Kirsty Duncan

[Holiday Greetings, December 15th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I wish my colleagues in the House, all who work in the parliamentary precinct, the people of Etobicoke North and people right across the country a very merry Christmas, happy Kwanza and happy new year.

This time of year is full of joy, light and traditions. It is an opportunity to recognize all that is good in our lives and give thanks for all that unites us. It is a time to be compassionate and kind, and to show people that they matter, that they are loved and appreciated.

I thank health care workers across Canada for their life-saving service and care, especially during these difficult pandemic years. We can honour their tireless work by following public health measures, getting vaccinated, wearing a mask and limiting gatherings.

I am thinking of families and friends in Etobicoke North and sending my best wishes for a joyous and safe holiday season.

[Etobicoke North, December 8th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank the wonderful people of Etobicoke North for putting their trust in me to serve them, to be there for them on the hard days, to celebrate with them, to fight for their issues and to be their voice in Ottawa.

I hear from our youth, women, men, families and seniors. They are clear that they want to get through the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are doing their part to get through it because we are a caring community. We lift each other up, we are here for one another and we fight for one another.

I am so grateful to the people of Etobicoke North for all that we have shared over the last 13 years, from anniversaries to graduations, and new jobs to remembrance. Our community and people matter.

I look forward to the moments we will share and the future we will build together.

[Public Safety, June 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, my thoughts and prayers are with three beautiful, innocent children who were attending a birthday party on a warm summer night. What should have been a happy occasion, filled with children's laughter, quickly turned to tragedy when a one-year-old, a five-year-old and an 11-year-old were hit by gunfire. Our community is outraged by this brazen, disgusting and horrific attack. We are grateful two of the injured children have been released from hospital, while we keep a little girl who is in critical condition in all our hearts.

Firing a gun anywhere at any time in our communities is unacceptable. We cannot tolerate violence, especially when it threatens the lives of children in our communities. The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be brought to justice. We thank 23 Division of the Toronto Police Service for working non-stop to find those responsible. We must strengthen our efforts to end gun violence and heal our communities.

[Islamophobia, June 16th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the Afzaal family were kind-hearted, innocent Canadians who went out for an evening walk. They mattered, they were loved and they were murdered because they were Muslim. Our Etobicoke North community knows the terrible pain we are once again feeling. We are still reeling and still healing from the brutal murder of Mohamed-Aslim Zafis, our friend who looked after the congregation at the International Muslim Organization of Toronto.

This past weekend, we came together to grieve and show solidarity at a vigil at the IMO mosque. Families are afraid, they are angry and they want our mourning to lead to further action because hatred and violence can have no place in our country.

I say to our Muslim community that they belong, they matter and they are loved. I stand with them during this very difficult time, and I will continue to fight for a better, more inclusive Canada.

[Toronto West Seventh-day Adventist Church, June 9th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and say “thank you” for a very special morning that I spent with the children and teachers of the Toronto West Seventh-day Adventist Church, a touchstone in our Etobicoke North community.

Teachers Miss Stacey and Miss Susan had carefully taught the children about community service and government, and Keenan, Naomi, Kevin and Quincey beautifully presented their questions. They wanted to know how to become a member of Parliament, what they would need to study, how to run in an election, and what was rewarding and hard about community service.

The children are smart, caring and empathetic, and they have big dreams. Naomi wants to be a scientist. They are brave and wanted their voices heard in Parliament.

Today, I thank the wonderful children and tremendous service of the Toronto West Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has provided healing, hope and peace throughout the pandemic.

[Standing Orders of the House, May 25th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I thank everyone who took the time and effort to speak to Motion No. 38. Most important, I thank them for their support. Our world-leading scientists and researchers, and our outstanding students and research institutions, deserve a dedicated voice in Parliament, and that means a permanent standing committee on science and research beginning in the 44th Parliament.

Science is not a club. It is not for a select few. Science is for everyone. Canadians should have better access to the science and research they fund because science and research provide our best hope for solutions to improving health, addressing the climate crisis, jump-starting economic growth and growing jobs. Canadians should hear about science and research through a permanent standing committee in the House of Commons.

Science should not be a partisan issue. It is a fundamental building block of Canada that everyone in this House has a stake in and everyone should fight for. In a politically charged environment in a polarized world, science, evidence and fact offer shared understanding and common ground. We need all sides of this House, all members of Parliament, fighting for fundamental and applied science and research. We need them to take a stand and say we have learned from COVID-19, that we have finally learned what we always learn following a pandemic, namely that science, research and public health matter, and not just when we are in crisis.

Research institutions have a crucial role to play in both research and policy, in reviewing pandemic response, in helping to define lessons to ensure we are better prepared for a future pandemic and in evidence-based policy. From a political perspective, science, research and public health cannot just be hot or on government agendas during the pandemic and the next few years. Rather, they require continual attention, nurturing and support for a better future, environment and quality of life for all. By voting for this motion, we have a chance to acknowledge our responsibility to protect science and research, and anchor them in one of our most important democratic institutions.

Science and research should have a permanent place where issues that are important to the research community, Canadians and the future of the country can be studied; where scientists, researchers and parliamentarians can come to know one another; where parliamentarians can get a better understanding of science and research; where parliamentarians can learn about Canada's research strengths in areas such as computer science applications, fuel cells, neurodegeneration, personalized medicine, bioinformatics and regenerative medicine; and where parliamentarians can learn about what is needed to make improvements and yield benefits to Canadians.

It is time for scientists, researchers and students to be given the key to the people's House. Not only is a standing committee on science and research long overdue, it is also critically important to building the future Canadians deserve. After all, it is science and research that will bring this pandemic to an end, fuel our restart and supercharge our economic recovery.

Let me be clear. Science and research have always mattered, and they will matter more than ever beyond this pandemic. We must turn the recovery from the pandemic into a real opportunity to build a better future, a future driven by knowledge and forged by curiosity and a quest for understanding.

I will finish by saying that science and research are a public good that we must all protect. One of the best ways to protect science is to have a dedicated standing committee in the House of Commons. My friends and colleagues, with this motion, we have an opportunity to do something really important. We have an opportunity to embed science and research into one of our most important democratic institutions and build a better future for all Canadians.

[2020 Joshua Glover Public Art Competition, May 10th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, today I recognize Quentin VerCetty, an award-winning Black artist, storyteller and educator who was born and raised in Etobicoke North. His work addresses issues of decolonization, immigration and representation and has been featured in countries including Australia, Germany, Haiti, Mexico and Peru.

Quentin recently won the 2020 Joshua Glover Public Art Competition. His sculpture commemorates Joshua Glover who arrived in Canada via the Underground Railway and who helped propel the abolitionist movement.

In Quentin's words, his memorial “marks a moment of allyship, advocacy and activism to improve the treatment of human beings that we can all continue to strive for”.

I ask members of the House to join me in recognizing Quentin VerCetty, who works hard to inspire hearts and minds and pave the way for up-and-coming Black artists.

[Sikh Heritage Month, April 29th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, April is Sikh Heritage Month, a time to recognize and highlight the important contributions that Sikh communities have made, and continue to make, to our country's cultural, economic, political and social life.

The first Sikh immigrants arrived in Canada in the late 19th century, and today our country is home to more than 500,000 Sikh Canadians, making it one of the largest Sikh diasporas in the world.

During these unprecedented times, we thank Sikh communities for the many contributions to our country since the pandemic began, from the Rexdale Sikh Spiritual Centre providing food to the community to our seniors checking in on one another to people working on the health care and essential front lines. These are just a few instances of Sikhism's core principles of equality, compassion and generosity at work.

Sikh Canadians make our communities stronger. I wish everyone a very happy Sikh Heritage Month.

[Standing Orders of the House, April 27th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I thank my long-time friend and colleague for her important question and I thank her for her support.

Science and research matter to improving our environment, health, quality of life, innovation and economy. If we look back over a half century, science has received a tiny proportion of the INDU committee's attention. We should all be asking ourselves how that can be good for Canadians. What opportunities passed us by? Now we have the opportunity to ensure that science and research have a clear place in the work of the House of Commons. A science and research committee could help identify how science will best serve Canadians' interests and all of us—

[Standing Orders of the House, April 27th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I am very proud of the research investments that our government has made: the largest in Canadian history, at $10 billion.

Having a science and research committee is long overdue. It is critically important to building the future we deserve. We all know this has been an unprecedented year, and that science and research are a way through and out of the pandemic. Unfortunately, science and research are rarely talked about at the INDU committee and we are missing an opportunity. Science and research need a permanent place where issues important to the research community, to Canadians and to the future of the country can be studied. This is not a partisan issue, it is a fundamental building block—