Alaina Lockhart

[Petitions, June 19th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the good people of Fundy Royal, as well as hundreds of other Atlantic Canadians.

I should note that a number of members of Parliament, across party lines and from all regions of the country, have been filing similar petitions with respect to the rights of farmers and the use, reuse, exchange and selling of seeds.

The petitioners call upon the Parliament of Canada to enshrine in legislation the inalienable rights of farmers and other Canadians to save, reuse, select, exchange and sell seeds.

[Fundy Royal, June 19th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, as I walked up the Hill last night, I took pause to look at the beauty of Parliament Hill and all that it represents. Serving the people of Fundy Royal in this 42nd Parliament has been a true honour and the most challenging work of my life.

To understand local and national issues and to represent the interests of my constituents is a duty that I have not taken lightly. I am inspired by local community leaders, organizations and individuals, who are all as passionate as I am about the future of our area.

By working together, we have delivered supports for people at all stages in their lives, and we are making real progress. Over 14,000 children in Fundy Royal are better off today thanks to the Canada child benefit. As well, 825,000 Canadians have been lifted out of poverty. We have the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years and we finally have population growth in Atlantic Canada.

I thank the people of Fundy Royal for working with me and inspiring me. This is what working for Fundy Royal truly looks like. Together, I know we will continue to make a difference when I am sent back here as the member of Parliament for Fundy Royal.

[Criminal Records Act, June 6th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I know Liberals have differences of opinion with the NDP on how to proceed to clear people of their criminal records for possession. However, when the head of the campaign for Cannabis Amnesty, who shares a lot of the NDP's views, was asked in committee whether Bill C-93 was a positive step, she said it absolutely was.

We can talk about the differences of opinion in the House, but would the NDP see fit to help the people impacted by existing convictions to get jobs, housing and education, and support us by voting for this bill?

[Criminal Records Act, June 6th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, the Conservatives have said that the legalization of cannabis would lead to a catastrophe. That seemed to be the theme of the member's speech. So far, however, the facts speak for themselves.

We have seen a decline in the criminal share of cannabis from 51% to 38% in the first three months as opposed to last year. There is no sign of an increase in youth consumption, impaired driving problems or at the border.

Will the member concede that the Conservatives' doomsday predictions are a bit unfounded?

[Petitions, May 29th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the good people of Fundy Royal and on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of Health, and the good people of Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe to present this petition signed by New Brunswickers.

Over 800 people have signed this petition that calls on the House of Commons to support Bill S-214, which seeks to ban the sale and manufacture of of animal-tested cosmetics and their ingredients.

I am proud to present this on behalf of New Brunswickers in this great place.

[The Environment, May 16th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, Fundy Royal sits on the banks of the Saint John River basin and beside the Bay of Fundy. We have seen the direct impact of climate change. We have seen unprecedented flooding. We have seen coastal erosion. We have seen our local infrastructure overwhelmed.

What is amazing to me is that while the communities in my riding and the people in my riding are turning toward making sure that their homes are more resilient and that their communities are more resilient, we are sitting here having a debate about whether there is actually an emergency. Clearly, there is.

While the opposition seems to be screaming about what this is going to do to kill the economy, I am impressed that the businesses in my riding are coming to me with innovative ideas about a green future. Whether it is biodigesters or upgrades to asphalt operations, they are making changes.

If we could come together and actually agree that there is an emergency here and that we need to take action, how much further could we go to support these communities, these people and these businesses?

[Official Languages, April 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, our government's support for minority language communities, and Franco-Ontarian communities in this case, extends well beyond respecting our obligations under the Official Languages Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is about values.

The Franco-Ontarian community and other minority communities in Canada will always be able to count on the unwavering support of our government as a partner and as an advocate for their language rights.

Promoting the Canadian francophonie is key to everything our government does to foster the vitality of the French language across Canada.

[Official Languages, April 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the member's question allows our government to bring to this House an update on the issue. Post-secondary institutions play a crucial role in the vitality and enhancement of our official-language minority communities.

Last November, Doug Ford's Conservatives launched a direct attack on the Canadian francophonie. We, on this side of the House, will always be willing to defend and promote the French fact across the country.

Our government is fully prepared to support the province in this project. We have said it many times. We will contribute up to 50%. The money is on the table, but the provincial government is leaving it on the table. Since the Government of Ontario publicly announced its decision to suspend the funding for l'Université de l'Ontario Français in November 2018, our government has taken every possible step to move this agenda.

In addition to the many communications between our two levels of government to advance this file, the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie has twice written to Ontario government ministers to offer federal support and indicated many times that our government was open to working with the Ontario government to support this major project.

On January 13, 2019, she also publicly announced $1.9 million in funding directly from the budget of the action plan for official languages 2018-2023 to ensure the business continuity of the start-up activities of the l'Université de l'Ontario Français until January 2020.

This funding will support their preliminary work to establish the Francophone knowledge and innovation hub in Toronto and develop close ties between the agencies and organizations that support the francophone community.

This hub could host l'Université de l'Ontario Français once it is established, as well as over a dozen partners. This funding will be part of the total federal contribution to the project.

It is now up to the Government of Ontario to make an official request and to take this project seriously. Any contribution by our government to the establishment of the l'Université de l'Ontario Français is conditional on the provincial government submitting a funding application for our federal support programs and committing to at least 50% of costs.

[Human Rights, April 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, Siyabulela Mandela, great-grandson of the late Nelson Mandela, made his first stop on his cultural inclusion in political affairs tour to Fundy Royal's Town of Hampton.

This could not have been more fitting as it is the birthplace of John Peters Humphrey, who devoted his life to the advancement of human rights and, in fact, helped draft the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

While we were gathered at Credo, a monument to honour John Peters Humphrey, he shared these words of inspiration: “Human nature is to disagree. Our collective responsibility, regardless of race, creed, or nationality is to find common ground to build on the foundations laid by historical figures such as John Peters Humphrey and Nelson Mandela to build a more peaceful world.”

I thank Mr. Mandela for reminding us that the most ordinary among us can indeed achieve extraordinary outcomes for humankind. His visit and his message will be long remembered by the people of Hampton.

[Housing, April 4th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, the bottom line is that everyone in Canada deserves a place to call home that they can afford and that meets their needs. Our government has made this a top priority since the beginning of our mandate and we are already seeing the results.

Already close to one million people in Canada have benefited from our investments in housing, and momentum is strong to reach our ambitious goal of lifting 530,000 out of housing need and reduce chronic homelessness by 50%.

The national housing strategy's main programs have been rolled out and new projects are already breaking ground. We are working to finalize new first nations, Inuit and Métis strategies. New, more progressive bilateral agreements are being signed. We are close to launching legislation to keep housing on the agenda for generations to come.

Yes, housing needs continue to be great and, yes, there is still lots of work to do. However, Canadians are already feeling some relief. We are on track to making a lasting difference, giving more people a safe and affordable place to call home.