Alexandra Mendes

[Year of the Ox, February 4th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, February 12 marks the first day of the Year of the Ox. This year, because of the pandemic, we will not be able to celebrate with the traditional festivities.

However, in the same spirit of resilience and creativity we saw in the Year of the Rat, I think we will all find inclusive and festive ways to celebrate this important date.

After one of the most most difficult and challenging years the world has lived through since 1945, I would especially like to wish all a healthy and safe new year.

The Year of the Ox will hopefully provide us all with the positivity, good health and the hard work we all need after the hardships the pandemic has meant for all of us.

I wish everyone a happy new year. As this year comes to a close, I thank Canadians for being models of resiliency, solidarity and compassion.

From the bottom of my heart: Xiè xie. Gong Xi Fa Cai. Gong Hey Fat Choy.

[Girl Guides of Canada Act, January 27th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties, and I believe if you seek it, you would find unanimous consent for the following motion:

That, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practice of the House, Bill S-1001, An Act respecting Girl Guides of Canada, be deemed read a second time and referred to a committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at the report stage and deemed read a third time and passed.

[Christmas Greetings, December 8th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, first, let me wish you, all my fellow parliamentarians and all those who work on the hill as happy a Christmas as possible. Just as importantly, I would like to wish my constituents in Brossard—Saint-Lambert a healthy, safe and loving holiday.

The year is drawing to a close and we cannot wait to see it in the rear-view mirror. What immense challenges and real threats to our security and well-being 2020 has presented to us. I hope during this holiday season we will have the opportunity to find solace in the warmth of our families and take a moment to appreciate what we do have.

This global pandemic has profoundly changed the way we live. No one has been immune from both the personal and social effects of the COVID-19 virus, but we have not been alone in the face of this new threat either. Many sacrifices have been made by everyone and we have been able to adapt our behaviour and routines. We have all had to face these challenges and we are slowly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Once again, I would like to wish everyone a Christmas as merry as the circumstances will allow, and like all, I look forward to better days in 2021.

[Criminal Code, November 27th, 2020]

There are three motions in amendment standing on the Notice Paper for the report stage of Bill C-7.

The Chair has received letters sent by the hon. member for Fundy Royal and the hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton, arguing that Motions No. 2 and 3, though previously defeated in committee, should be selected at report stage as they are of such exceptional significance as to warrant further consideration, in accordance with the note to Standing Order 76.1(5).

Motion No. 2 seeks to maintain the provisions of paragraph 241.2(3)(g) of the Criminal Code to ensure that there are at least 10 clear days between the day on which the request was signed by or on behalf of the person and the day on which the medical assistance in dying is provided in cases where natural death has become reasonably foreseeable.

Motion No. 3 seeks to increase from 90 to 120 the minimum number of days required between the first assessment of a person who seeks medical assistance in dying and the day on which medical assistance in dying is provided, this in the circumstance where natural death is not reasonably foreseeable.

The Chair appreciates the argument put forward by the members as to why they consider these amendments dealing with procedural safeguards to be of such significance as to warrant further consideration at report stage. As with the original medical assistance in dying legislation four years ago, I recognize that this is an important issue with profound legal, moral and constitutional dimensions and that members have strongly held and varied points of view on these matters.

For these reasons, the Chair is prepared on this occasion to give members the benefit of the doubt and to select Motions 2 and 3, even though they were previously defeated in committee.

The remaining motion, Motion No. 1, was also examined and the Chair is satisfied that it meets the guidelines expressed in the note to Standing Order 76.1(5) regarding the selection of motions in amendment at report stage.

[Okill Stuart, November 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we are approaching the end of November, which for me is the month of remembrance.

I meet regularly with veterans living in Brossard—Saint-Lambert, and these meetings are often filled with strong emotions as well as a great deal of humour.

Today, I would like to remember and honour Okill Stuart.

Mr. Stuart died last year at the grand old age of 98. He was our constituency's last surviving World War II veteran. He was also a person of many accomplishments as a businessman, family man and incredibly involved member of the Saint-Lambert community.

Okill Stuart never hesitated to share his war experiences with members of the new generation in Saint-Lambert who were fortunate enough to hear his stories.

I was very fortunate to have known and befriended this most admirable human being. He received many honours throughout his life, but I think the ones he most treasured were the ones he received for his service: the France-Germany Star, the Defence Medal and the War Medal.

He also received the Legion of Honour medal.

Let us honour his memory.

[Women of Brossard—Saint-Lambert, October 28th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, as Women's History Month in Canada draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize, with some emotion, a few of the women who marked Brossard—Saint-Lambert's history.

The women I would like to honour warrant our gratitude and admiration. Through hard work, conviction and sheer stubbornness, they moved mountains of resistance to change.

In 1965, Olga Melikoff, Murielle Parkes and Valerie Neale were the activist mothers who moved to create bilingual education in a Saint-Lambert elementary school. Thus was born French immersion in Canada.

In 1983, Georgette Lemieux-Lepage became Brossard's first female mayor. A caring and spirited woman, she was the driving force behind the creation of Brossard's library in 1976. In 1989, she spearheaded the movement to have Brossard declared a multicultural city, the first city in Canada to be given that designation.

Unfortunately, I do not have time to talk about all of the women who make Brossard—Saint-Lambert such a progressive riding, but I want all the women in my riding to know how very grateful I am to them.

[Brossard—Saint-Lambert, September 30th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we have spent all year under the weight of a pandemic that has demanded a superhuman effort from each and every one of us.

Today I want to extend my thanks and appreciation to all the organizations and volunteers in Brossard—Saint-Lambert that have stepped up to help the people who have been hit hardest by the pandemic.

I want to single out Mission Nouvelle Génération, the Islamic Community Center, Maison Desaulniers, the Sikh community of the south shore, the Les Cuisines de l'Amitié mutual aid foundation, and the Maison internationale de la Rive-Sud. All of these organizations continued to offer in-person and remote services and resources. In spite of operational challenges and constantly rising demand, these organizations answered the call and adapted to the new reality.

Lastly, a huge thank you to all the Canadians taking the health and safety measures seriously.

Together, we will get through these trying times.

[Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act, February 3rd, 2020]

The hon. member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, a very quick answer.

[Women and Gender Equality, December 6th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, 30 years ago today, a man committed the most horrific act of extreme violence against women in our history. Fourteen young women were shot to death at École Polytechnique in Montreal simply because they were women.

Could the Minister for Women and Gender Equality tell this House what our government is doing to ensure a safer future for women and girls in Canada?

[Business of Supply, June 18th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, yes, I would like to expand on the many and various ways the government is preparing Canadians to transition from the current dependence on fossil fuels.

Beyond what I just mentioned is the supporting of alternatives. To go to my colleague's question about the hospital, there are alternatives to traditional ways of heating and powering homes and buildings, such as solar, wind, biomass and geothermal technologies, as well as innovative ways to connect and transmit these sources of energy to help businesses save money on their energy needs.

There is the setting of new standards to improve energy efficiency of appliances and equipment, like clothes washers, refrigerators and dishwashers, to encourage innovation and save Canadians money. We are providing $1.1 billion in funding for energy efficiency in residential, commercial and multi-unit buildings, including support to improve efficiency in affordable housing developments.

These are part of the many measures, and there are more, that the government is putting in place to facilitate the transition to a better and greener economy.