House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 42% of the vote.
Taxation November 1st, 2017
Mr. Speaker, it is unimaginable that any government could be so heartless as to take away from people suffering with diabetes the benefits they have just to save a few bucks. However, now we are hearing reports that the Liberals are also targeting Canadians with mental health illnesses and autism to help pay for their out-of-control spending. Enough is enough.
When will the Prime Minister stop treating Canada's most vulnerable as if they are tax cheats?
Taxation October 31st, 2017
Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks it has come to our attention that the Liberal government has been unfairly raising taxes on Canadians suffering from diabetes. I now hear reports that the government is also targeting Canadians with mental illness.
Living with disease or disability is not easy. The government should not be making it even more difficult by forcing these Canadians to pay even more to deal with or treat their various conditions.
As the shadow minister for youth, sports, and persons with disabilities, I want to make it absolutely clear to those suffering from disease or disabilities that the Conservative Party is listening to them and we are fighting on their behalf. We will not let the government turn its back on them. We will not be silent. We will stand beside them and with them to undo these injustices.
Taxation October 24th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals cut off diabetics from the disability tax credit with a stroke of the minister's pen. Meanwhile, they allow the finance minister to use loopholes so he can hide millions of dollars of investments from Canadians. However, when Canadians suffering from diabetes try to access the tax credit, the Liberals claim that they are somehow cheating the system. Why are the Liberals working so hard to protect the finance minister from paying his fair share while they go after Canadians suffering from diabetes?
Business of Supply October 23rd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I find it very difficult to take some of the points the hon. member has put forward to the House today when we look at what the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister have been saying. This is a minister who is going around the country essentially calling small business people tax cheats who are looking for and finding tax loopholes.
What did we then find out? The minister did not need to look very far to find people who were looking for loopholes and using them; he just had to look in the mirror. That is all he had to do. If he were looking for someone who was using loopholes, all he had to do was to look in the mirror. That is a result of how he set up his corporate holdings to avoid some of them going into a blind trust. We know that because of the amount of money he has made through the decisions he has made as the finance minister on bills that he is putting forward to the House.
When will the Liberal Party stop focusing on hard-working honest Canadians and instead start focusing on their own morals and ethics, which are so lacking?
Oil Tanker Moratorium Act October 4th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, today we are speaking about time allocation on the bill. I find it interesting when I see time allocation, especially when there are only two speakers and it is brought forward under circumstances that one would question, because the throne speech that the government brought forward when it was elected says the following:
Welcome also to the 197 members who are newly elected. Your enthusiasm and fresh ideas will serve your country well.
I call on all parliamentarians to work together, with a renewed spirit of innovation, openness and collaboration. ...
How?
By being smart, and caring—on a scale as never before.
The times we live in demand nothing less.
Canada succeeds in large part because here, diverse perspectives and different opinions are celebrated, not silenced.
Parliament shall be no exception.
In this Parliament, all members will be honoured, respected and heard, wherever they sit. For here, in these chambers, the voices of all Canadians matter.
When I look at what is happening here today, I am trying to rationalize what was said in the throne speech versus the actions that we see by the government day after day, and I cannot rationalize it. I would like the Minister of Transport to stand in the House of Commons today and tell the Canadian people why he has turned his back not only on them but on his own government's throne speech.
Indigenous Affairs October 4th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's talk is cheap. The Prime Minister says one thing, and yet his government does another. The Liberals denied $6,000 in dental surgery to a young first nations girl and then racked up $110,000 in legal fees fighting this young girl, but when it comes to terrorists, they just give up and write a cheque.
Why did this Prime Minister give a convicted terrorist, Omar Khadr, $10.5 million but deny a young first nations girl $6,000 for dental surgery?
Indigenous Affairs September 26th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux and the Liberals are out of touch with the indigenous Canadians they are supposed to be serving. When Cindy Blackstock, an advocate for indigenous youth, questioned the half-million-dollar payout for what she called a “public relations exercise”, Wesley-Esquimaux fired back saying, “If Cindy and her bunch would work together and stop attacking, we could get a lot more done.”
Can the minister tell the House if she agrees with the statements of this former Liberal candidate turned Liberal adviser?
Indigenous Affairs September 25th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux is unapologetic about her major taxpayer-funded payout. She believes that because she paid tax on the income, it is no big deal. She even went so far as to scold first nations advocates for not blindly praising her work. The Liberals know what they did is wrong, yet they continue to do it.
Can the minister explain how giving $437,000 to a Liberal insider is somehow helping Canadian indigenous youth?
Mental Health September 21st, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of an incredible young man from the riding of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte.
Zach Hofer, 13 years of age, was passionate about youth mental health, but realized there was a lack of programs in our region that actually provided these services. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Canadians between the ages of 10 and 24, yet many of our young people are left without the support that they need.
Zach took it upon himself to raise awareness and funds through his initiative, Zach Makes Tracks for youth mental health.
Beginning August 13, Zach walked, ran, and biked 410 kilometres from Barrie to Ottawa, finishing his triumphant journey right here on the steps of Parliament Hill on September 10. Through the generous support of donors from across Ontario and especially in Barrie, Zach Makes Tracks raised over $70,000 for the new youth mental health centre at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie.
I thank Zach for inspiring Canadians, young and old, to take action. We cannot wait to see what he does next.
Export and Import Permits Act September 21st, 2017
Mr. Speaker, my question goes back to a previous speech we heard on this matter and the point that was raised. I would like to know what the member's thoughts are on this specific issue. It is that this initiative gives rise to potential concerns regarding privacy.
One of the groups that I have the honour of working with and have been crisscrossing the country and speaking with is young people. Those young people raise two major concerns, and everywhere we go it is the same. It is regarding privacy and freedom.
I know from the member's speech and from other speeches by members of the Liberal Party that they do not have those concerns, but we heard earlier that if someone were to walk into Cabela's or a pro shop of some kind and purchase a Beretta, the person's information would then be transferred to another government. Could the member comment and tell Canadians why their personal information should be transferred to another government?