Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Halifax.
I rise today to speak in strong support of budget 2025. This is a budget that strengthens our economy, advances a fair society and ensures safer, more resilient communities for all Canadians.
Last week, I received a letter from Emma, a 13-year-old student in Burnaby Central. After reading my September mailer, she urged her government to stand up against unfair U.S. tariffs and policies that would hurt Canadian workers and families. However, Emma's letter did not stop there. She is openly queer and wanted a government that stands for equality, fairness and inclusion. Her voice reminds us that the work we do in Parliament matters to the next generation. When a young person feels safe and empowered to speak up about trade and protecting 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians, it speaks volumes about our country and our responsibility as lawmakers.
This is why I am so proud that budget 2025 provides long-term, stable funding to the Department of Women and Gender Equality to advance women's equity, prevent gender-based violence and protect 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians. We owe it to Emma and to every young Canadian to build a society where they are free from fear and free to dream.
I recently visited Nelson Avenue Community Church in my riding, where members shared one concern I hear every day: the high cost of housing and ensuring seniors can live with dignity in their communities. Budget 2025 delivers real, practical solutions. We are building deeply affordable community and co-op housing for low-income families; eliminating GST for first-time homebuyers for homes under $1 million and reducing it for homes between $1 million and $1.5 million; increasing CMBs to support more housing starts; and supporting seniors through the new horizons for seniors program and funding local projects like fitness programs and national initiatives like financial literacy classes for seniors so they can stay active and live with dignity. Together with the build communities strong fund, these measures help families and seniors stay in the communities they love and flourish in.
Building a stronger Canada takes government, industry and world-class polytechnic institutions. In Burnaby Central, we are proud to be home to the British Columbia Institute of Technology, a national leader defining what polytechnic education means in Canada. BCIT is not just a school; it is a powerhouse of talent. It is where Canada's welders, electricians, engineers, technicians, nurses and innovators get the hands-on training that builds our country and infrastructure, powers our industries and strengthens our economy.
As our government advances $115.2 billion in infrastructure investment, we will rely on BCIT more than ever, because without skilled apprentices, trained tradespeople and innovators ready to lead, no major project gets built, not on time and not on budget. BCIT is building the workforce of tomorrow. Our job is to ensure institutions like BCIT have the tools to keep doing that.
Innovation is happening in Burnaby. I recently toured three remarkable companies. Novarc Technologies is a global leader in welding automation, using AI robotics to tackle complex industrial applications. This is critical as Canada ramps up infrastructure and clean technology projects. Svante Technologies is a world leader in carbon capture, turning climate ambition into action and helping Canada lead in clean technology. BlueForce Energy advances low-carbon transition through electric fleet conversions, battery storage and renewable energy solutions.
To compete globally, Canada must reduce its carbon intensity. In Burnaby, leading innovators are showing how Canadian expertise, from advanced manufacturing to clean technology, can drive a cleaner, stronger and more competitive future.
Emma reminded me that young Canadians already understand one important truth: We cannot rely on one trading partner. With 70% of our exports going to the United States, trade diversification is essential.
Budget 2025 strengthens Canada's economic ties across the Indo-Pacific by deepening our relationship with key economic and trade partners such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India and Australia, while expanding opportunities with ASEAN members and Europe. Through this partnership, Canada is creating opportunities in agriculture, clean technology, digital trade, advanced manufacturing, and services, ensuring Canadian businesses can compete globally while building a more resilient economy at home. A diversified economy is a resilient economy, and this budget makes it a priority.
Every week in Burnaby Central, families tell me the same thing: They are working hard, but everything is so expensive. They want a government that gets that and acts on it. Budget 2025 does exactly that, delivering real relief that makes life more affordable for the middle class.
It starts with a tax cut. On July 1 this year, the first federal tax bracket dropped from 15% to 14%, helping nearly 22 million Canadians and saving dual-income households up to $840. Budget 2025 also strengthens safety and security for all Canadians.
Last week, I hosted a tea party in my constituency office with small business owners, health care professionals, college security managers, Burnaby firefighters and the RCMP. One consensus was clear: We all want safe neighbourhoods.
This budget delivers on that promise. It invests in 1,000 new RCMP officers to keep our communities safe, invests $617.7 million to strengthen the CBSA's capacity to stop smuggling and illegal weapons, reforms the Canada community security program to protect places of worship and culture centres, creates a new anti-fraud strategy to implement stronger protections for consumers, particularly seniors and newcomers, and creates a new financial crimes agency to bring together the expertise and resources needed to stop criminal activities. These are not abstract numbers; they are practical, tangible investments that reflect our values, protect our communities, support frontline workers and ensure that every person can feel safe and secure in their home and neighbourhood.
In October, I visited Burnaby Hospital to discuss the hospital's expansion project and the critical shortage of health care professionals. The leadership expressed strong support for foreign-trained health care workers. Separately, I spoke with two foreign-trained physiotherapists who shared their frustration with Canada's licensing process, which can take three to four years. I know their struggle personally. After earning my law degree in Australia, it took me 18 months to become a qualified lawyer here in Canada.
Budget 2025 is taking action. It provides $97 million to create a foreign credential recognition action fund, helping provinces and territories make it faster and easier for internationally trained professionals to contribute their skills and serve Canadians. It is about cutting red tape, and we are recognizing talent.
When Emma, a brave 13-year-old girl, wrote to me asking whether her government would stand up against U.S. tariffs and stand with her as an openly queer Canadian, she was not just asking for reassurance; she was asking for action. With this budget, we are saying yes: yes to workers, who need stability; yes to families, who need affordability; yes to students, who need opportunities and careers; yes to businesses, which need certainty; yes to newcomers, who need a fair start; yes to seniors, who deserve dignity; yes to women, who deserve safety and protection from gender-based violence; yes to 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians, who deserve to know their country stands with them and protects them; and yes to Canada, a country that refuses to settle, refuses to slow down and refuses to leave anyone behind. It is a country that builds boldly, competes fiercely and stands ready to lead.
This budget is our answer to a Canada that lifts people up, protects their rights and builds a future worthy of their courage, while making our economy stronger, more resilient and ready for the challenges of tomorrow. I thank Emma for her courage, her voice and her hope. She is the future of Canada.
Let us pass this transformational budget and build a Canada ready for Emma and for every child, every family and every future generation that will shine in the Canada we build today.