House of Commons Hansard #7 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was riding.

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The House resumed from December 8 consideration of the motion for an address to His Excellency the Governor General in reply to his speech at the opening of the session, and of the amendment.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

10:05 a.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, before I get started, I want to inform you that I am splitting my time with my colleague from Essex.

As this is my first full speech in the House of Commons, I want to thank the great people of Courtenay—Alberni for electing me as their member of Parliament. It is truly an honour to represent this great riding, which includes a large section of central Vancouver Island.

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if you have ever been to my home riding, but I would like to take a moment to introduce you and the members of the House to the land and the people who live there. I will then discuss some of the challenges that they face, as well as the opportunities that we have in relation to the Speech from the Throne.

I know that many members here would champion their own riding as the most beautiful place in Canada. I am confident that the physical geography found in Courtenay—Alberni has no equal. It starts at the beginning in Comox Valley, the islands, and Mount Washington, which normally has the largest amount of snowfall in North America. It stretches down through Oceanside and includes Parksville, Qualicum, and Nanoose Bay. They are beautiful beaches that we all know and care deeply about. It stretches across to the east side, Denman Island, Hornby Island, and Lasqueti Island, and crosses over the Alberni Valley and Mount Arrowsmith to the Pacific Rim. It includes the Long Beach national park, the great beaches of Tofino, and ten Nuu-chah-nulth communities, the nation of Qualicum, and part of the traditional territory of the K'ómoks First Nation.

My story in my riding dates back over 100 years, when my great-grandfather met my great-grandmother in Cumberland. Through my family and my community, I have a deep understanding of this place. I have witnessed the changes, the hardships, and the victories that we have faced together and the challenges that we face today.

The realities of some of the challenges and issues in our riding include climate change, the effects of which are being felt right across my riding. The previous Conservative government refused to acknowledge those realities, but all it would have had to do was talk to the folks at home who were seeing the effects first-hand. Many people who live in rural communities will share the story. The effects of climate change are affecting them now. They include the historic melting of our glaciers and snowcaps. Bob Cole, a lifelong Port Alberni resident, was on CBC Radio in June, talking about how, for the first time in his life, the glacier had melted in June.

Increased flooding and boil water advisories are affecting municipal infrastructure. They are affecting our agriculture and our food security. Major droughts and forest fires are affecting our economy.

People in British Columbia and coastal British Columbia will always say that the health of our salmon is the health of our communities. It rained just in time in August this year, or we would have lost all of our salmon. That is our culture, our economy, and our lifeline.

The ocean acidification in Baynes Sound a couple of years ago killed our shellfish sector. We had Humboldt squid, a foreign species, showing up on our beaches in Tofino a couple of years ago.

This is real. Climate change is here. I am overjoyed that the Liberal government, as evidenced in the throne speech, is embracing a new tone when it comes to climate change, but my constituents need more than a tone of change from their government. They need real action, setting ambitious, accountable emissions reduction targets with annual progress reports for meeting targets enshrined in Canadian law. My colleague, the member for Edmonton Strathcona, presented an opportunity for us to do that just yesterday. It is an opportunity to strengthen Canada's environmental assessment process by including climate impact assessments so that new projects will not derail reduction targets.

We need to highlight the work of environmental protection and those who do it every day, including the Coast Guard. Marine traffic control is a very important issue in my riding. We closed the Tofino and Ucluelet station. That was the station that communicated right across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to our American allies. It protected mariners in one of the fastest growing marine areas of the economy of North America.

We are looking at the closure of the Comox station in March. This station is very important to coastal British Columbians in terms of marine traffic safety, because it is it the only marine traffic control centre that is not in a tsunami subduction zone. We know that a tsunami is going to happen. It is not “if”, it is “when”. This is very important.

We saw during the Leviathan II boating incident in Tofino that it was local knowledge and local people that saved lives. Aboriginal people have been ill-equipped with training and equipment to save lives on the coast of British Columbia. The Ahousaht people saved lives in Tofino. People in the Haida Gwaii stopped the drifting Simushir from hitting the shore. People in Hartley Bay saved lives when a BC Ferries ferry went aground on the central B.C. coast. We need to better support these nations and coastal communities.

My community and the communities of coastal British Columbia rely heavily on dealing with derelict vessels and pollution in our waters, as members can imagine, but we have not dealt with that. However, Jean Crowder presented a very good opportunity in the last sitting of the 41st Parliament to deal with derelict vessels. We need national leadership on this to deal with the protection of the environment when vessels go aground and also to make sure that we protect mariner safety.

In my riding and in Canada a whole, more economic activity that works in conjunction with the environment is needed.

Small business is the core of our economy and the natural leader of innovation. We did not hear anything about small business in the Speech from the Throne, and we need to make sure that we do something about that.

Raw log exports in my riding have gone up tenfold in 10 years. That is not double, but tenfold. This is deeply affecting the economy of Port Alberni and Vancouver Island, and future generations.

One-third of the children in Alberni Valley are living in poverty. This is unacceptable to everyone in my riding. It is unacceptable to everyone in this House.

We have opportunities to invest in innovation. In Sweden they are making car parts out of wood. This morning a forest company announced the opportunity to make biofuel out of wood. This is the kind of innovation that we need and that we can embrace, but we need the government's help to do so.

We have opportunities to invest in emerging sectors such as tech. The tech sector is the fastest growing sector in British Columbia.

What better place to have higher learning, with a natural surrounding like Courtenay—Alberni and the west coast?

We need to improve the role of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans so that it is doing its job and gets back to its mandate to protect our wild salmon. We need boots on the ground so that we can help with the return of our salmon in coastal British Columbia.

We need support for infrastructure, especially for BC Ferries.

I am hoping that the House will support these important calls to action.

On social challenges, as I began to express, one-third of the children in Port Alberni and in Alberni Valley are living in poverty. Seniors in Oceanside and throughout our riding cannot get access to doctors. This is unacceptable.

Getting back to Alberni Valley, the life expectancy there is four years lower than the Canadian average. It is 40th in the world, just above the Dominican Republic. We have some work to do. Affordable child care would really help make a difference in the lives of people of Courtenay—Alberni.

We need a seniors strategy. Having the highest median age for seniors in my riding in the nation, I see firsthand the results of not having a seniors strategy, and not having a strategy for dementia and Alzheimer's. It is important that we do that.

We need better support for mental health and for veterans. We heard this every day at the door, as well as the impact of a failed economy on our youth, and youth unemployment. We need to ensure that our young people have an economy that will take them into the future, and make sure they have a living wage and an affordable place to live.

There are opportunities for us to move forward, and I would like to talk about some of those opportunities, working in collaboration with first nations. Often the wealth of our country starts in rural communities, but it leaves rural communities. We need to have shared prosperity with aboriginal people, and with all of our communities.

In recent years, the Nuu-chah-nulth won a very important court case in the Supreme Court of Canada: the right to catch and sell fish. This decision was awarded to them, but still the government has refused to sit at the table with the Nuu-chah-nulth people and negotiate fairly. I call upon this new government to do just that: sit and have fair and reasonable negotiations.

I am excited to bring a message of hope, optimism, and love from Courtenay—Alberni. I hope that the House will embrace our challenges, that we will stand together and work on our challenges together with ridings across this country to make sure we build a healthier, better, more prosperous Canada.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

10:10 a.m.

Liberal

Robert-Falcon Ouellette Liberal Winnipeg Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear the member's thoughts about the indigenous fishery and how giving greater opportunity to share the natural resources of our collective lands would benefit the indigenous communities, including lifting children out of poverty from those communities, and giving pride to the parents to be those providers that we need them to be.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

10:10 a.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, in response to my friend from Winnipeg Centre, I want to outline that the court case is important.

During the campaign the chief from Hesquiaht first nation, April Charleson, talked about the fact that the government has cut the welfare rate and income assistance rates. Transportation had been gutted so they could not even get home. It was $250 to get a water taxi from Hesquiaht to Tofino to buy groceries. At the same time they had won their court victory to catch and sell the very fish that were running by their villages and they could not even get access to those resources.

My colleague is absolutely right. This is the solution. This is an opportunity to feed the people of Hesquiaht, feed the people of our communities. This is an opportunity to make sure that we empower people instead of mismanaging poverty. We have a historic opportunity right now to do just that and I hope my colleague will join me in helping make that happen.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

10:10 a.m.

NDP

Sheila Malcolmson NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC

Mr. Speaker, my riding of Nanaimo-—Ladysmith has also shared the trauma of raw log exports, I would say. We heard it every night on the campaign doorstep. People are concerned about seeing ships loading raw logs off the waterline of our communities while jobs are leaving our communities at the same time. I understand 20,000 value-added, high-tech jobs around paper and wood manufacturing have been lost in our province since the Conservatives took power 10 years ago.

I hope the member can elaborate on the impact of that loss of jobs on his community.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

10:15 a.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have a personal connection to the forestry sector. My great-grandfather was a papermaker at a mill in Ocean Falls on the central coast of British Columbia. That town was a bustling community of 4,000 people. It produced Olympic swimmers back in the day. Today, that community has 75 people in it. I do not want to see that happen to Port Alberni. I do not want to see that happen to any more coastal communities, especially communities in my riding.

We have an opportunity to invest in innovation and technology. In our campaign we talked about the NDP having invested $40 million in the forestry sector to do just that.

I hope the government will be able to see the opportunity that we have with our forest sector and the opportunity to keep jobs in British Columbia, in Canada, instead of shipping raw logs out of our country and shipping jobs out of our country. This has an enormous impact on our communities.

The socio-economic indicators in Alberni Valley may show an unemployment rate of 10% but it does not truly reflect the true unemployment rate. The social assistance rate is 253% above the provincial average of British Columbia, and that is not okay. We need to do better. We have an opportunity. We have a thriving, beautiful opportunity to invest in our forestry sector. We are counting on the federal government and the provincial government of British Columbia to work together in collaboration with business to change direction in the forestry sector and make us more competitive so that we can make our mark on the world. This is our opportunity to do just that.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

10:15 a.m.

Liberal

Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB

Mr. Speaker, my colleague across the aisle made a passionate speech and I certainly appreciate his comments.

I too spent some time in the Comox-Campbell River area in the aquaculture business. I realize the beauty of that area but yet the challenges that the region faces.

I come from Saint John, New Brunswick. As I stated earlier this week in the House, my city leads the country unfortunately in child poverty. The rate in Saint John is 31%. One thing I am proud of on behalf of the Liberal government is that the Canada child benefit will pull 315,000 children out of poverty across our country. Would my opponent agree that the Canada child benefit will be a great thing for his riding?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

10:15 a.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, of course we welcome giving money to people in need, especially parents and children who need help. I will give the House an example. I knocked on a woman's door in Parksville. Her name was Karlin. Karlin pulled out her child care bill and it was $750. She pulled out her paycheque and it was $750. She earns $10.72 an hour. It is not enough. Fifteen dollar-a-day child care, a living wage. A living wage in Courtenay—Alberni is $17.22 an hour.

We need more action from the government. We would certainly welcome the member working with us on finding solutions to help deal with these problems to make sure that we make Karlin's life a lot better and a lot easier.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:15 a.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations with the parties, and if you seek it, you should find unanimous consent for the following motion.

I move:

That a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons be appointed to review the report of the External Panel on Options for a Legislative Response to Carter v. Canada and other recent relevant consultation activities and studies, to consult with Canadians, experts and stakeholders, and make recommendations on the framework of a federal response on physician-assisted dying that respects the Constitution, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the priorities of Canadians;

That five Members of the Senate and ten Members of the House of Commons be Members of the Committee with two Chairpersons of which the House Co-chair shall be from the governing party and the Senate Co-Chair from the Official Opposition party; and, that one additional Member of the third party be a member of the Committee without voting privileges;

That the House of Commons membership be determined by the whip of each party by depositing with the Clerk of the House a list of his or her party's Members of the Committee no later than five sitting days after the adoption of this motion;

That changes in the membership of the Committee, on the part of the House of Commons, be effective immediately after a notification signed by the Member acting as the chief Whip of any recognized party has been filed with the clerk of the Committee;

That the Committee be directed to consult broadly, take into consideration consultations that have been undertaken on the issue, examine relevant research studies and literature and review models being used or developed in other jurisdictions;

That the Committee have the power to sit during sittings and adjournments of the House;

That the Committee have the power to report from time to time, to send for persons, papers and records, and to print such papers and evidence as may be ordered by the Committee;

That the Committee have the power to retain the services of expert, professional, technical and clerical staff, including legal counsel;

That the quorum of the Committee be eight Members whenever a vote, resolution or other decision is taken, so long as both Houses and all officially recognized parties are represented, and that the Joint Chairpersons be authorized to hold meetings, to receive evidence and authorize the printing thereof, whenever six Members are present, so long as both Houses and all officially recognized parties are represented;

That the Committee have the power to appoint, from among its Members such sub-committees as may be deemed appropriate and to delegate to such sub-committees, all or any of its powers, except the power to report to the Senate and House of Commons;

That the Committee have the power to adjourn from place to place within and outside Canada;

That the Committee have the power to authorize television and radio broadcasting of any or all of its proceedings;

That the Committee make its final report no later than February 26, 2016; and

That, a Message be sent to the Senate, requesting that House to unite with this House for the above purpose and to select, if the Senate deems advisable, Members to act on the proposed Special Joint Committee.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Does the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

(Motion agreed to)

I see the hon. opposition whip rising on a point of order.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

Gord Brown Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON

Mr. Speaker, there have also been consultations, and if you seek it I believe you will find consent for the following motion: that, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practices of the House and its committees, before proceeding with the election of a committee chair, pursuant to Standing Order 106.2, the clerk of the committee shall call upon each candidate for the chair to address the committee once, for not more than three minutes. When the final candidate has completed his or her speech, the clerk of the committee shall proceed immediately to the election of a chair.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Does the chief opposition whip have the unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

The House has heard the terms of the motion, is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

The motion is therefore not carried.

I see the hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader rising on a point of order.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

There have been discussions among all parties and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: that, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practice of the House, that the Standing Committee on Finance may hold organizational meetings on December 11, 2015, and that the membership of the said committee be as follows: Hon. Wayne Easter, Raj Grewal, Steven MacKinnon, Jennifer O'Connell, Robert-Falcon Ouellette, Francesco Sorbara, Hon. Lisa Raitt, Ron Liepert, Phil McColeman and Guy Caron; and that during its consideration of proceedings, pursuant to Standing Order 83.1, the Standing Committee on Finance, together with any necessary staff, may travel within Canada, and may authorize the broadcasting of its proceedings; and that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 83.1, the Standing Committee on Finance be authorized to present its report on the pre-budget consultations no later than February 5, 2016.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Does the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:25 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:25 a.m.

NDP

Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON

Mr. Speaker, as this is my first speech in the House, I would like to take a moment to thank the people of Essex for putting their trust in me and giving me the opportunity to serve them in the next four years. Essex is a beautiful and diverse riding, made up of many small towns, including LaSalle, Amherstburg, Kingsville, Lakeshore, Essex, Harrow, and many other small communities. As their voice in Parliament, I will listen to their concerns and take their priorities to Ottawa, and fight for them every step of the way. As their MP, I will embrace a positive, progressive perspective. I will consult with everyday people, and I will strive to ensure that all levels of government work together for the best interests of Essex.

Coming out of such a long election campaign, I would like to thank all of the amazing volunteers who helped me get elected. Their dedication is truly inspiring and made all the difference.

I would like to thank my family members for their unwavering support, my husband Germaine, our sons Maxwell and Maliq, my parents Tom and Linda, my brother and sister, extended family and friends.

Today I am honoured to rise in the House to debate the government's Speech from the Throne. During the election campaign, the Liberals made many promises to Canadians, and there are high expectations on them to deliver as government. While the throne speech was thin on details, I am hopeful that this is not an indication of a lack of commitment to follow through on their promises.

As the representative for Essex, and as a member of the NDP caucus, the progressive opposition, I will work to hold the government to account and push the Liberals to keep their word on increasing investments in infrastructure, boosting public pensions, and implementing democratic reforms.

One of the government's top priorities is what it calls a tax cut for the middle class. However, in reality nearly 70% of Canadians, including middle-income earners, will not receive any benefit. The NDP propose to modify the tax cut so that 90% of Canadians will benefit, helping to reduce income inequality and making our tax system a little fairer. Unfortunately, the Liberals have not accepted our proposal.

I hope to see the government make job creation a real priority. Too often, workers are forced to turn to part-time precarious work, as good full-time jobs disappear at an alarming rate. My riding of Essex has one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada, and the working class there really suffered under the Conservative government.

Communities depend on jobs and sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, IT, and logistics. There are many small businesses in my region that contribute so much to our communities. I have met with many people in the riding who have terrific ideas on how we can move our region forward and support quality local job creation. I am excited about what we can accomplish together.

I was pleased to see the throne speech reiterate a commitment to investing in infrastructure. Although few details were provided, I am hopeful that we will soon see a plan for getting this money out the door. My riding of Essex will benefit in many ways from great investments in infrastructure. More rail and better roads will help people and goods move with more ease. It will generate good jobs and more economic activity, which is what our region desperately needs.

As many will know, plans are under way to construct a second bridge and border crossing for the Windsor-Detroit corridor. Building this bridge will lead to increased trade, which is vital to our long-term economic prosperity. I applaud my colleague, the hon. member for Windsor West, who has advocated for this new crossing for years and worked hard to advance the file. I look forward to working with him and the current government on this and many other issues.

In the throne speech, the government committed to providing a more secure retirement for Canadians by working with the provinces and territories to enhance the Canada pension plan. After years of Conservative stalling, I welcome this important commitment.

On the doorsteps in Essex, I heard from many people who were concerned about their ability to save for their future and to retire with dignity. People work hard all their lives, and they deserve greater retirement security.

As a New Democrat MP, I will stand up for strengthening CPP, returning eligibility for old age security to age 65, protecting workplace pensions, and lifting seniors out of poverty by boosting the guaranteed income supplement.

I must also point out some of the topics that the Speech from the Throne failed to address.

As the NDP critic for international trade, I would like to see the government provide much greater details on its plan to consult Canadians on the trans-Pacific partnership. The Conservatives negotiated this deal behind closed doors in the dying days of their government. We all know that this deal could result in the loss of tens of thousands of Canadian jobs. Nowhere would the effect of this be more deeply felt than in my riding of Essex, where so many people are employed by the auto and agricultural sectors.

As an auto worker, I saw first-hand how job losses have impacted families and entire communities. When I started working on the assembly line at Ford, we had 6,700 people. Twenty years later, we are down to 1,500. These losses have been devastating.

In 2008, I found myself laid off. I know what that feels like. I know how it impacts our families and the decisions we make about our lives and our future. Many of my friends and co-workers made difficult choices, such as moving away from their families for work, and returning to school, as I did.

Facing economic uncertainty and starting over is unfortunately something that many Canadians experience today. I understand their frustrations and challenges on a deeply personal level, and I commit to working-class people in my riding of Essex and in Canada that I will be our voice in Parliament.

With so much on the line, Canadians deserve to be listened to. On the campaign trail, the Liberals promised public consultations, but their Speech from the Throne was silent on this and on compensation for farmers and auto workers who will be hurt by this deal.

I look forward to working with the hon. member for University—Rosedale on the TPP and many other trade-related issues. Although we will not always agree, I am optimistic that we can have a positive collaborative relationship.

I also look forward to working with the hon. member for LaSalle—Émard—Verdun in his capacity as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, as well as the honourable member for Battlefords—Lloydminster, the Conservative critic for international trade. On the TPP, I'm confident that we can get a better deal for Canadians.

Turning my attention to another issue now, the Speech from the Throne talked about working with the provinces and territories to develop a new health accord. However, I did not see a commitment to cancelling the Conservatives' planned cuts to health care. Reversing these cuts will allow us to invest in improving seniors care, making prescription drug coverage more affordable, and helping more Canadians to find a family doctor.

The speech also failed to outline plans to fight poverty and reduce inequality in Canada. I spoke earlier, applauding the government's commitment to enhancing the CPP. However, we in the NDP believe so much more must be done for low-income seniors, including boosting the GIS and reversing the Conservatives' cuts to OAS.

The rate of child poverty in Canada is shockingly high and deserves more attention from the federal government. I am proud to belong to a party that has worked to advance that issue for decades. In 1989, the House of Commons unanimously adopted former NDP leader Ed Broadbent's motion to end child poverty in Canada, but for 25 years, Conservative and Liberal governments have failed to act.

Today, more children live in poverty than in 1989. The NDP has proposed a new way forward: close the tax loophole currently enjoyed by CEOs on stock options. Those funds would be redirected to low-income families through an enhanced working income tax benefit and an enhanced national child benefit supplement.

As I near the end of my allotted time, I'd like to thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to rise in the House today. As the Member of Parliament for Essex, I'm committed to fighting for the people of my riding. I will stand up for good jobs, better health care, help for those who work hard to get ahead, and a better deal on the trans-Pacific partnership.

Business of the HouseSpeech From The Throne

10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank my colleague across the floor for her first official speech in the House. It was an excellent speech, very passionate, very good information, and I thank her for that.

I also want to indicate that it is obvious many of the challenges in her area will be fulfilled through our Liberal promises over the next four-year mandate, as many of the issues she addressed we have in the throne speech or have shared throughout the campaign.

My question to the hon. member would be about the trans-Pacific partnership. The NDP was totally against it and wanted it out, and she seemed to indicate in her speech that we should move forward, but maybe with some changes or consultations. I am glad to see that, but I would like to know if the NDP position now is that we work closely in establishing that trade deal.