forced labour from our supply chai…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. This is a very important point, as to where those lines are. I think it is important to clarify that the bill is not a bubble-zone legislation. I know it is more commonly referred to as creating some sort of a bubble zone around places of worship, community centres or schools. That is not what the bill does. It does not talk about dista…
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Mr. Speaker, the member is somebody who, by the way, wears a collar. He knows what it means to work with communities and to protect communities. We have seen so much victimization happen in the country over the last few years because of people's religious beliefs. It is incumbent upon us to provide protections for them, to make sure that people are not being victimized because of their faith, sexu…
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Mr. Speaker, I think what we are considering here today is the entire bill, Bill C-9. I went through, in quite some detail, the five pillars of the bill, that make the bill. The Conservatives have chosen to divide our communities. They have chosen to just pick one very small aspect of the bill, as opposed to looking at its entirety, something that is supported by Canadians coast to coast to coast,…
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Mr. Speaker, I am standing here as the member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, which is a great honour that the good people of my community have given me. I am very much looking forward to speaking again on Bill C-9, which is a very important piece of legislation. It emanates from a platform commitment that my party, the Liberal Party of Canada, made in the last election after consulting many grou…
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Mr. Speaker, some of the main challenges facing many seniors are isolation, staying active and engaging with their neighbours and communities. Addressing those challenges is the core mission of The Good Companions Seniors' Centre in my community of Ottawa Centre, and it has been pursuing that for the past 70 years. The amazing staff and volunteers of The Good Companions have shown unrivalled passi…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate being acknowledged. You always look good in the chair and you do a really good job. I am hoping you will give me some leniency while I am speaking. I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. I am thrilled to share my time with her, as I consider her to be a close friend in this place. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to Bill C-13, which …
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Langley Township—Fraser Heights was one of the members I had the chance to travel with, and I got to know him personally quite well. I appreciate his public service and his representation of his community. He would remember that in every conversation we had, including with the Minister for International Trade from the United Kingdom, we brought up the issue of these non…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be able to work with my colleague on the Standing Committee on International Trade. He has contributed a great deal to the work of that committee. The committee adopted an important amendment that was put forward by the opposition member. That particular amendment would enhance transparency. It would allow for Global Affairs Canada to report back on the progress a…
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Mr. Speaker, it will require a lot of hard work for us to really meet the objective of doubling our non-U.S. exports in the next 10 years. The work that is necessary is to deepen relationships with our existing partners and to build new partnerships. The United Kingdom is a really good example. It is a nation that, as I mentioned earlier, enjoys a very long-lasting relationship with us. This agree…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we all share the goal of making sure there is energy security, and not only energy security. In order for us to really fight climate change, we need to make sure there is more enhanced electrification, not only in Canada but around the world. I think that is going to be an imperative. For us to do that the best way, we need to make sure we have net-zero electricity. Some may d…
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Mr. Speaker, that was a very good question, and the member is absolutely right. The agriculture sector was extremely enthusiastic, because it opens up a very big market. Some of the big barriers that exist are around sanitary and phytosanitary conditions. The agreement allows for better regulatory harmonization, for better process and understanding, and for high-quality products that are grown in …
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to Bill C-18. Bill C-18 is a very important piece of legislation. It is critical at this moment in our history for Canada's economic growth and prosperity, and for making sure that we are able to create the important jobs necessary for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Before I get into some of the substantive parts of this legislation,…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her important question. I was very pleased to work with my colleagues from the Bloc Québécois on the amendment to the bill. It was a good amendment. We agree with the member that having a report-back mechanism in the agreement is a good procedural step to ensure that we as parliamentarians will be able to take full stock of the promise of this legislat…
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Mr. Speaker, that was a very good question. As I mentioned, this is a more modern free trade agreement than we have done in the past. That is why we do not call it a free trade agreement. Rather, we call it a comprehensive economic agreement. I think this is the kind of template that we will be able to use in other places, like ASEAN and Mercosur. We are negotiating with the Philippines and Thaila…
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Mr. Speaker, just like the member opposite, I have been meeting with many faith groups, and I have shared with them the same information I will share now. We have something called the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Religious rights are protected within the charter. I think that relying on some sort of an exemption, which may have been created before the charter existed, is really misleading folks…
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Mr. Speaker, the most incredible thing about this country is that we always find a way to make sure that everybody's freedoms are protected. That is what the charter tries to do. It protects the rights and freedoms of people to make sure we can find that perfect space where we can all live in harmony, which is sometimes challenging to do. What we are trying to do is protect the cultural rights of …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for raising a very important point. The games that the Conservatives are playing are very dangerous because they are making our communities and our society even more insecure at this moment. All the Jewish community groups have been asking for this legislation. They support this legislation. They want this legislation to be passed. As we are seeing the rise …
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Mr. Speaker, thank you for recognizing me and giving me an opportunity to speak on this motion. I know my colleagues are still working their way out of the chamber as we end question period, so I am just going to make sure that you are seated and that there is some time and space in the House so that I can speak. Before I get into my comments, I want to start by saying that I will be sharing my ti…
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Mr. Speaker, there is obviously a very serious divide within the Conservative Party, as there are some who support the bill and others who oppose it. By bringing these arguments forward, its members are delaying the safety of society. We have something called the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, which protects everybody's religious freedoms. The charter remains in place.
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Mr. Speaker, when was the last time you thought about the health of your heart? For many Canadians, the risk of cardiovascular disease is not top of mind, but the One Million Canadian Hearts campaign led by the Ottawa Heart Institute, located in my riding of Ottawa Centre, is hoping to change that. As part of the activities to mark 50 years of operation, the Ottawa Heart Institute has launched thi…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we are starting to recognize that the opposition has finally gotten the memo that we may be in the middle of a trade war, in which our closest ally and trade partner has turned its back on us. That is why we are so focused on making sure that we diversify our trade. That is why we are working hard to open markets in China, India, Japan and Australia, where the Prime Minister i…
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Health care is broken? Madam Speaker, that is what I heard. I hope you are having that conversation with your minister of health in Saskatchewan, my friend. I hope you are having that conversation.
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