Mr. Speaker, I am profoundly honoured and grateful for this opportunity to speak to this transformational budget 2016. Budget 2016 puts people first and delivers the help that Canadians need now, not a decade from now. It is an essential step to restoring prosperity for the middle class.
I was glad to hear that our Prime Minister has made it clear that our number one job as members of Parliament, in his words, “is to be a strong voice in the service of the people who sent [us] here from [our] constituencies.” I could not agree more. This is why my Mississauga colleagues and I conducted extensive pre-budget consultations and meetings with constituents and stakeholders. They were loud and clear about needs that needed to be addressed: investments in infrastructure, opportunity and jobs for our young people, providing supports for our seniors and veterans so they can live with dignity and respect, and building a creative and innovative economy to best compete in the 21st century. The minister heard our voices, and the budget reflected what the people of Mississauga were looking for.
We conducted a post-budget meeting just this past week. The sentiments from the private sector, the City of Mississauga, the not-for-profit sector, our university, our college, were all extremely positive.
My greatest thanks and gratitude will always go to the voters of Mississauga East—Cooksville. I have committed to serve them to the best of my ability, with integrity, humility, and hard work, and to deliver on the commitments that I and our party made throughout the election. I am so proud to represent the kind and wonderful people of my riding and I am proud that budget 2016 delivers for them by investing in their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, and grandparents.
My constituency has a rich history. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Mississauga First Nation which first settled these lands. Mississauga was formed on August 2, 1805, when officials purchased 84,000 acres of land from the Mississauga. The crown gave much of that land to our first immigrants, the United Empire Loyalists, who fled from the Thirteen Colonies during and after the American Revolution.
I am proud that budget 2016 is addressing generations of injustices by providing a better quality of life for our indigenous peoples and building a stronger, more unified, and prosperous Canada.
Today Mississauga has grown to become Canada's sixth-largest city, with the same challenges and opportunities of any large urban centre. More than 750,000 people call Mississauga home. These are people from all parts of the world, from every faith, and that number is growing. We are a shining example of the diversity that makes our country strong and unique. This growth has come from waves of new Canadians of Portuguese, British, Polish, Filipino, Italian, black, Chinese, South Asian, and Ukrainian descent, people from every other country and region around the world, to make up our colourful and cultural mosaic.
I am proud that our government is committed to bringing in over 300,000 new Canadians for this year.
Mississauga East—Cooksville is my home. It is where my wife Christine and I raise our family. I am a father or two amazing 10-year-old twin boys, Sebastien and Alexander, and like any parent, I want the best for them. They remain at the heart of my desire to serve here. I am proud of our government's belief that every child deserves an opportunity to realize their full potential.
Our new Canada child benefit will lift 300,000 kids out of poverty. It will be simpler, tax-free, more generous, and better targeted. About nine out of 10 families will receive higher benefits under this new system, and hundreds of thousands of children will have a better opportunity to succeed.
Youth will also have more opportunity to go to college and university and begin their career path.
Budget 2016 reflects our values of inclusiveness and fairness.
My family's story reflects the story of Canada, one of diversity, hope, and hard work. In 1967, my father left Portugal. He fled a fascist, dictatorial regime because he wanted his family to be free and to find a better life. He came here seeking a better life and he never looked back. He then sponsored my mom and me to join him. At that time, spousal sponsorship and family reunification was taking less than six months. My family is proud of its Portuguese heritage, and we love Canada.
I am proud that this budget is committed to lowering those times for spousal sponsorship and family reunification. It has been atrocious to hear from my constituents that they have been waiting for their spouses for two, three, and four years. They are waiting for family members for four years. This is tearing families apart, and we are going to address this now.
I am fortunate that my parents chose Canada and I am grateful that Canada accepted us. My father's deep desire for social justice, freedom, and democracy today formed the basis of my political engagement. His love and passion for Canada was never stronger than when he watched Canada on the world stage as a peacekeeper, a builder of the world's tallest tower, or the winner of the 1972 series. This budget allocates $586.5 million over the next three years for peacekeeping and security.
My dad was patriotic to the core. After watching Nancy Greene win the gold for Canada in the 1968 Olympics, he named my sister Nancy.
We Canadians welcome refugees. We Canadians believe we need to tackle climate change. We Canadians are honest brokers and consensus builders on the world stage, with our greatest trading partner and friend, the United States. When we work together to accomplish shared goals, we are unstoppable. Budget 2016 would get us back on track to a brighter future for all.
Like training for the Olympics, in which I had an opportunity to participate and proudly wear the Canadian maple leaf, this budget was built by planning, preparing, and building partnerships. Our government has an ambitious agenda for making real change happen. Budget 2016 is a bold move to growing the middle class, and it takes giant steps to revitalize our Canadian economy. We are stronger together, and that is why we are delivering on our agenda in a collaborative and respectful way with our municipal, provincial, territorial, and indigenous partners.
I look forward to serving and working in the same respectful and collaborative way here in the House with all members, on both sides of the aisle, as we strive to do the best we can for the people of Canada. Our government has Olympic-like ambition. There is $120 billion to be invested in infrastructure: green infrastructure, social infrastructure, transit infrastructure.
I want to share a quick story. On July 8, 2013, my riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville was hit by the biggest flood it has ever experienced. It is the worst natural disaster in Ontario's history, costing $1 billion. Budget 2016 addresses the need for major infrastructure investments, flood mitigation, clean technology, and addressing climate change. Many families in my riding will be very delighted with this.
There is also the issue of affordable housing. The wait list right now in my area runs from 12 years to 21 years. Affordable housing is being addressed in this budget. These are the needs of my community, and this budget addresses those needs. I am pleased to support budget 2016.