Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, the last three weeks have been extraordinarily difficult for the people of Ottawa, with major roads blocked, noise at all hours of the night and people threatened and intimidated in their own communities. Despite the severe economic impacts of the last two years, downtown businesses were forced to shut their doors yet again.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, being kind, compassionate and respectful is not a checklist. Rather it is who Canadians are, and we need to do that more. Mostly, it starts by listening and having those dialogues. We need to be respectful about it. If those who disagree call my office or send me an email I can handle that, but parking a truck and blocking traffic at a bridge, or taking over a city for three weeks, is not the proper way to do dialogue and is not something we are willing to accept here in Canada.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend across the aisle. I am practising my French. If I was any better, I would try to answer, but I want to make sure that I can express myself clearly. We do work well together in the chamber, and I think the idea of invoking this act right now is to show the safeguards that are going to be in place and the dialogue that is going to happen.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, I respect that question; it is fantastic. We do need to look at this. We need to look at what happened. We need to look at the biases we have in our day-to-day lives, those unconscious biases that allow us to treat people differently and not with equality and equity.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Nickel Belt. I rise today to speak on this important motion. The decision to invoke the Emergencies Act is being taken with much consideration. This debate is crucial and necessary. For weeks now, the unlawful occupation and illegal blockades have disrupted the lives of Canadians, harmed our economy and endangered public safety.

Telecommunications  Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized to my constituents in Kitchener—Conestoga and to all Canadians how crucial it is to have access to reliable and affordable high-speed Internet. Investments in broadband connectivity create jobs and improve access to online learning and health care services.

The Carr Family  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the incredible generosity of a family in Kitchener—Conestoga and its contribution to our local arts sector. During the pandemic, every stage across Canada went dark. As we move forward, theatres are slowly opening. In Kitchener—Conestoga over the years, countless supporters have attended the St.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities  Madam Speaker, I rise today to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and to celebrate the strength, resilience and important contributions of persons with disabilities. I am proud that we are creating Canada's first disability inclusion action plan, which includes the Canada disability benefit, a robust employment strategy, and improved processes for eligibility in disability programs.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I welcome the member across and congratulate him on his election. As this is my first time to rise in the 44th Parliament, I would also like to take this time to thank everyone in Kitchener—Conestoga who put their trust in me and elected me to be their representative.

Government Business No. 10—Broadcasting Act  Mr. Speaker, I am learning to speak French. It is important to me. I know just how important Quebec culture is to Canada. How will Bill C‑10 support artists and culture in Quebec and Canada?

Broadcasting Act  Mr. Speaker, I sit on the heritage committee, and for months I watched our Conservative colleagues side with these Internet giants and against our Canadian artists, many times bringing up that misleading narrative about censorship or concerns of free speech. Artists are fierce defenders of free speech.

Fundraising for Cystic Fibrosis  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to recognize two people in Waterloo region who raised money and awareness for cystic fibrosis. An amazing young man named Joseph turned four years old and used his birthday celebration to raise donations. His family arranged a drive-by parade. Joseph was dressed as a pint-sized Batman, and his front yard was transformed into Gotham City.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his leadership and his advocacy in the field of housing. I recently hosted a round table discussion with stakeholders in my riding of Kitchener—Conestoga, talking about the national housing strategy. One of the things that came up was, in smaller communities, seniors wanting to be able to downsize and stay in their community.

Woolwich Healthy Communities  Mr. Speaker, I was proud to meet with Woolwich Healthy Communities, an organization in Kitchener—Conestoga that is doing outstanding work locally to help protect our environment. Woolwich Healthy Communities has several working groups that are dedicated to making a difference in our riding.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for her advocacy and leadership on this. I happen to be the member for the riding next to hers, and we work well together as a region. I mentioned that the Waterloo region is flying the pride flag at public and Catholic schools, and the minister is leading the way on that.