North Cape Fishing Accident  Mr. Speaker, as a person born and raised in a small fishing community, a tragedy like the one that occurred off North Cape, Prince Edward Island hits me very close to home. Last week, when the fishing vessel Kyla Anne capsized in rough waters and with it took the lives of Captain Glen DesRoches and Moe Getson, it reminded me of the risk faced by fishers and their families every time they take to the water.

Science  Mr. Speaker, this government has made strong science-based decision-making one of its priorities. This was first demonstrated to Canadians when the government re-established the position of chief science adviser to Canada, which the Harper Conservatives got rid of. What else has our government been doing to ensure that science-based decision-making continues to be a priority?

Agriculture and Fisheries  Mr. Speaker, this past week, the spring lobster fishery in Prince Edward Island opened. This also marks the time of year when farmers begin cultivating their land. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all farmers and fishers a safe and productive season and remind Canadians that the hard work of these people is why Canada has a strong reputation for the safest, most abundant food in the world.

Fisheries Act  Madam Speaker, this new Fisheries Act has been well received on the east coast by fishers, particularly the protection it will afford to the owner-operator, which goes to the heart of our inshore fishery in Atlantic Canada. One of the issues there is concern on is that there is a hint of rescinding or transferring licences to new holders after a fixed period of time.

Recognition of Charlottetown as the Birthplace of Confederation Act  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to speak in support of Bill S-236 that was introduced by my colleague, the member of Parliament for Malpeque. It was interesting to listen to my colleague, the opposition member, speak about the recognition that indeed Charlottetown is birthplace of Confederation and of this wonderful country we call Canada.

Summerside Chief of Police  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions of women and men in police services who, every day, dedicate themselves to ensuring that our communities across the country continue to be safe places for Canadians to live, work, and raise families. I am honoured today to recognize one officer in particular, Chief David Poirier of the Summerside Police Department, who as of October of this year has dutifully served the people of Canada for the past 40 years, and was awarded a second bar to his police exemplary service medal from the Governor General.

Volunteerism in Egmont  Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize two groups of volunteers from my riding who deserve recognition. Recently, the town of Tignish was awarded a gold rating, as well as named champions of the small communities category at the Communities in Bloom symposium. This would not be possible without the leadership of committee members Judy, Karen, Roger, Garth, and Jamie, and everyone in the community who strives to make Tignish a better and more beautiful place to live with their commitment to environmental awareness and heritage conservation.

Spring Activities in P.E.I.  Madam Speaker, the spring lobster fishery is now under way in much of Atlantic Canada. This past Friday, before the opening of Lobster Fishing Area 24, I had the opportunity to visit all of the ports in my riding and speak with many local fishers. By itself, the lobster fishery is a major component of the island economy.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I would be pleased to share my thoughts. My colleague, the parliamentary secretary, is correct in recognizing that our government, beginning last year, made a significant investment in youth employment across the country. That is extremely important in a rural riding like mine, where young people do not have the same job opportunities as in larger centres.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, the first priority of the government is to recognize that there is an issue and a serious challenge in parts of this country. Beginning during the election campaign and since this session of Parliament began, our government has made a number of commitments to begin addressing the wrongs that the former government put toward our first nations communities.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, that is a good question. At least our government has recognized that there is a crisis in housing in large urban centres, as in other communities across the country. Our government recognized that crisis by announcing the largest single investment in housing in some time in this country.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time this morning with the hon. member for Parkdale—High Park. I welcome the opportunity this morning to speak in support of budget 2017 and all the work our government is doing to continue to build a strong economy in the country from coast to coast to coast.

Special Olympics  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish the best of luck to Janet Charchuk, a young woman in my riding who will be representing Canada at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games. Janet has Down's syndrome but says that while it is a part of her, it does not define her as a person.

Community Inclusions Pioneer Award  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Theresa Arsenault, a woman in my riding who has spent more than 20 years caring for people with intellectual disabilities. In 1984, Theresa quit her job to care for her daughter Lisa, who has Down syndrome. In 1996, Theresa applied to provide room and board, supervision, and support to other individuals with disabilities in the area.

Agriculture  Madam Speaker, earlier this month, I spent some time harvesting potatoes at a large farm in my riding, owned and operated by Winston and Harris Callaghan of Miminegash. I was amazed at the technology involved. Today's farmers are employing advanced technologies and farming practices to produce quality food for Canadians.