Government Orders
Madam Speaker, our wonderful colleague has been speaking for three hours, and he is putting a lot of good ideas and points out there for the government. Unfortunately, we have students out there, watching—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the minister is promising 500,000 homes every year. According to CMHC, Canada's housing starts are projected to fall to as low as 212,000 homes. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, even though houses will be built, the new Liberal agency Build Canada Homes will add only 5,000 homes per year. That is 1% of the half a million homes promised. How can the minister explain to Ca…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I would like to apologize from the outset. This is not a speech that will soar to oratorical heights, castigating the government for its many failures and its apparent inability to understand the needs of the country. There is a time for that, but it is not now because this is not a partisan issue. It is not a matter of left or right, but we could say it is a matter of right and wro…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I agree that this bill is not going to do anything. What is scary in this whole process is this: Is the government losing direction? Is it losing focus? The focus has to be on building more homes for Canadians to fix the problem. Is the government only interested in building bureaucracies? I would like the hon. member to comment on that.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, we are here once again to consider whether April should be designated as Arab heritage month in Canada. Given the contributions of Arab Canadians to the growth of this country, since the first one arrived in 1882, I am sure this is an idea that we can all agree on. This community, which started with just a few families, has grown to more than one million Canadians who have Arab herita…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we are debating the time allocation the government has given, which is basically shortening the debate on 332 pages of law. It gave us only three hours before, so for each 100 pages, we have only one hour of debate. Members can imagine the shortcoming of Canadians not being able to understand what is going on with these bills and not being able to understand the consequences of what…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member is a neighbour in Edmonton. He mentioned in his previous answer how this can affect the negotiations with CUSMA or the USMCA. We are hearing from the United States about this specific topic. If he can talk about this, I think it will be important for this conversation.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are cutting down on groceries, gas and necessities while the Prime Minister is piling up the national credit card. Life is becoming unaffordable. Inflation caused by deficit spending is eating away at their ability to afford day-to-day life. With a trillion-dollar debt, the government's approach is just an illusion while Canadians are paying the price. Will the Prime…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, 12,000 Canadians will be diagnosed this year with type 1 diabetes, joining the 300,000 already dealing with it in the system. T1D can occur in people of any age. Its causes are not fully known. Most of those diagnosed have no family history of diabetes. It is not caused by diet or lifestyle. It is not contagious or something someone can outgrow. It has no cure. For more than 50 years,…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, going into debt makes things cost more. After 10 years of increasing Liberal borrowing, Canadians are worse off, and 60% of Albertans said it is difficult to meet monthly expenses. The Liberals spend and spend, and the taxes go up and up. Canadians cannot afford to buy groceries. Can the Liberal Prime Minister not see that his policies are making things worse for Canadians?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for all the speeches. They have added so much value to the conversation on an important bill. Beyond how much this bill means to me personally, I think it is going to mean a lot to many Canadians now and in the future. This is what we are trying to do here tonight. I am thankful for all the co-operation from all sides, from all provinces and from all MPs. This effort bel…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my hon. colleague. He is the shadow minister for health on the Conservative side. His guidance, his help, his wisdom and his direction helped me a lot to navigate this bill through. I am thankful for both his effort and his team's effort.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that the bill be read the third time and passed. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today for the final time in support of my private member's bill, Bill C-234. When passed, this bill will pave the way for the creation of the living donor recognition medal within the Canadian honours system. This bill has been supported by all parties, and I am extremely grateful for the unanimous and st…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I also thank the hon. member for his help and co-operation. The minister and the minister's team were so helpful in getting this common-sense bill through. It is about Canadians. It is about helping every Canadian. My family had to live through this for 20 years, and we know how much of a difference that makes. The bottom line here is that when we work together, we can make the imposs…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I enjoy working with the hon. member. We travelled together on an international development mission to Nicaragua. Yes, she is right. Awareness is the whole spirit of this bill. If we keep this in front of Canadians every day, that opportunity is going to encourage Canadians and educate them more on it. Not every family has to live through this to be able to learn how important it is t…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her speech at the second reading stage, as well as for reminding me about Quebec. As a family, we benefited in 2003 when we got a last-minute organ transplant from Quebec. I say that with a lot of pride, and I say that because I am very thankful for that opportunity. Quebec showed us the right example at the right time and will continue to d…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for telling us about these bills and what he does to handle such cases and such bills in the House of Commons, representing our party. Bill C-2 would have been a huge infringement on the privacy rights of Canadians. I am still receiving emails from constituents asking me to block Bill C-2; they think Bill C-2 is still in place. That infringement of Canadian l…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned in my speech that Canada is the only country in the Five Eyes that does not have a system in place to begin with. I also mentioned that this bill must go to committee to be examined, to be strengthened and to give Canadians and the authorities all the tools so Canadians can be protected while their privacy laws or privacy rights cannot be infringed upon.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to discuss Bill S-201, a national framework on sickle cell disease act. This is a disease that many have heard of, but few are aware of the details. Sickle cell disease, also known as sickle cell anemia or drepanocytosis, is a group of red blood cell disorders. Those with the disease have abnormal hemoglobin. As members probably know, hemoglobin is the part …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the role of opposition is to really stand up for Canadians, fight for Canadians and make sure the government does not overreach on the rights of Canadians at any level, regardless of whether it is at the economic level, the human rights level or the privacy rights level. That is where the opposition stands in this House strongly to make sure that, when we oppose, we oppose for the ben…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I received petition e-7071 with 1,634 signatures. It is a petition regarding suspicious deaths abroad and autopsies, lack of advocacy and information for families, and jurisdiction when Canadians harm Canadians abroad. The citizens and residents of Canada who signed the petition call upon the House of Commons to introduce legislation, commonly referred to as “Kiara's law”, to require …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the hon. member for bringing this important bill to the House. I believe that the problem is going to grow even bigger in the next decades. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians may be faced with something like this. I have a technical question. Canada already has a national strategy for drugs for rare diseases. Bill S-201, which we are discussing today, focuses only on a …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I agree. I think we need tougher access to provide information. The laws have to protect Canadians first and foremost, and there is a way to do that without having to infringe on their rights.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, Conservatives believe in law and order, and have always stood for common-sense measures to keep Canadians safe. For the past decade, we have been urging the Liberal government to reverse its failed policies and restore safety to our communities. Instead, the Liberals have let the situation get out of control. Last fall, the Liberals put forward Bill C-2, which fell well short of prote…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, not even a week goes by that I do not hear from my constituents about this issue. Canadians are very concerned about international interference in our elections. There were studies and there were efforts to get this through, but it has not been implemented. The government has not moved on it. We hope that with this bill, it will get more serious and act in a responsible way to get thi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest priorities we have as parliamentarians is safeguarding our democracy. Without free and fair elections with voters able to choose for themselves whom to support, what we do here and say is meaningless. Ensuring that the way we conduct elections is free from malicious control is one of the most important things we can do. Protecting democratic principles is not a part…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am not going to say it is too late that the government brought this up after four elections. I think this is very necessary to make sure that we have a perfect, very transparent electoral process. I believe the bill will go to committee. It has to go to committee, where it will be studied more and examined better to get the best results out of it.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I also enjoy working with the hon. member on several committees. We are talking about international interference in Canadian politics, and here we are trying to interfere with how Canadians want to donate and which party they choose to support. I disagree with the hon. member on that point. The bill is going to committee, and at committee there will be room for more suggestions and re…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, he makes promises, but the Prime Minister fails to make life more affordable. Canadians are experiencing financial whiplash under the Liberal government. Nearly three-quarters say rising prices for essentials like food and gas are straining their finances. Unpredictable conditions mean cutting back on spending and delaying major financial decisions. Canada is less affordable under the…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in April, Canadians will mark National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week. April 7 is Green Shirt Day, reminding us of the importance of organ donation. These annual initiatives highlight the critical need for donors, encourage donor registration and celebrate the many lives saved through transplantation. More than 4,700 Canadians are waiting for a life-saving transplant. It is …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member. I think there is no will in the government to do any of that. The by-election is coming soon in Quebec, and that is why the Liberals are rushing this through, to make sure there are no further amendments. If the bill is of value to the government, it would have allowed more consultation and more amendments to take place, so that we could have a better pie…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the big question. The government will always say something and do the opposite. This is one of the same symptoms we have seen many times over the last 10 years.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I feel for the Bloc Québécois. The Liberals will be sharing the vote gaining in certain places with them. As for the question, the laws are in place. We need the enforcement. There is no political will out there in the current government to enforce the laws. If the political will were there, we would not see attacks on synagogues or mosques or churches. If the government had any inten…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this is a political exercise for a party that does retail politics very well. We know what this is aiming for. This bill would not make anything safe. It would not help anything. Is it better for the government to enforce the legislation we have on the books when it comes to protecting people rather than doing what it is doing to divide people further?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Vancouver East. To put it bluntly, I am not convinced that this legislation, Bill C-9, an act to amend the Criminal Code regarding hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places, is necessary. I find it strange therefore that after months of making other legislation a priority, the government now wants to mak…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am really thankful to the hon. member for basically repeating what I said. We do have laws in place that protect the freedoms of Canadians, freedom of expression, freedom of religion and all that, but the government is refusing to enforce those laws while trying to communicate a political piece of legislation with the intent of gaining some votes in some areas regarding a certain se…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there are a few things to speak to. First of all, the government is politicizing this issue and causing a lot of division among Canadian society. Secondly, the government has lost the trust of the faith communities in Canada. As far as what we are hearing from Canadians is concerned, I have religious institutions in the double digits in my riding of Edmonton Manning. It is a diverse r…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, every time the government has an issue, it either throws money at it or creates another bureaucracy. Would the hon. member agree?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, the public is used to hearing politicians talk about importance of victims' rights, especially when a horrific crime is committed. What we have before us today is not just talk about protecting the victims of crime, but to actually do something. Bill C-243 is designed to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to provide that in the case of an offender who is serving a sente…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the first question that comes to mind regarding the need to build homes is this: Who builds homes? It is builders. People build homes, but they need a way to be able to build them. They need the government to get out of the way and municipalities to facilitate it. All these conditions have to be provided by the authorities to make sure that homes are built on time, with productivity l…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there is a saying that, in life, that we do not get what we deserve; we get what we negotiate. I believe that the government has failed to negotiate well to finally resolve this issue, which costs the Canadian economy close to $500 million a year and made it unfair for some of the pensioners. They deserve to get a fair shot out of their investment for life, especially as seniors. Nego…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, if the government does its job, no one has to do anything, but the government is not doing its job. The hon. member knows that. The Liberals have failed to come back to Canada and deliver on their promises. It has been one deadline after the other, and we still have not seen a result. If the government is suggesting that people should sit around, do nothing and not stand for Canada, t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the hon. leader of the Green Party and I were together, more than once, to meet with these pensioners who, we believe, have been treated unfairly. I believe that there is still a chance for Parliament to ask the government to push for that. This could be the second time that we miss such an opportunity, but it would be great if we could do it. It would be historical. We would help a l…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the hon. leader of the Green Party and I were together for many occasions when we met with those pensioners, trying to, first of all, listen to them and understand the issue—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is true. People in the beef and pork industries are not happy with this. The government could have negotiated better to get this because, again, this is a golden opportunity to do something better, and if that is missed, the industry will be hurt. It will be affected by it.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the U.K. is Canada's third-largest trading partner and ally, and with this new relationship, I can see the opportunity for increased trade. However, there have been missed opportunities, and not only with pork and beef. Like many members of the House, I have met with representatives of 127,000 British state pensioners living in Canada, who have raised the issue of their pensions with …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am sure in the history of Canadian Parliament there have been bills with longer names, but we have to admit this one is a mouthful: an act to implement the protocol on the accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. It is a very long name for a trade agreement. This does not flow …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my question for the member is this: What distinguishes this agreement from other free trade agreements we have? Is there any specific element of this agreement that makes it so special?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, today we are considering a bill that would amend the Export and Import Permits Act, which governs Canada's defence exports. If passed, this bill would see the removal of allowing exemptions for specific countries. The bill would change the current legal framework by: (a) clarifying that parts, components and technology necessary for the assembly or use of arms, ammunition, implement…
Read full speech →