Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, EI is currently one of the oldest and most complex systems across the Government of Canada. That is why we made a commitment to fully modernize the system. In the past two years, the minister has led more than 35 virtual national and regional roundtables with workers, employers and academics.

Canada-U.S. Relations  Madam Speaker, on Friday we will welcome to Parliament U.S. President Joe Biden to strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries. Border communities like mine rely on that relationship more than any other. From 80% to 90% of what we manufacture and what we grow is exported to the Midwest and beyond.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, in 2020 and 2021, Employment Insurance, or EI, call centre employees had no guidance instructing them to reply in the affirmative whenever individuals enquired about eligibility for EI benefits. Although there were temporary simplification measures in place for benefits, there were eligibility criteria that needed to be met.

Anthony Johnston  Madam Speaker, Robert Frost once wrote, “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” My community of Windsor-Essex lost a great teacher this week. To many, he was “Tony” or “TJ”. To my brother and me, and countless students he awakened, he was “Mr. Johnston”. Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, Mr.

Black History Month  Mr. Speaker, each February, my community of Windsor—Essex organizes a celebration of Black History Month that rivals any in the country, with close to 50 events to celebrate one of the oldest and most dynamic Black communities in Canada. We can step into Sandwich First Baptist Church, the oldest active Black church in Canada; trace the steps of American slaves crossing to freedom at the Amherstburg Freedom Museum; listen to the Windsor Symphony Orchestra celebrate Black voices and Oscar Peterson; honour Windsor's connection to the famed No. 2 Construction Battalion; walk the McDougall Street Corridor, where Black culture and commerce thrive; join the Black, Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference at Unifor Local 444; listen to Giller Prize-winning author Suzette Mayr at Biblioasis; support local Black businesses with the Buy Black 28-day challenge, and learn about innovators like engineer Cornelius Henderson, who helped build the Ambassador Bridge.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his fine speech and his fine leadership on the issue of advancing health care. We have to support the heroes who make our health care work. I had a chance to meet some of those heroes two weeks ago, when PSWs representing SEIU visited my office.

Canada National Parks Act  Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent point of order and well taken. The Parks Canada process is the best path forward for one major reason. It prioritizes, from the very start, community consultation with our community and also with indigenous communities like Caldwell and Walpole Island, which have historic ties to Ojibway.

Canada National Parks Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-248, an act to amend the Canada National Parks Act. I want to begin by acknowledging that the land I represent is the ancestral and unceded territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of first nations, the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi.

Persons with Disabilities  Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her tireless advocacy. In Canada, no person with a disability should live in poverty. That is why we are committed to creating the Canada disability benefit, a thoughtfully designed income supplement with the potential to seriously reduce poverty and improve financial security for hundreds of thousands of working-age Canadians with disabilities from coast to coast to coast.

Canada Revenue Agency  Mr. Speaker, when the pandemic hit, we acted quickly to get recovery benefits into people's bank accounts without delay. To achieve that goal, we planned to verify eligibility on the back end after the fact. This approach kept workers attached to their jobs and positioned our economy to come roaring back.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, it is not just promises; it is action. Our government added the tools and resources, such as 1,250 new employees in 2022, and we see the results with 5.2 million applications processed, which is nearly double the applications processed in 2021. The results for study permits were even better.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to highlight our government's progress as we continue working to improve our immigration and refugee system. In addition to the challenges brought by the pandemic backlog, Canada is the top destination in the world for immigration. There are record levels of people wanting to come to Canada.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, the proposed Canada disability benefit has the potential to reduce poverty and improve financial security for hundreds of thousands of working-age Canadians with disabilities. That is why we are taking the time to consult with our partners, including the disability community, indigenous organizations, disability researchers and experts, persons with disabilities, and disability stakeholders, as well as the provinces and territories.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Port Moody—Coquitlam for her advocacy on behalf of persons with disabilities. I want to especially acknowledge the advocacy of the hon. Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. She has worked tirelessly throughout her career to promote the rights of persons with disabilities.

Canada Disability Benefit Act  Madam Speaker, we have been hearing from Canadians about tragic situations and stories where crushing poverty is sometimes a factor in someone making that very difficult and very personal decision. That should never be a factor. Obviously, we know that one in five Canadians have a disability, and we know that about one in five Canadians with disabilities live in poverty.