House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2021, with 54% of the vote.
Main Estimates, 2017-18 June 14th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, my colleague's question is very much what we hear constituents telling us: that they appreciate this new process, they appreciate the transparency with which we are doing it, and they appreciate the fact that the senators who have been named so far really do prove to have incredible merits and represent very well the successes of our country.
Main Estimates, 2017-18 June 14th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I do not even know how to begin to answer that question. I never said that I am waiting for cabinet to tell me how to vote. I have proven in this House that I vote as I see fit, and I will vote in the estimates as I see fit . That is not the question.
I did say that it is up to cabinet to decide what amendments to accept to a bill. It is not for me to decide whether I accept an amendment; that is the cabinet's role. Again, if the independent senators were not so independent, they would not be bringing back amendments that we do not necessarily agree with. I think that proves their independence.
Main Estimates, 2017-18 June 14th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I believe the process that has been put in place by the Prime Minister has resulted in an extremely non-partisan chamber that is fulfilling its main role, which is to provide us with a sober second thought on legislation. By choosing people who have achieved great success in their careers and their lives, we are precisely voicing what Canadians have done with their lives and what has made this country so magnificent and admirable throughout the world. Therefore, yes, I think the process is the right one, and it has taken away a lot of the partisanship in naming senators.
Main Estimates, 2017-18 June 14th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I do not know why the member thinks we are not taking the process seriously. This is part of the estimates that we are discussing.
With regard to the Senate, I am not reciting a speech by rote. I believe what I just said. I believe in our Senate. I believe it has a very important role to play in our Parliament. It is a part of our Parliament. I believe we have extremely qualified senators on all sides of the chamber. Independent, Liberal, and Conservative senators do a wonderful amount of work and have a very important position in our Parliament.
Main Estimates, 2017-18 June 14th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I would prefer to talk about the good things that our side of the House has done. I do not want to revisit the Senate's dark past.
All senators, including Senator Pratt, do meaningful work, including when they propose amendments for us to consider. In the case of the Citizenship Act, we accepted two of the three amendments proposed by the Senate. Obviously, as a government, our views will not always align with the Senate's proposals, but we take into account what the chamber of sober second thought proposes, since that is its reason for being. That is exactly why we have two chambers of Parliament.
Main Estimates, 2017-18 June 14th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I obviously cannot presume what cabinet will decide. As the member so rightly pointed out, I am not cabinet. I am a member of Parliament, so I will not make that decision. I will let cabinet come to that decision.
Main Estimates, 2017-18 June 14th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, that is just not true. We do accept amendments that the senators bring to bills that have been discussed, debated, and looked at by the Senate. We do not accept them all, but we accept many of the amendments that have been made. I do not know what the member is referring to.
Main Estimates, 2017-18 June 14th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I had prepared a nice speech, but it is kind of off topic. That being said, I want to start by saying that if irony were water, the House would be flooded. I am truly stunned by our opposition colleagues' comments. Their memory seems to fail them. Regardless, I will now deliver my prepared speech because that is what I have before me.
I would like to take the opportunity this evening to identify some of the outstanding Canadians that our reformed Senate appointments process has produced.
Since taking office in 2015, our government has appointed 27 Canadians to the red chamber who come from diverse backgrounds in law, community activism, the arts, journalism, environmentalism, and public service. This evening, I would like to identify a few of these individuals to illustrate the diversity of viewpoints that our appointments process has brought to the Senate.
The Hon. Gwen Boniface, appointed to the Senate on November 10, 2016, is one of Canada's trail-blazing female police officers. Senator Boniface earned a bachelor of arts from York University in 1982, after which she completed her bachelor of laws degree at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1988. She entered into the Ontario Provincial Police, first in 1977 as a constable, then worked as superintendent-director responsible for first nations and contract policing and as chief superintendent regional commander for western Ontario, before becoming commissioner of the OPP in 1998.
Boniface was the first woman to be named commissioner of the OPP, serving from 1998 to 2006. After stepping down as commissioner, Senator Boniface worked with Ireland's Garda Síochána, the United Nations police division, and the United Nations counterterrorism integrated task force.
Senator Boniface has worked tirelessly to repair relationships with first nation communities, initiating many reforms to promote aboriginal policing. As a consultant on policing and justice issues, both internationally and domestically, she provided services to universities, municipalities, government, and non-profit organizations in the areas of human rights, policing, and justice. Finally, Senator Boniface was invested into the Order of Ontario in 2001 in recognition of her service for the province and her work with first nations communities. She also received the United Nations peacekeeping medal and was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from Nipissing University in 2006.
Senator Boniface's record of work to improve the standing of marginalized groups in policing and her title of first female commissioner of the OPP certainly made her a worthy appointment to the red chamber, where she will be empowered to continue the work she has done for Canadians during her lifetime.
Another very good appointment, Senator Wanda Bernard, comes from a very different background, though the work she has done over the course of her lifetime is no less impressive. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Senator Bernard has devoted her life to social work and community activism. She has been a professor at Dalhousie University's school of social work, where she has been the director for a decade. Upon receiving a full professorship, Senator Bernard became the first African Nova Scotian to hold a tenured position.
Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard has worked with provincial organizations to bring diversity to the political process in Nova Scotia and teach community members about Canada's legislative process and citizen engagement. She is a founding member of the Association of Black Social Workers, which helps address the needs of marginalized citizens, especially those of African descent. She has served in an advisory capacity to ministers, helping them craft frameworks for gendered violence and health equity. She has also served as an expert witness in human rights cases and has presented at many local, national, and international forums.
Senator Bernard has received both the Order of Nova Scotia and the Order of Canada, among other awards, for her community service. Senator Bernard was appointed to the Senate in November 2016, where she will bring her perspective to Parliament and have the opportunity give a voice to marginalized Canadians in the country's highest institution.
I would like to, now, bring members' attention to the appointment of another unique but equally deserving Canadian to the red chamber. Senator René Cormier is a proud Acadian and community leader from New Brunswick. He has a strong background in the arts, earning a degree in music from the Université du Québec à Montréal and in theatre from L'École Internationale Jacques LeCoq in Paris.
Mr. Cormier has worked in a variety of roles over the past 40 years, as he has advanced arts and culture in Acadian and Canadian society. His resumé includes positions at Radio-Canada, artistic and general direction in theatres, and management of the États généraux on Arts and Culture in Acadian Society in New Brunswick within the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick.
Additionally, Senator Cormier has sat on a number of boards of directors, including that of TV5 Québec Canada, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, and the Atlantic Visual Arts Festival. Beyond his interest in the arts, Senator Cormier has advanced the interests of Acadians through his work with La Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick both within Canada and internationally. Senator Cormier has been the recipient of numerous awards, both related to the arts and to community engagement. His appointment to the Senate will certainly bring greater character and diversity to our upper house.
Another remarkable Canadian, Senator André Pratte, was one of the government's first appointments to the red chamber in April 2016. A distinguished journalist, author, and proud Quebecker, Senator Pratte's experience in the media and advocacy for Quebec bring a distinct perspective to the red chamber.
Senator Pratte worked for 35 years as a journalist, and from 2001 to 2015 was the editor-in-chief of La Presse, Montreal's largest circulation newspaper. In 2007, 2008, and 2010, he won the editorial category of the National Newspaper Awards. Pratte has voiced his support for federalism in Quebec, defending the position of his newspaper.
Along with Lucien Bouchard and 10 other Quebeckers, Pratte signed the 2005 manifesto entitled “Pour un Québec lucide”, outlining a vision for Quebec within Canada. In 2009, Senator Pratte created The Federal Idea, a non-partisan think tank devoted to studying federalism and the place of Quebec in Canada. In addition to his public advocacy and journalistic career, Pratte has published eight books, his most recent being a biography of Wilfred Laurier published in 2011.
As an accomplished Canadian and distinguished Quebecker committed to federalism, Senator Pratte will be able to contribute to the Senate in the future as a place of diverse perspectives and ideas.
The next senator I would like to bring to the attention of the house is Senator Rosa Galvez of Quebec. Born in a hemisphere away in Peru, Senator Galvez earned both a master's of science and a Ph.D. in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering from McGill University.
Senator Galvez is one of Canada's leading researchers on the effects of pollution, specializing in water and soil decontamination, waste management and residues, and environmental impact and risk assessment. She has worked in the private and public sector, offering advice and consultation to companies and communities. After the rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Senator Galvez carried out a study on the environmental impact of the spill.
Senator Galvez has also done work internationally in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. She is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, and Engineers Without Borders, and has been a professor at Laval University in Quebec City.
Senator Galvez will bring important expertise on environmental protection, which will be ever more important as parliamentarians will have to address the challenges of climate change.
Finally, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the appointment of Senator Tony Dean of Ontario. Senator Dean was appointed along with some of his previously mentioned colleagues in November 2016.
Mr. Dean made his career in the Ontario public service, rising to the position of secretary of the cabinet and head of the Ontario Public Service from 2002 to 2008. Senator Dean also served as deputy minister for two departments, working with NDP, Progressive Conservative, and Liberal provincial governments.
After his retirement in 2008, Senator Dean became a professor at the University of Toronto's school of public policy and governance. His hard work earned him a senior research fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School, praise from former Premier Dalton McGuinty, who described him as “the ultimate public servant”, and the Order of Ontario in 2009. Dean has written extensively on public sector leadership in both the Toronto Star and The Guardian, and co-authored a Mowat Centre report on fiscal sustainability in Canada.
Senator Dean has decades of invaluable public administration experience and a considerable record of success in public administration. His expertise makes him a valuable addition to the Senate, where he will have the opportunity to continue his life's work of improving governance for Canadians. Additionally, his perspective as a distinguished public servant will enable Parliament as a whole to better craft legislation and policy that impacts the public service.
Each of the new senators I have mentioned today represent the best of what Canada has to offer and together form a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds. These leaders in their respective communities will be better able to represent the diversities of Canadians and help build a better Canada. Each of these individuals was selected and appointed through our government's new approach to Senate appointments, which is up for debate this evening. By selecting senators through a non-partisan, independent, and merit-based appointment process, our government is changing the composition of the Senate.
Gone are the days of appointing partisan bagmen and party hacks, a practice that resulted in the deterioration of Canadians' trust in our upper chamber. By making appointments based on merit and considering the diversity of perspectives and identities, our government is remaking the Senate into the place of non-partisan, sober second thought that it was intended to be. The Senate as an institution provides an opportunity to include the voices of groups that might not be represented in Parliament. The Senate of the past was worthy of criticism, though it was not reflective of the potential of the institution.
Our government believes in the potential of a non-partisan Senate that serves the interests of Canadians and is worthy of their trust. The reformed appointments process our government has undertaken is a step toward this future and to remaking the Senate for many decades to come.
Infrastructure June 1st, 2017
Mr. Speaker, the people of Brossard—Saint-Lambert know that cultural and recreational facilities make for stronger communities and contribute to a better quality of life for all residents.
Our government has made cultural and recreational infrastructure a priority because it is an important part of community-building in Quebec and across Canada.
Can the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities update the House on the government's work on this important file?
Insurance Brokers Association of Canada May 30th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, Insurance Brokers Association of Canada members are here with us today, and I would like to welcome them to Ottawa. Seventy delegates from the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada, or IBAC, have come from all over the country to gather on Parliament Hill for their annual advocacy day.
The Insurance Brokers Association of Canada, or IBAC, is a national federation representing over 36,000 property and casualty insurance brokers across Canada. Insurance brokers across the country are small business owners and community builders.
Brokers from coast to coast to coast are here today to speak about the need to protect consumers from the ongoing pressures at the hands of Canada's banks to push insurance products when credit is granted.
Brokers serve consumers, not insurance companies. They use their expertise to help consumers make informed decisions about their insurance needs. We thank them for their work and for being here today.