House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 41% of the vote.
Petitions October 21st, 2014
Finally, Mr. Speaker, notwithstanding the decision on Line 9, many in my community are very concerned about the way in which public engagement happened with the decision around Line 9, and particularly about the company that is building, managing, and maintaining Line 9. In the third petition, the petitioners are calling on the government to intervene immediately to stop the development of the Sarnia-Montreal Line 9 pipeline.
Petitions October 21st, 2014
Mr. Speaker, there is a general crisis among youth in terms of employment in the GTA. Right now, about 50% of all workers in the GTA cannot access full-time jobs. They do not have access to benefits, a pension, or any job security. The second petition is signed by many in my community calling on the government to support a national urban worker strategy.
Petitions October 21st, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present on behalf of the good people of Davenport in the great city of Toronto.
The first petition concerns the cuts to Canada Post. This is signed by many seniors in my community, who live on streets like Dufferin, Gladstone, Havelock, and Lansdowne. They are concerned about the cuts, and they call on the government to reverse these devastating cuts, particularly with respect to door-to-door mail delivery.
Consumer Protection October 20th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, what Canadians know is that when it comes to protecting small businesses and consumers, the government has a failing record. Take pay-to-pay fees, for example. A year after promising to ban them, Canadians are still being charged to get their bills in the mail.
This $700 million cash grab targets seniors, those on fixed income, immigrants, and those with little to no access to the Internet. How much more are Canadians' pockets going to be picked before the government acts? Why are they still being charged these fees?
Housing October 9th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, maybe the Conservatives can start respecting Toronto families.
Seventy-seven thousand Toronto families are on affordable housing waiting lists. The Conservative response was 267 units, built last year.
Liberal cuts and downloading started the housing crisis. Conservative cuts have thrown fuel on the fire. However, one of the ways they could turning this crisis around is by renewing affordable housing agreements.
Will they do that for Toronto families, today?
Rouge National Urban Park Act October 8th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague for Beaches—East York never wastes an opportunity to underline in this place, Canada is increasingly an urban country, and we are facing a climate change crisis. We are facing increasing difficulty in our urban areas with extreme heat and various other issues related to climate change.
What is important is the precedent it sets and the signal it sends to other levels of government that we take these issues seriously in our urban areas.
Rouge National Urban Park Act October 8th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the short answer is yes, we share those concerns. It is why we are calling for the legislation to include some of these issues, such as a transition toward smaller-scale farms that support healthy, local food production, which of course would mitigate some of the potential runoff.
We have concerns. The Conservatives have been weak on environmental protection in general. The issues with the bill before us underline the concerns that we and many Canadians have.
Rouge National Urban Park Act October 8th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I was listening for a question, but it was a comment.
I would simply like to say that words matter in legislation. Of course, we stand here day in and day out and in committee battling over words, because they actually mean a lot. That is why we are raising these concerns about the weakening of the protections that are in the bill right now.
Rouge National Urban Park Act October 8th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this place on behalf of the good people of Davenport in the great city of Toronto to debate this bill on an urban park in Toronto. In fact, it is in Scarborough, which is a little dear to my heart, given that I grew up in Scarborough.
It is important to note that there are many people who grow up in Toronto and in greater Toronto area, and there are many people who live in Toronto, who are cut off from the natural endowments the city offers. There are many reasons that happens. I am dwelling on this because of the importance of having green space in an urban context. That is important, as long as people have access to it.
I have spoken to seniors, for example, in my community who came to Canada as immigrants and worked very hard their whole lives and never actually had the opportunity to experience the lake. In fact, they did not even realize that Toronto was right beside a lake. They have not had the opportunity to explore the green spaces.
Scarborough has acquired a reputation, which I have always felt was incredibly unfair, even though I grew up at Markham and Lawrence, as being a concrete jungle. In fact, it has some of the most beautiful southern Ontario landscapes one could imagine. I invite you down any time, Mr. Speaker.
The issue I am raising is the issue of access. We have so much to offer in the city of Toronto, but we have a growing gap between those who can access these wonders and those who cannot. That gap largely hinges on economics and the income gap between the rich and the poor.
We have communities in the north part of our city with young people who have never gone downtown or visited City Hall, although these days, I do not know if people would want to visit City Hall. These young people have never visited the museums in downtown Toronto. They have never swum in the lake that is right there, at the side of the Gardiner Expressway.
A project that is going to create an urban national park in the eastern part of the city is incredibly important, if we do it right. The NDP has a number of questions about whether we are doing it right.
The NDP is strongly in favour of protecting the ecological integrity of Canada through the creation of national parks. However, these parks must be protected by strong environmental legislation backed up by sound, scientifically based management plans. The Rouge Park is no exception.
There is conditional support. We support moving the bill to committee to strengthen it. Part of the reason is that we do not trust the Conservative government on the issue of environmental protection. It has a long record of doing everything in its power, which is considerable right now, unfortunately, to diminish, denigrate, and demolish environmental protection right across this country. We are very concerned about this.
The way the government has first made a promise then delivered a bill that is weaker than the promise gives New Democrats some real concerns.
From coast to coast to coast, Canadians recognize the importance of oversight and well-funded institutions that protect our environment and well-funded parks.
New Democrats have many concerns about this bill, which we want to address in committee.
We believe the national park legislation and management plan should adopt the long-standing Rouge Park vision, goal and objectives; strengthen and implement the existing environmental protection policy framework; protect a healthy and sustainable 100 km2 Rouge national park area; restore a sustainable and integrated natural heritage system; dedicate more of the park to nature and public enjoyment instead of private leases; transition towards smaller-scale farms that support healthy local food production; clearly prioritize ecological health and conservation of the Carolinian and mixed woodland plain forest; ensure that all activities that may affect the Rouge national urban park undergo staunch environmental assessments; and, finally, include a science-based management plan.
In other words, we have a long list of items we need to raise. We have a park, and the partner with the largest parcel of land is not in support of the direction the government is going right now. That also underlines a serious concern, and the concern is about leadership. The concern is about the seriousness with which we take our actions in this regard.
It is incumbent upon the government to work with all the stakeholders in a manner that moves this park forward in the way it was described initially. It is also important that we look at the natural value and work together to find a way to bring this forward in the manner in which it was initially planned.
On this side of the House, we look forward to working with our fellow parliamentarians to see this park finally realized with the strongest environmental and ecological protections it should have.
Rouge National Urban Park Act October 8th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to ask a question on this very important issue among many colleagues from Scarborough, which I think is an exciting thing because that is where I am from originally.
Given the government's environmental track record, given the government's laggard behaviour vis-a-vis climate change—in fact it was only a few years ago it was denying the existence of climate change—is the member for York South—Weston confident and comfortable that the protections in the bill would see the Rouge national urban park fulfill all of its possibilities and potential?