House of Commons photo

Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was things.

Last in Parliament October 2015, as Conservative MP for Etobicoke—Lakeshore (Ontario)

Lost his last election, in 2015, with 32% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1 June 15th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, my colleague commented in her speech about the gap between the annual increase in the Canada health transfer of 6% a year and what the provinces are actually spending.

Her province of B.C. is an example. I just checked the report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information entitled “National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975 to 2014”, which says that B.C. only increased its health care spending by 3.2% in 2011, 4.2% in 2012, 2% in 2013, and only 1.8% in 2014. There is a similar trend in Ontario over that same time frame. It was 2.5% in 2011, 1.9% in 2012, 1.6% in 2013, and 1.6% in 2014.

Given all of the funds that we are providing through the Canada health transfer, why are the provinces not necessarily spending those funds on health care?

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1 June 15th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, I listened attentively to the rant from the member opposite. It was a very demagogic rant, a bit of stream of consciousness and a laundry list of all of these promises.

The one thing about the budget and the reason I support it is that it is comprehensive, cohesive and fits together. When it comes to this long list of things the hon. member talked about, there is no plan in anything New Democrats say about how they will actually pay for them. After the last election, they had something like $56 billion in increased spending. It sounds as though they are going to outdo themselves this time around and have maybe $100 billion in increased spending by the government.

Would the member like to comment on where the money for all of these things New Democrats want to put forward will come from? Will all the taxes be increased? Carbon tax will get them part of the way there. What about all of the other taxes they will raise? That is what I would like to hear.

Dalai Lama June 9th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, July 6 will mark the 80th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. A Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of just six honorary Canadian citizens, His Holiness has devoted himself to spreading the values of love, peace and compassion.

He describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk, despite being revered all around the world as a champion of human rights. His Holiness preaches a “middle way” approach to conflict resolution based on non-violence, compromise and dialogue. He works tirelessly for the ultimate goal of allowing Tibetans to live freely and peacefully in an autonomous Tibet within the People's Republic of China.

On behalf of the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, and the Tibetan Canadian community in my riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore, as well as across the country, I would like to wish His Holiness a happy birthday.

Tashi Delek.

Pensions June 8th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has an independent mandate that is crystal clear: to serve the best interests of hard-working Canadians who have paid into it.

The board is responsible for investing CPP funds prudently in a diversified portfolio of assets to the benefit of CPP contributors and beneficiaries. This helps to ensure that the retirement funds Canadians rely on remain safe and secure. However, the Liberal leader is planning to pay for his irresponsible spending by “alternative sources of capital, such as pension funds”.

It gets worse. The Liberal leader also said of his spending schemes, “It is time for a new revenue source..”. Canadians know what that means: another tax hike from the Liberal leader. To the Liberal leader, we say hands off of Canadians' pension plans.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada June 4th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, this last month has taught us a lot about what the leader of the Liberal Party is planning for the middle class. On top of all his other high-tax and high-debt measures, he wants to bring in a mandatory expansion of the CPP of the type that Kathleen Wynne put forward in Ontario.

Someone earning $60,000 a year would lose $1,000 a year in take-home pay because of the Liberal leader's plan. Employers would also face mandatory increases in their costs, leading to reduced investment and jobs for Canadians.

The role of prime minister is not an entry-level job, and the leader of the Liberal Party has proven time and time again with his proposed schemes that he is not up to the task.

Under our Prime Minister Canadians keep more money in their pockets to spend on their priorities.

Interparliamentary Delegations June 3rd, 2015

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the reports of the delegation of the Canadian branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie respecting its participation in the 15th summit of La Francophonie, held in Dakar, Senegal, from November 25 to 30, 2014; in the bureau meeting of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie and in a bilateral meeting, which were held in Paris and in Clermond-Ferrand, France, from January 21 to 27, 2015; and in the meeting of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie Political Committee, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from March 23 to 26, 2015.

Business of Supply June 1st, 2015

Mr. Speaker, I appreciated my colleague's speech on financial literacy. Obviously that is important in our society.

This motion is really about mandatory fees. We all hate mandatory fees, whether it is from banks or the government. Recently, the leader of the Liberal Party talked about big mandatory fees when it comes to CPP deductions. There is no choice. People have to pay in. Of course, he said it would be modelled after what we have in Ontario, where it would be invested in infrastructure projects and so on. It would not even be held in trust.

Could my colleague please comment on that, the idea of mandatory fees and a payroll tax, both for employees as well as for employers?

Foreign Affairs May 25th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaties entitled: “Modifications to Canada's Government Procurement Market Access Schedule in the Revised Agreement on Government Procurement, pursuant to Article XIX of that Agreement” done in Geneva on March 30, 2012; “Modifications to Canada's Government Procurement Market Access Schedule in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), pursuant to Article 1022 of that Agreement” done at Ottawa on December 11 and 17, 1992, at Mexico on December 14 and 17, 1992, and at Washington on December 8 and 17, 1992; “Modifications to Canada's Government Procurement Market Access Schedule in the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement pursuant to article KBIS-14 of that Agreement” done at Santiago on December 5, 1996; “Modifications to Canada's Government Procurement Market Access Schedule in the Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement pursuant to article 1413 of that Agreement” done at Bogota on May 27, 2010;

“Modifications to Canada's Government Procurement Market Access Schedule in the Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement, pursuant to article 17.16 of that Agreement” done at Ottawa on November 5, 2013; “Modifications to Canada's Government Procurement Market Access Schedule in the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement, pursuant to article 14.4 of that Agreement” done at Ottawa on September 22, 2014; “Modifications to Canada's Government Procurement Market Access Schedule in the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement, pursuant to article 16.14 of that Agreement” done at Ottawa on May 14, 2010; and “Modifications to Canada's Government Procurement Market Access Schedule in the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement, pursuant to article 1413 of that Agreement” done at Lima on May 28, 2008.

Explanatory memoranda accompany the treaties.

Taxation May 25th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, the universal child care benefit and family tax cut will benefit all families with children in my riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore and across Canada.

Last week, I met with hundreds of constituents who were grateful for our government's track record of helping families make ends meet. They know they have a government that respects taxpayers and their hard-earned tax dollars.

Unlike the Liberal leader who wants to take all of this away, our government wants to keep taxes low and focus on economic growth. We want to ensure that all Canadians benefit and save for their priorities. It was the Liberal leader himself who said that “benefiting every single family is not what is fair”.

We will continue to work hard for all Canadians so they can keep more of their money in their pockets.

Taxation May 11th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, moms and and dads, not government bureaucrats, should be the ones making important decisions that affect their own children. That is why our new family tax cut and enhanced universal child care benefit would give 100% of families with kids an average of nearly $2,000 per child annually. That is nearly $12,000 over a child's first six years. Families in my riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore are pleased that they can utilize that support for their family's unique circumstances.

What do we hear from the leader of the Liberal Party? He wants to take away the universal child care benefit and the family tax cut. He would raise taxes on the middle class, raise taxes on small business, and raise taxes on seniors. We will not let that happen.