Ali Ehsassi

[Global Entrepreneurship Week, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week. This initiative is hosted by Futurpreneur, a uniquely Canadian success story that has supported the creation of well over 11,000 Canadian businesses since its inception. Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrates entrepreneurs as the backbone of the Canadian economy. They are a driving force for innovation, job creation and prosperity from coast to coast to coast.

We know that our entrepreneurs have been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, but we also know that they will prove instrumental in our mission to build back better. The entrepreneurial spirit of Canadians remains unflappable, contributing to our culture, economy and local identity. In small towns and big cities across the country, entrepreneurs are still launching new businesses, revitalizing main streets and creating jobs and economic opportunity.

I invite all colleagues to join me in recognizing Global Entrepreneurship Week and thanking Futurpreneur Canada for its peerless work in supporting innovators and risk takers throughout our beautiful country.

[Natural Resources, October 30th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Surrey Centre for his continued hard work.

Last week, we announced a $100-million investment in the clean resource innovation network to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative technologies that will lower environmental impacts. Just yesterday, the Minister of Natural Resources launched the $750-million emissions reduction fund to reduce methane and GHG emissions through greener technologies. The investments—

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, October 30th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, it is disappointing to see grocers impose these costly fees, which fall on the thousands of Canadian food processors who are working hard to feed Canadians and support their communities amid many challenges. Independent grocers, food producers and processors and their workers have played a critical role during this pandemic. We share the concern of Canadians about fair market practices, and we are committed to ensuring that Canada has the right conditions for all businesses to thrive.

[Diversity and Inclusion, October 29th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightfully proud of our tremendously rich diversity. For far too long, however, our extraordinary diversity has not always been reflected in our corporate boardrooms and senior management positions. Our institutions and leaders should not only serve as microcosms of society, but also as inspiration to the next generation of incredible Canadians who deserve to see themselves reflected in positions of leadership.

Representation matters and that is why I am devoting my statement to welcoming the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry's clarion call to Canadian businesses of all sizes to commit to the 50 - 30 challenge by striving to achieve 50% gender parity and 30% representation of under-represented groups, including racialized persons, those who identify as LGBTQ2S+, people living with disabilities, and first nations, Inuit and Métis people. We can unleash the full potential of diversity and the promise of inclusion for all Canadians.

[Regional Economic Development, October 9th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, yesterday we announced that Ford will invest $1.8 billion to set up battery electric vehicle production in Oakville, which will include federal and provincial assistance. This is about Canada and it is about Quebec, but it is part of a start. It is only a beginning of what we hope is a significant focus on a sustainable and greener economic recovery all across Canada. We see leading actors in this space across the country: in Quebec, Lion Electric; in Nova Scotia—

[Aerospace Industry, October 6th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, as our government moves forward with Canada's COVID-19 economic response plan, we will continue to work with affected sectors such as aerospace to ensure that Canadian businesses and workers have the support they need. A smooth economic recovery will, of course, require an unprecedented level of collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Our government is fully committed to supporting the aerospace sector to create good, long-term jobs for its workers in Canada and help Canada's world-class aerospace industry weather this unprecedented COVID-19 storm. Our government will be there to help create a better future for Quebeckers and, indeed, for all Canadians.

[Aerospace Industry, October 6th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to respond to comments made by the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot regarding aerospace.

We all know and fully recognize that great Canadian industries have been disrupted.

We know that Canadian workers and businesses have all been facing economic uncertainty and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our government recognizes the importance of supporting the sectors that have been hardest hit by the current global pandemic, including, of course, the aerospace industry. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight our support to all sectors.

Our COVID-19 economic response plan includes broad measures to help Canadian businesses, small and large, weather this unprecedented storm. This includes the business credit availability program, the Canada emergency business account, the Canada emergency wage subsidy and, of course, the large employer emergency financing facility.

Let me be clear. Our government remains fully committed to supporting the aerospace sector and its workers in both the short term and the long term.

We have always gone to bat for Canada's aerospace workers, and we will keep doing so.

The aerospace industry in Quebec and across Canada is an extremely important industry for jobs, innovation and technology developments in Canada. In fact, as I am sure the member is fully aware, green aviation is an area where Canada is truly a global powerhouse. To be more specific, the two aircraft in the world that have environmental product designations are assembled right here in Canada.

We know that aerospace is one of the most innovative and export-driven industries in Canada. It contributed over $25 billion in gross domestic product and more than 210,000 jobs to the Canadian economy in 2018. The aerospace industry is also the number one research and development player among all Canadian manufacturing industries, with an R and D investment of $1.5 billion in 2018, representing, I might add, approximately a quarter of all manufacturing R and D undertaken in Canada. The industry is national in scope, with important aerospace clusters in each region of the country, comprised of maintenance work, suppliers or large manufacturers.

Canada, in other words, is an innovative global leader in the aerospace industry, and we know that Quebeckers, and indeed Canadians across the country, rightfully take enormous pride in this sector. Our government has provided significant funding since 2015 to support the aerospace and space industries through innovation programs, including of course the strategic innovation fund. These key investments are driving ongoing advancements in this sector as it transitions to be cleaner, more innovative and more competitive.

Our funding, in turn, has leveraged significant private sector investments to better position the aerospace industry in Canada. Throughout this process our government has engaged with industry partners and has been extremely proactive in promoting Canada's aerospace sector. We are working closely with our partners on various issues that have arisen since the onset of the pandemic. We appreciate this ongoing—

[Ethics, September 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives who defunded science, our federal government greatly values the work of top scientific and industry experts who are volunteering their time to help ensure sound evidence-based decisions, but let me be very clear. The Vaccine Task Force has a robust conflict of interest process in place that embodies international best practices, includes an online registry of declared interests and is consistent with the practices of other volunteer external advisory bodies.

[Foreign Affairs, September 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been working closely with experts and industry partners throughout this pandemic, which has allowed us to take an evidence-based approach to vaccine research and development. In the context of our continued research and evolving evidence, the National Research Council chose to implement the revised expert advice of the Vaccine Task Force and pursue other vaccine candidates. We will continue to actively pursue every promising option for a COVID-19 vaccine.

[Seniors, March 11th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, Retirement Concepts, as the operator, continues to work with the Government of British Columbia to remedy any and all concerns. However, I feel it is fitting that I close by recognizing the first Canadian death from COVID-19: a resident of a British Columbia residential care facility. We extend our deepest condolences.

Our absolute priority will always remain the health and safety of Canadians. The federal government will continue to provide leadership and partnership with the provinces, territories and all Canadians.