House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 43% of the vote.
Diversity and Inclusion April 7th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I proudly stand behind our government's record on supporting science and research from coast to coast.
Our government has made science a priority after years of neglect. Not only is science back, but the scientific community now better reflects the Canada of today.
Institutions are taking measures to integrate diversity and inclusion in their hiring practices. We will always support Canadian scientists and researchers.
Diversity and Inclusion April 7th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, our government has been firm in its support for all scientists and researchers. Over the past seven years, we have helped rebuild Canada's world-class science and research sector.
We will continue to support our robust science and research ecosystem, which reflects Canada's strengths and advances Canadian interests, because we know that it is not just the right thing to do, it is also the smart thing to do.
Business of Supply April 5th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I am very appreciative to the parliamentary secretary for his excellent work representing the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces. We often can forget that families serve with members, and it is very important that the forces support those family members as well. I am proud to represent Halifax, the home of Canada's east coast navy, and recently home to HMCS Halifax, which has embarked on Operation Reassurance to support our work with NATO with regard to Ukraine, but it leaves the families at home. I wonder if the parliamentary secretary could instruct us on how CAF supports families with the funding we are talking about.
Diversity and Inclusion March 31st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
Our government has brought science back after a decade of neglect, and not only is it back, it is a scientific community that looks a lot like Canada does right now. We applaud scientific research institutions that are taking steps to include diversity and inclusion in their hiring practices, and we will always support Canadian researchers.
Diversity and Inclusion March 31st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, after a decade of being neglected by Stephen Harper's Conservatives, our government has consistently supported scientists and researchers.
We remain committed to providing the resources and tools our scientists need to bring tangible benefits to Canadians' health, environment, communities and economy. This will make Canada a leader in innovation.
Diversity and Inclusion March 31st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, our government firmly supports all scientists and researchers.
Over the past seven years, we have helped rebuild Canada's world-class science and research sector. We will continue to support a robust science and research ecosystem that reflects Canada's strengths and advances Canadian interests. Not only is this the right thing to do, but it is also the smart thing to do.
Academy Awards March 28th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate Ben Proudfoot, a filmmaker from Halifax, who took home the Oscar for best documentary short at last night's Academy Awards. Ben's winning film The Queen of Basketball tells the often overlooked story of Lusia Harris, the only woman to be officially drafted by the NBA, the first woman inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and the first woman to score a basket at the Olympics.
In his acceptance speech last night, Ben said, “If there is anyone out there that still doubts whether there's an audience for female athletes...let this Academy Award be the answer”.
Throughout his career, Ben has used film to shine a light on trail-blazing women, such as Heather Lawson, the first woman trained as a stone mason in Canada, and astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell for her work on the discovery of pulsars.
Speaking of pulsars, today people in Ben's hometown of Halifax are over the moon with pride. I invite all members to join us in congratulating him on this remarkable achievement. I send my congratulations to Ben.
Business of Supply March 22nd, 2022
Madam Speaker, I wish to thank my colleague for the wonderful question.
Where do I see the future of this? I look no further than my own home province of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic provinces that surround it for the future. The Atlantic loop, which is in discussions now, is going to create an improved electrical grid that would allow us to phase off of coal earlier than we expected and would allow all kinds of renewable inputs, wind, solar and others, as we electrify the lives of Atlantic Canadians.
Business of Supply March 22nd, 2022
Madam Speaker, our government has committed to and in fact ran on the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies and most recently has accelerated the phase-out, which does create capacity in past and upcoming budgets to support the very kinds of programs that the member raised so diligently today.
This will allow us to allocate more money to seniors and those living in need, more money for other methods of low- and zero-emission transit, as well as other means of heating homes and running industries.
Business of Supply March 22nd, 2022
Madam Speaker, my colleague from Nova Scotia raises important concerns. It is important that we get off this kind of monoculture of fuel we have been on for a long time. The importance is going to have to be in the diversification of transportation options, be that public transit, electric vehicles or the active transportation we have heard many people discuss. It is going to be very important to support rural transit as well as we go through this. The point is that we would like to create conditions in which Canadian families do not have the decision to own multiple vehicles forced upon them when there are alternative options to that.
Likewise, with respect to home heating, there is the solar city program I mentioned and energy retrofits for which we are providing zero-interest loans. The objective here is to diversify our sources of energy so that we never again have to live through a spike like we are right now.