Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, the bill also proposes to ensure that mental illness is not a reason to go ahead with MAID and that people who suffer solely from a mental illness will not be eligible for MAID. That has been taken into account. I still agree that this is something that people should have the choice to decide for themselves.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to Bill C-7, a very important bill that proposes to amend the Criminal Code provisions on medical assistance in dying, MAID. It took me a long while to decide that I was going to speak to this bill. In fact, when I first learned that we would be debating this legislation this month, I decided I was not going to speak to it at all because I do not do very well with these topics.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, this being Small Business Week, I would like to talk about how important small businesses are to our country. They are the mainstay of the Canadian economy, employing millions of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. COVID-19 is making things very difficult for most Canadian businesses, and our government knows that.

Judges Act  Madam Speaker, it is really about making sure we are teaching our girls and boys from a young age to counter this. Our thoughts and beliefs about women and men and about how we treat each other stem from the way we were raised in our homes and the way we were taught things growing up.

Judges Act  Madam Speaker, in my view, there are people who have very traditional views on how women should act. Unfortunately, these are ancient and should be a thing of the past, because women should be independent and able to act the way they want. Men should be responsible for their actions.

Judges Act  Madam Speaker, in my opinion, if more of the victims of sexual assault who came forward were believed when they pleaded their cases, it would encourage more women to come forward. One of the main reasons women do not come forward is, as I mentioned, the awful statistics regarding sexual assaults and the outcomes of these trials.

Judges Act  Madam Speaker, of course it is always possible to go further. This is a good starting point, but I would obviously like to see it go further in the future.

Judges Act  Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity today to speak in favour of Bill C-3, an act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code, an incredibly important bill that could help make Canada a safer place for women and girls in all corners of the country. I would like to begin by thanking Rona Ambrose for bringing this issue to the forefront in the first place.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, in my riding, Saint-Laurent, and throughout Quebec, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of having a safe and affordable place to call home. This is a tough time for many Quebeckers, but we have made progress with the launch of the national housing strategy.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I definitely believe we will be supporting that. I can speak for myself anyway. I know I would support that because I know we did great work during the summer. I would like to thank the member for the work he put into the committee as well, and for initiating the study on fraud.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, CEBA has been expanded to benefit even more businesses. In the beginning, the government was not sure how long this would last and tried to help as many as possible, but we saw that many of them fell through the cracks. In the throne speech we have committed to help some of the businesses that were the hardest hit and the ones that have not necessarily received much help up until now.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question, although I am not able to give a specific answer. This was one of the objectives mentioned in the throne speech. Many Canadians are earning a living by working from home because of COVID-19. Most of their work is being done at home, so it is very important for everyone to be connected to the Internet.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook. I am thankful for the opportunity to speak today in favour of the Speech from the Throne, one that I hope my colleagues across all party lines will support, because it will allow our government to continue supporting Canadians in what is probably one of the most difficult times of their lives.

Health  Mr. Speaker, Canadian manufacturers across the country did an amazing job of quickly responding to COVID-19 by retooling their operations to assist in the production of much-needed personal protective equipment. For example, Yoga Jeans is now producing hospital gowns for health care workers.

Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, as a former teacher in two of Montreal's English school boards, I will always be there to support our official language minority communities. Since 2017, the official languages committee of which I am a proud member has worked with Statistics Canada and the government to ensure that quality information on minority language rights holders is collected to help inform evidence-based decision making.