House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2025, with 55% of the vote.
Canada's International Development Assistance October 22nd, 2025
Mr. Speaker, that is completely not true. In my speech, I said Canada must not follow that path, the path of those countries that have cut international development dollars. We are treating our partners with respect, acknowledging their growth and innovation, and saying that Canadians should also benefit while we work to lift others outside of Canada.
Canada's International Development Assistance October 22nd, 2025
Mr. Speaker, I have had discussions with the member for Lac-Saint-Jean. He brings up an important point in his amendment. As we reinvigorate our international development program, we should always have space for small and medium-sized organizations that punch way above their weight. We should make sure we create processes that treat them equally and give them an equal chance at the investments we make around the world. We should also keep an eye on internationally minded small and medium-sized organizations in rural Canada.
Canada's International Development Assistance October 22nd, 2025
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for that important question. It allows me to elaborate on what this motion is trying to do, which is to make sure that we enable small, medium and large enterprises in Canada to benefit from the global value chains that result from international development projects. International development projects are not only small, community-based projects. They can also be massive initiatives that bring in the private sector and bring in multiple countries to partner with us to make sure we are solving global challenges.
In that regard, those massive projects enable Canadian SMEs to not only showcase their innovation but also take advantage of those global value chains, thereby creating prosperity and jobs right here at home.
Canada's International Development Assistance October 22nd, 2025
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his great work.
When we are more focused on and strategic in how we deliver international development projects, we can be more definitive in our ability to create more opportunities for small, medium and large Canadian enterprises. I will give an example. If we look at areas in which we have led the world, such as clean tech, agribusiness, education and digital skills training, we can find ways to bring forth SMEs so they can benefit while we help our partner countries.
Canada's International Development Assistance October 22nd, 2025
moved:
That, in the opinion of the House, the government should strengthen the accountability, effectiveness, and mutual benefits of Canada’s international development assistance by:
(a) implementing new policies to ensure that Canadian international assistance programming integrates opportunities for reciprocal economic benefit, including through the participation of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises, innovators, and workers;
(b) establishing a dedicated Economic Partnerships Window to support projects that align poverty reduction abroad with economic security at home, and that utilize Canadian economic strengths such as clean energy, agriculture, digital technology, and education; and
(c) requiring the Minister of International Development to report to Parliament annually on the extent of Canadian participation in international assistance projects, the measurable benefits for partner countries, and the economic opportunities created for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Motion No. 14, a motion that embodies a simple but powerful idea, that Canada's generosity abroad should also help build opportunities at home.
For decades, Canadians have led with compassion, building schools, strengthening food systems, empowering women and literally saving lives across the world. We have done so not for recognition but because it is who we are. As the world changes, our development approach must change with it. We must continue to be generous but we must also be strategic, innovative and accountable.
The global development landscape has evolved dramatically. Today, many donor countries are pulling back, according to the OECD's 2024 report. International development assistance dollars have declined for the first time in years. Several major countries facing domestic pressures have cut back their international development dollars to the tune of billions.
Canada must not follow that path. We must do what we do best but do it even better. We must stay engaged, stay innovative and make our international assistance work for both our partners and our people.
The global economy is shifting. Emerging markets are no longer just recipients of aid; they are engines of growth. They are innovators. They are our trading partners. Nine out of the top 20 fastest-growing economies this year are in Africa. Countries like Rwanda, Niger, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire are experiencing growth rates of between 6% to 11% per year. ln Asia, the ASEAN region is now the fastest-growing economic bloc in the world, even surpassing the G7 on a per capita basis. In these regions, Canada has a depth of credibility. We are seen as long-term partners who have been there through thick and thin.
The first pillar of Motion No. 14 calls on us to embed reciprocal economic benefit within Canada's international assistance program. This is not about turning aid into trade. lt is about aligning our compassion with our capabilities. When a Canadian clean energy start-up helps deploy solar microgrids in a Caribbean country, it not only lowers emissions abroad but it helps create skilled jobs right here in Canada.
When a Canadian agri-tech firm supports farmers in producing more and higher yields in East Africa, we not only get to tackle hunger over there but we also help Canada's agricultural innovation sector. When our colleges deliver digital skills training, we not only empower youth in the developing world, we also continue to enhance Canada's reputation as a leader in education. This pillar ensures that Canadian innovation becomes part of the world's solution to global challenges while ensuring that Canadians share in the opportunity that innovation creates.
The second pillar proposes the creation of a dedicated economic partnerships window. This window would bridge Canada's development priorities and our domestic economic strengths. lt would support projects that advance poverty reduction and sustainable development abroad. It would strengthen Canadian sectors such as clean energy, agriculture, digital technology and education. It would mobilize small and medium-sized enterprises to become global problem-solvers. We already have glimpses of what this model looks like through FinDev Canada.
In 2022, FinDev invested $8 million U.S. in the Central American small enterprise investment fund, which supports high-growth SMEs in the agri-food, manufacturing, education and information technology sectors in Central America and the Caribbean. The fund focuses on job creation, women's economic empowerment and local value chains.
In 2025, FinDev invested $15 million U.S. in EcoEnterprises Partners, a women-led impact fund backing 20 SMEs in Latin America working in agritech, renewable energy, sustainable forestry and biodiversity conservation. This is exactly the kind of clean-growth collaboration this motion envisions. In Colombia, FinDev partnered with IDB Invest and the U.S. DFC on a $319-million U.S. facility with Banco Davivienda, expanding financing for small and women-led businesses and for green projects.
These examples prove that Canadian finance, innovation and know-how can generate shared prosperity. A dedicated economic partnerships window would scale up this model by opening more pathways for Canadian SMEs and workers to plug into these global value chains.
The third pillar of Motion No. 14 would strengthen accountability. lt would require the minister of international development to report annually to Parliament on the extent of Canadian participation in international development projects. It would also require the minister to table measurable benefits for partner countries, as well as economic opportunities created for Canadians right here at home. This transparency would ensure that every dollar of development assistance delivers a real impact, measurable progress and tangible benefits, both abroad and at home. lt would turn good intentions into accountable outcomes.
This motion is not about changing who we are; it is about strengthening who we always have been. Canadians are compassionate, but we are also innovative, entrepreneurial and globally minded.
Motion No. 14 reflects a modern, confident Canada, one that sees international development not as a cost, but as an investment in shared prosperity. lt tells the world that partnership is the future of aid and that Canada's economic security and global solidarity go hand in hand. By aligning our values with our strengths, we can make every act of assistance an act of opportunity in the world for Canadians.
I want to conclude by saying that I have seen first-hand the impact that Canadian international development and assistance programs have had on people's lives. From allowing people to access education and clean water to encouraging entrepreneurship and hope, Canada has always been a global leader in this field. What this motion seeks to do is build on that proud tradition and propel it into the future. lt would ensure our aid remains generous, effective and accountable, but also smart, strategic and innovative
When we help others, we rise with them, so let us pass Motion No. 14 and make Canada's international development policy a model of shared progress for a changing world.
Arab Heritage Month Act October 10th, 2025
moved that Bill S-227, An Act respecting Arab Heritage Month, be read the first time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce Bill S-227, an act respecting Arab Heritage Month. If passed, this bill would designate April of every year as Arab heritage month across Canada.
I want to thank Senator Mohammad Al Zaibak for reintroducing this important bill in the other place, and the member for Winnipeg North for seconding it. I also want to thank the member for Ottawa South, who first introduced it in this House during the 44th Parliament, where it passed unanimously on March 8, 2023, before unfortunately dying on the Order Paper in the other place.
The Arab world spans 22 nations, from the Arabian Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean. It is diverse in geography, climate and culture, yet united by shared traditions and the Arabic language. The first recorded Arab immigrant to Canada, Ibrahim Abou Nader, of Lebanese origin, arrived in Montreal in 1882. Today, over one million Canadians proudly trace their roots to the Arab world.
I urge all colleagues to support Bill S-227. By supporting this bill, we affirm that Arab Canadians are an olive branch on the Canadian family tree. Let us come together to ensure that Arab heritage month becomes a permanent fixture in our national calendar.
Shukran.
(Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)
Committees of the House November 18th, 2024
Madam Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 3003, 3010, 3019, 3024, 3026, 3031, 3033 and 3036.
Also, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 2999 to 3002, 3004 to 3009, 3011 to 3018, 3020 to 3023, 3025, 3027 to 3030, 3032, 3034, 3035, 3037 and 3038 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled in an electronic format immediately.
Points of Order November 18th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, at the conclusion of asking his question, as he was sitting down, called the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages “cocaine Randy”, which is extremely unparliamentary.
I would ask you, Mr. Speaker, to ask him to withdraw that remark.
Foreign Affairs October 29th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, we expressed serious concern about the passage of legislation by the Israeli Parliament that undermines the operations of UNRWA. As the member opposite stated, UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response that supports over two million civilians in Gaza, Palestinian civilians. This poses a significant risk and an obstacle to more aid going in.
We urge the Israeli government to allow UNRWA and the organizations that depend on UNRWA's network to do the work that is necessary and continue to deliver aid without obstruction.
Foreign Affairs September 23rd, 2024
Mr. Speaker, Canada is committed to ensuring that our humanitarian assistance aligns with Canadian values and international standards of neutrality. We take any allegations of misconduct very seriously.
Upon learning of allegations from UNRWA about some of its staff, Canada was the first country to take action and pause all additional funding pending thorough investigations by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and an independent review led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna. It is very rich for the member to talk about anything to do with the UN, because she will face down her party, which wants to quit the UN. Canada is a founding member.