Housing  Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Mississauga—Malton, rent and housing costs have risen for so many, especially working individuals, families and our most vulnerable. They need help, and they need it immediately. Could the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion please tell the House what our government is doing to help renters and those struggling with the cost of housing through this difficult time?

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, this bill and this government have consistently been painted by the Conservatives as being soft on crime. I would like to ask my hon. colleague whether all mandatory minimums are being repealed or only a subset. If it is a subset, why that subset?

Canadian Middleweight Boxing Champion  Mr. Speaker, many people have made the trek from the villages of Punjab to Canada to build a life. Baldev Singh Sidhu went back to Punjab so that he could build the lives of others. With a passion for fighting, he started a boxing academy in his native village of Chakar. One day a young boy, a village-born child, showed up at his door, wanting to fight to prove himself after being at odds with a fighter from the academy.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, again, these proposed measures represent an important step in further addressing systemic issues related to existing sentencing policies. We know rooting out systemic racism and discrimination cannot be accomplished with just one measure—

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I disagree with the premise of my hon. colleague's question. These policies have been shown through data to affect marginalized communities, and by repealing them, we are helping those communities and those individuals who were targeted to rejoin society. The way the policies are currently set up, they are focused on retribution, and we are trying to change that.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I agree with the sentiment behind my colleague's question, but my speech was on mandatory minimum penalties, which is what we are here to talk about. This is an important step in the right direction. I would like to see the data surrounding other MMPs to see if they are also having a desperate effect on communities to see if we could further repeal those.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I humbly reject the premise of my hon. colleague's question. We would not be decriminalizing drugs with this bill. We are looking at mandatory minimum penalties. I want to be clear that this is not a soft-on-crime approach. Those who commit serious offences would continue to receive serious sentences.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, inscribed at the top of one of the great law schools of this continent is the motto “Not under man, but under God and law”. I would read these words and feel a sense of pride that ours was a nation of laws, not men; a nation of citizens, not parties; of Canadians, not Liberals or Conservatives.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, the time has come to turn the page on many mandatory minimum penalties. This was a policy that in the end did not discourage crime. It certainly did not make our justice system any more fair. All it did was imprison far too many indigenous, Black and marginalized Canadians.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, MMPs are a part of the destructive Harper-era policies that have not deterred crime, have not kept us safer and have clogged up our courts. This party is the reason we are in this position. They were more concerned with locking up low-risk first-time offenders and targeting people of colour than truly keeping our communities safe.

Telecommunications  Mr. Speaker, whether it be $10 a day for child care, or historic investments in affordable housing, our government is committed to making life more affordable for Canadian families. We know that, traditionally speaking, Canadians have paid some of the highest cell phone bills in the world.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, my constituents in Mississauga—Malton are worried about the rising cost of housing. They want to see federal leadership to create more affordable housing. Unfortunately, while our government delivers that leadership through the national housing strategy, Conservative Party members continued to repeat disinformation about a non-existent home equity tax in right-wing media last week.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, housing is a priority for this government. That is why we are introducing a rent-to-own program and have the first-time home buyer incentive. In fact, we will ban foreign home ownership for years to come so that homes can be more affordable for Canadians. The right to a home for Canadians is a right that everyone should enjoy, and it is something we should work toward.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, mental health is very important, especially in ethnic communities, which seem to suffer more during crises like the pandemic because there is no targeted support for them. This is a conversation I have had with friends, and it is unfortunately a very sad conversation.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, this government has a plan around housing. Whether it is building more housing per year, increasing the housing stock or ending chronic homelessness, this government is committed to working for Canadians. The homebuyer incentive is not an election gimmick. We have a minister of housing who will work to make it happen.