Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, it is always nice to find members in the House who come from a rural community and know the importance of agriculture to the entire Canadian economy. The member was spot on. Kings—Hants is a region that is heavily reliant on agriculture. We have to remember that the Speech from the Throne is a high level document that outlines high level priorities.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, it really has to be both. We need to continue to move forward on the transition, and I hope the member opposite recognizes this needs to happen, but we also have to balance this against affordability. I live in a riding that is quite rural. When I was on the doorsteps, affordability remained a challenge for Canadians.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, my colleague hits on something that is really important for me. I grew up in what could be best described as a working class family. My father was a truck driver. My mom was an administrative assistant at the local school. There were times when I was younger when we would go to the grocery store and if my father had made a purchase that day and had not told my mother, there was not enough money to pay for the groceries.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time this evening with the hon. member for Pickering—Uxbridge. This is my second opportunity to speak in response to the throne speech. I appreciate this opportunity to explain why I think all MPs should vote in favour this evening. I want to begin this speech talking about climate change, which was a predominant theme in the Speech from the Throne, and rightfully so, given its importance to all of us, not only here in Canada but across the world.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, coming from a rural community myself in Nova Scotia, and given that the member for Dufferin—Caledon mentioned agriculture, I want him to rest assured that there are members on this side who are focused on those issues. I look forward to working collaboratively with him in the days ahead.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member on her newborn child. That is very exciting. She talked a lot about struggles in rural communities. I come from a rural community myself in Kings—Hants and heard on the doorsteps too about affordability and the importance of investing to support rural communities.

House debate  Madam Speaker, my two points relate to the economy. We have heard a lot from opposition members about the 71,000 jobs in November. We would never mitigate what Canadian families are going through right now, but I am hoping that the member opposite will recognize that there has been an overall net gain in employment in 2019 from this government, and it is almost 30,000 jobs.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member opposite on her fourth election to this House and of course 12 years in service. That certainly speaks for itself in terms of her ability to provide for her constituents. The question was on seniors, and Liberals have committed to increasing old age security by 10% for those who are 75 years and over.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, over the last four years this government has done more than any other government in the history of this country to work on the issues related to climate change. We are on pace to be able to beat our climate accord by 2030. As it relates to the Speech from the Throne, I would remind the member opposite that it is a general document that outlines the principles and the work that will continue in the next four years.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I want to remind Canadians that it was our government that brought the retirement age in this country from 67 back down to 65. It had been raised by our Conservative colleagues. I would like to point to the fact that we are going to be raising the personal exemption to $15,000.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that I will be splitting my time with the member for St. Catharines. What a privilege it is to be here today at the centre of democracy in our country as the elected representative of the great people of Kings—Hants. Located on the shores of the Bay of Fundy and Minas Basin, Kings—Hants is home to the highest tides in the world; to Acadia University, one of Canada's top-ranked undergraduate institutions; the birthplace of hockey, in Windsor; a wine industry that is gaining international recognition; and a dynamic and diverse agricultural sector that is the backbone of our economy and a key piece of our identity.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, in response to the member opposite's comment on supply management, I am from King—Hants. We have the largest agricultural concentration east of Montreal with many dairy farmers and poultry farmers in our area. I want the member opposite to know that I support farmers and I support our supply-managed farmers as well.

Chancellor of Dalhousie University  Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the former member for Kings—Hants, the Hon. Scott Brison, for being named Chancellor of Dalhousie University. The graduate of Hants West Rural High succeeds the former deputy prime minister, the Hon. Anne McLellan, who was a graduate of Hants North Rural High, in the role.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, the member opposite spoke at great length about the CN Rail strike. At the end of the day, our government listened. I am from Kings—Hants. I have a lot of agricultural producers in my riding. I heard those concerns. While the member opposite suggests that Liberal members were not paying attention to these issues, we were.