Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for this very important question. The flooding in Peguis First Nation is of great concern, and the health and safety of residents is a top priority for our government. We are in constant communication with Chief Hudson and local partners, and are taking immediate action to ensure that Peguis receives the supports required in this emergency situation. In direct respo…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, this week is Canadian jury appreciation week. From May 8 to May 14, I encourage Canadians to heed the call of Mark Farrant and the Canadian Juries Commission to show their support for jurors across the country. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Canadians do their civic duty by answering the summons for jury duty. Jurors are our family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues and …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek for his ongoing advocacy for small businesses and tourism in his riding. Our government has made targeted investments to support the tourism industry and the local communities that rely on tourism. Just recently, the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario announced $68.5 mil…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. I am pleased to follow my colleague for Kings—Hants. I just noticed we are wearing pretty much identical ties today, so I am glad he got my text message this morning. I am quite pleased to speak about this budget and what it means for Canadians, in particular my constituents here in Ottawa Centre. I think it is really important, befo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we have been investing in Canadians from the moment we came into government. Right here in my community, as I was mentioning, we have seen a tremendous amount of investment in affordable housing. In the past, under the previous Conservative government, the federal government was nowhere to be seen in the business of building new affordable housing. In fact, I had the honour of servi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I agree with the member that those blockades and the illegal occupation were a huge blow to our respective cities and to local economies. I am very happy to see that in the case of both Ottawa and the city of Windsor the federal government has stepped up in supporting small, local businesses through investments to recover some of the losses they incurred during the occupation. We ne…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we all recognize that health care is a very important responsibility of both federal and provincial governments, and we have seen, since the introduction of the universal health care system, that both the federal and the provincial governments work very closely in collaboration to serve Canadians from coast to coast to coast. In fact, the pandemic was a public health care emergency …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the operations of all police are fully independent, whether they be municipal, provincial, or federal. This police independence is critical. The government may not attempt to influence in any way an investigation, or direct the conduct of specific police operations. Police independence, as qualified in a 1999 Supreme Court decision, Campbell and Shirose, was described as follows: “Whi…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I want to share with this House how excited parents are in my community of Ottawa Centre with the announcement that we finally have a national child care and early learning program in Canada. It is absolutely a game-changer for young parents who want to be engaged in their kids' lives but also participate fully in the workforce. It is clear that child care is not a luxury, but a neces…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, Canada is a leader when it comes to protecting our coasts and waterways. Recent investments in coastal protection through Canada's oceans protection plan, the strengthening of the Canada Navigable Waters Act and the implementation of the Wrecked, Abandoned and Hazardous Vessels Act show our government's resolve towards protecting our waterways. One way we continue to show this commi…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to stand on behalf of the Minister of Transport. The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of safe and environmentally sound practices for the dismantling and recycling of ships. We are aware of concerns raised about ship recycling activities being conducted in Union Bay on provincial land. In Canada, responsibility for regulating waste management, including sh…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, just over three years ago, on March 10, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 157 people, 18 of whom were Canadians, crashed in Ethiopia on route to Nairobi. Some were going home or visiting loved ones, some perhaps starting new adventures, but many were humanitarians headed to the UN environment conference in Nairobi, like a constituent of mine, Stéphanie Lacroix. When she was n…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, in response to the hon. member for Langley—Aldergrove, I will start by saying that our thoughts remain with the families of those who have lost loved ones and all those affected by the floods, landslides and extreme weather conditions in British Columbia last November. Our government recognizes that this was a flooding event of extraordinary scale and scope. While the full causes of…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, as the member opposite knows, we of course work very closely with our American partners. In this instance, it is important that we also work very closely with the Province of British Columbia. As I mentioned, we have formed a joint committee with the province to work alongside indigenous leadership on immediate and ongoing support and to better understand the future steps that need …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, Canadians across the country are helping Ukrainians in crisis. Our community in Ottawa is no different. Recently, I visited the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Ottawa, where I saw dozens of volunteers collecting and sorting donations for the people of Ukraine. The energy was palpable. In the weeks since the illegal Russian aggression, the Ukrainian C…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the test is in the legislation. There has to be a threat that is national in scope. We did not have the tools available that could deal with that. This emergency is national in scope. It has impacted pretty much the entire country. There is not only the occupation of downtown Ottawa, but also the blockades that we saw in Windsor, in Manitoba at the Emerson crossing, in Coutts, Alber…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, what we have to remember in this instance is that for over three weeks, we were not able to put an end to the occupation. It continued on. Different tactics were used, with the application of existing law being present, but our law enforcement agencies were not able to end this occupation. Through the provision of powers, some of which I articulated, and their application, law enfor…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the member is right. He and I had the opportunity to work on very important charter-related issues when we were banning the practice of carding in the province of Ontario. The member was a city councillor then, and he and I worked together on that particular aspect. The essence of the Emergencies Act is to ensure that charter rights are protected. That is very much the intention and…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my heart ached as a Canadian when I saw communities in British Columbia going through the torturing heat or the flooding that I have seen just recently, or the parts of the country that experienced forest fires. This is a big country, and what binds us, unites us and glues us together is that we care for each other, so I say that I will stand with the member opposite, shoulder to sh…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, thank you for recognizing me and giving me the opportunity to speak in this extraordinary debate that is taking place in this House. It is the Sunday afternoon of the Family Day long weekend in Ontario, but here we are, as parliamentarians, debating a very important issue. As members know, I represent the riding of Ottawa Centre. Parliament is located in the riding of Ottawa Centre. T…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the member opposite knows that politicians cannot dictate to law enforcement how to apply the law. We have to rely on law enforcement to do the work. We have heard from our interim police chief that the Emergencies Act allowed him to do the important work he has done, with the help of many other police services, including the RCMP and the OPP, to put an end to this illegal occupatio…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, as members are very much aware, my riding includes Parliament Hill, which has been under siege for over three weeks now. My community has been held hostage, and I can assure the House these protests have not been peaceful or lawful. My question for the Prime Minister is this. How is the Emergencies Act going to help my constituents in Ottawa Centre?
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, now I will speak on behalf of my constituents, which all of us are sworn to do. I ask the members opposite: If this kind of occupation was happening in their neighbourhoods in their ridings for four weeks in a row—
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, it has been four weeks in a row. The members opposite talk about listening to the protesters but they will not even listen to a member of this House to understand what my constituents, the members of my community, are going through. When did the line cross between this being a lawful protest, which we welcome in my riding and happen all the time, to an illegal protest? Members opposit…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to honour my late friend, Richard Patten, who dutifully served our community of Ottawa Centre as the member of provincial Parliament from 1987 to 1990 and from 1995 to 2007. During this time, he also served as minister of government services and minister of correctional services in Ontario. After he retired from politics and as I succeeded him as the MPP, Richard g…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments by the hon. member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay. Our government absolutely recognizes the profound consequences that November's flooding has had on local communities in the member's region. Our thoughts remain with all those who were impacted by this tragic disaster. Our government is committed to being a strong federal partner in the response and recov…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for the important points he is making. On his first point, I want to assure him that through the disaster financial assistance arrangements, we are working very closely with the Government of British Columbia. We have received an initial assessment from it, and our officials are now reviewing that assessment for supports that would be available. I agree wi…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member on the point that Canadians have made a lot of sacrifices. They are following the public health guidelines. They are getting vaccinated. They are wearing masks. They are socially distancing themselves. It is amazing. I have two young children. It is amazing to see the kinds of habits our kids have developed. They are good habits for good hygiene, as a resu…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite is trying to say that somehow this is a political problem. We are living through a pandemic. We have a health care challenge at the moment. This is a global pandemic. Canada is not alone in fighting this pandemic. This is happening across the world. I do not understand the suggestion that the way to deal with the protests outside is to hold daily press conf…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I will address the second question first. I think the member opposite knows quite well that, in our system of democracy, politicians do not tell police officials how to enforce the law. There is a very important, significant and healthy distinction and differentiation between the two. I had the honour of serving as the solicitor general of Ontario. I very much know that we cannot tell…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is right. I, along with the member for Ottawa—Vanier, am in the heart of this crisis. As I mentioned, the community's suffering is unbearable. I am starting to run out of words to explain it. That is why, as soon as this crisis is over, we need to start engaging and thinking about the future. We need to think of how to prevent things like that by ensuring that we c…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on this very important issue in this very important debate. As members know, I represent the riding of Ottawa Centre. The House of Commons, where most members are sitting as I sit in my home, is located in Ottawa Centre. What we are seeing outside and what we have been talking about for the last 11 days is happening right in the heart of my c…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to speak about what has been going on in my community of Ottawa Centre. Residents are feeling terrorized by the protests, which have been going on for seven days now. Members of my community are being harassed, being subjected to hurtful and racist symbols, and the incessant honking is unbearable. Our parking lots are being used as urinals. Fireworks are bein…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, Bill C-8 deals with many of the pandemic issues. The member just talked about housing, and I want to put on the record a statement that was just issued by Cornerstone Housing for Women, which is located in my riding of Ottawa Centre, in which it said: These last six days have been extremely stressful for people experiencing homelessness and frontline staff working to support them in…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member opposite talking about some of the concerns of his constituents, and I want to take this opportunity to talk about some of the concerns that my constituents are facing right now daily because of the unpeaceful, unlawful protest that is taking place. For example, I just received an email from a gentleman who wrote: My wife and I live about 10 blocks west of Pa…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I stand again with a very heavy heart, as I did a few days ago, to speak on behalf of my constituents, who are going through an incredibly terrible time right now because of the unpeaceful protests that are taking place on the residential streets of downtown Ottawa. I have to say that I was so disappointed to see the Conservative members standing outside and cheering these protester…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I rise on the same point of order. I want to thank the member for supporting me. I will not be silenced when amplifying the voices of my community in this House.
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I would gently remind the member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon that Ottawa Centre is the number one riding in Canada, and I am so glad that he is here, in my riding, at this moment. In all seriousness, I want to thank him for his continued advocacy on behalf of his constituents on this matter. We know that November's flooding had a life-altering impact on many in British Columbi…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I would like to answer the member's question around support for farmers. The hon. member raised that issue, and I have to say that farmers have had to deal with unique and extraordinary hardships. Our government stands with them and is committed to supporting farm families through these challenges. I understand that the Minister of Agriculture is fully engaged on this issue, and I w…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I speak today with a very heavy heart as the member for Ottawa Centre. Many of us are here on Parliament Hill. Within a block in all three directions of this beautiful Parliament there are residents. They are the people who reside here and who have built their lives here. My community is under siege right now. For three days in a row, residents have been unable to sleep. They feel the…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon for allowing me to provide a more fulsome response on this very important issue. The recent flooding in British Columbia was a nearly unprecedented disaster for the people of the Lower Mainland. It devastated local communities, including those my hon. colleague represents. We must also not forget that this is but the latest wea…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank the member for his advocacy on behalf of his constituents. This is obviously an unprecedented circumstance, but I want to make it very clear that the government will be there for the people of British Columbia. We will work with British Columbians and the Government of British Columbia to ensure they have all the necessary supports to rebuild after this disaster,…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I was listening intently to the member opposite, and I really cannot believe what my ears were hearing, this vehement defence of the failed Harper, so-called “tough on crime” policies that have failed Canada over the years. They have resulted in nothing but over-incarceration of indigenous people and Black Canadians for offences that are not serious in nature. This is a defence of pol…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a very valid point the member opposite is making. As I said in my remarks, this is a first and important step forward, but there is far more work that needs to be done. I agree with the member, and I support her and look forward to working with her. When it comes to the entire implementation of the calls to action in the report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I was not advocating at all that everybody be released into the community. I think we have to look at the circumstances of individuals. I encourage and invite members to go visit jails in their local communities. The reason our jails are not fulfilling the purpose they are supposed to is that we have filled them up beyond capacity. We have put people in them who may have mental heal…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's support, with a caveat, for this bill. I agree with him that, and I think we all know, mental health and addiction issues are health issues and as such we need to treat them in that manner. However, there is a fair bit of debate as to what those next steps would look like. We know that decriminalization of simple possession of drugs is one path forward, but…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise to discuss Bill C-5. It proposes important reforms to reduce the over-incarceration of indigenous people, Black Canadians and members of marginalized communities. I am going to spend my time primarily talking about conditional sentence orders. I would like to bring to this conversation today my experience as the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Serv…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member has read the bill and knows that serious violent crimes are not included in our removal of mandatory minimum sentences. What is interesting here is that the Conservatives, in their opposition, are the ones who continue to create this straw man argument that somehow, by taking away mandatory minimums, we would be weakening the criminal justice system. No two offences are a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Minister of Justice along with the Minister of Labour for bringing forward this very important piece of legislation. I think a lot of us can recount horrible incidences that we saw during the peak period of vaccination, when our hospitals that are so critical for the health and well-being of our communities were being picketed by individuals who were just trying to…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Milton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to speak on the throne speech. I will start by thanking the residents of Ottawa Centre for giving me this incredible honour and opportunity to serve them in this House. I welcome all the members to my riding of Ottawa Centre as well. We feel quite privileged, as we are often refe…
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